Convenience Retailer Sept/Oct 2011

INDUSTRY CALENDAR

NACS PRESHOW COVERAGE

SEE PAGE 106

SEE PAGE 40

OPERATIONS:

NEW FEATURE: GRAB AND GO PRODUCTS

Proper Product Tracking Increases Customer Satisfaction

BUYERS GUIDE

SEE PAGE 68

SEE PAGE 88

ConvenienceRETAILER

Volume 4, Number 5

September/October 2011

Nicotek E-Cigs Satisfy Customers’ Needs

Nicotek® is the latest electronic cigarette company to emerge that seems to be doing everything right. Both retailers and distributors are finding that Nicotek is satisfying their customers’ needs more than any other e-cig on the market today. Nicotek LLC’s trademarked motto is, “Electronic Cigarettes Done Right.” The e-cigs definitely live up to their claim!

Social media, the platform that revolutionized communication during Japan’s March tsunami and earthquake and more recently during Hurricane Irene on the East Coast, has also spawned the latest incarnation of a crime spree: The Flash Rob. Instead of using Facebook and Twitter to coordinate innocuous, entertainment-based “flash mobs,” the concept has segued into a mechanism

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On June 8, two small towns in Arkansas held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the opening of the first of Walmart’s new “Walmart Express” outlets. In both Gentry and Prairie Grove, the mayors of their respective towns cut the ceremonial ribbons and, in the process, officiated in the retail giant’s opening salvos of its attempt to grow into communities too small to support a full, big-box Walmart retail outfit.

With the cutting of those two ribbons, Walmart formally entered into competition in the convenience-retail marketplace.

For Mitch Bartholomew, longtime owner of Frederick’s One Stop in Prairie Grove, it was a worrying sign. Speaking to a reporter for a local television station, Bartholomew said, “We’re always concerned because everybody trades with

BY DIRK DEPPEY

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for groups of people to converge on a store, take what they want, and walk out without paying.

These flash robberies often occur in broad daylight and the people in the “mob rob” rarely bother with disguise or subterfuge. The gathered group moves in like a wave, denudes the shelves, and then moves out in just a matter of moments, leaving store personnel

Walmart Enters The Convenience-Retail Business Space

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With nearly four years of retail experience in the e-cig industry, Nicotek has evolved the electronic cigarette into the superior product that you see on the market today. METRO® by Nicotek Continued on Page 24

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Thirst For Winning, Taste For Victory Drives Cintron Racing, Beverage Group How Did Those Little Trees Car Scents Become So Ubiquitous?

FEATURES

Surveillance & Social Media The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

BY KARRIE WELBORN

SURE BETS

SEE PAGE 20

Dietz & Watson Deli Meats, Artisan Cheeses Cut Sodium, Not Taste

TOP TECH

SEE PAGE 92

XRUN Powered By ADP Smartphone Payroll Platform Available For Small Businesses ■ Understanding EMV Vital As Visa Implements System ■

Youths Influenced

By Alcohol Ads On Radio, Johns Hopkins Study Finds

Industry Told To Recommit To Marketing Standards Away From Vulnerable 12-20 Age Group

The alcohol industry’s voluntary standard to discourage underage drinking has failed in 75 markets across the country, according to a new study from the non-profit Center on Continued on Page 20

PRODUCT FEATURES

SEE PAGE 102

Ex Chillout, America’s First Relaxer Beverage ■ Deli Staff Deserve NXT 10-302 Cut-Resistant Gloves ■ Tease Your Taste Buds With All-Natural TEAse Iced Teas ■

www.convenienceretailer.net

NEXT ISSUE: NACS post-show coverage BUYERS GUIDE:

New products from the NACS show COLD COW ICE CREAM INTRODUCES NEW MILKSHAKE LINE

sure bets How Did Those Little Trees Car Scents Become So Ubiquitous?

Thirst For Winning, Taste For Victory Drives Cintron Racing, Beverage Group

In the world of offshore powerboat racing, moments matter. Winning and losing is measured by fractions of a second. Rich Wyatt goes full-throttle to taste that victory.

Twelve years ago, Wyatt, CEO of The Cintron Beverage Group, splashed onto the offshore scene. His emergence into the sport’s upper echelons has been as fast as the boats themselves. Crowds have witnessed Cintron’s boat, the 50foot Mystic captained by Wyatt, crush the competition at speeds of over 170 mph.

Wyatt, winner of the 2010 Key West World Championships and recently 2011 Great Lakes Super Boat Grand Prix, describes the thrill of the chase: “There is so much pressure. Staying ahead of the competition means making split-second decisions. It’s hard to describe the rush.

It’s like sticking your hand in a fire. Your first reaction is, ‘No, don’t do it!’ but you just can’t stop.”

A sport of such intensity demands dedication and fearlessness. Prepping the boat for competition can take weeks, while extreme temperatures and water conditions call for peak endurance. It’s

high-energy and high-risk, but Wyatt and the Cintron racing team wouldn’t have it any other way.

Wyatt’s success has transferred onshore as well. Over the last three years, he has led Cintron to the forefront of the beverage industry. He and his team have stayed on top of the competition with the company’s growing line of premium Latin-inspired energy drinks, fruit ades and natural teas. Cintron’s HFCS-free drinks are combined with a natural energy-ingredient formula to eliminate that “crash” feeling―paramount when focus is necessary.

It takes a thirst for the winner’s circle to lead a winning team. With several boat racing victories and an ever-growing beverage company, Rich Wyatt is a champion. He knows the formula. You can see drive and determination in every race and taste it in each drink.

Make each moment of your life matter. Taste the difference.

For more information, visit www.cintronbeveragegroup.com or stop by booth 5543 at the NACS show. ■

W.A. Brown Walk-In Coolers Customized For Any Need W. A. Brown & Son’s Specification Cooler is a walk-in unit that is customized to meet your needs. You may choose from six finishes or customize. This line can be built into any location and offers unlimited sizes, shapes and accessories. You provide a sketch and fill out the worksheet, and the W.A. Brown Design Services Team will do the rest.

Specification walk-ins have a 15-

year panel and five-year hardware warranty.

W.A. Brown & Son, celebrating its 100th year in business this year, is the originator of all-foam metal covered panels. The panels, insulated with polyurethane, are friendly to the environment and add flexibility to the product.

They are flame-retardant and a smoke inhibitor, meeting strict safety standards.

You see them everywhere, and you probably have them in your store―they’re probably one of your best sellers.

But chances are, you never thought much about the Little Trees air fresheners.

We visited CarFreshner, the company behind these fresh-makers, at their Watertown, N.Y., headquarters, and were surprised by what we learned.

The company has been based in Watertown (on the Canadian border) ever since Julius Sämann, a chemist, invented the hanging Tree air fresheners to help out a milk-truck-driving friend. One of Sämann’s first fragrances was Royal Pine, which Director of Sales Nate Lazarchuck tells us is still a top seller. “It’s amazing enough that this company has remained fresh for almost 60 years,” said Lazarchuck, “but that one of the original fragrances is still doing so well surprises many people.”

The original fragrance king was toppled in the 1980s, with the arrival of the bright yellow Vanillaroma. Then, in the 1990s, New Car Scent took over top spot, before the arrival of Black Ice in 2005.

“This fragrance has done phenomenally well for us and for our customers,” explained Lazarchuck. “The fragrance has become so famous; an NBA basketball player named his line of shoes ‘Black Ice’ after our product.”

Today, there are 65 fragrances to choose from, with new ones launched several times a year. Just this month, the company launched White Water (a cool fragrance on a splashy blue and white Tree)

and Grape (a delicious rendition of a traditional favorite).

Maybe one of these two newcomers will take over Black Ice’s title?

The company grew over the years, and built factories in DeWitt, Iowa, and Berlin, N.H. Every Little Trees air freshener is still made in one of its three U.S. facilities.

After 60 years, the company is still going strong. “We’ve succeeded because we’ve never lost focus of our customers. We know they want great, long-lasting fragrances at a fair price. We give them that better than anyone else can.” This might explain why the Little Trees logo has become so iconic. You’ve seen it in countless movies and TV shows (one of our favorites is Letterman, who seems to have a particular love for the products). As for that iconic scene in the movie Seven, “we sent them unfragranced product, because that many Trees would have been quite powerful,” explained Lazarchuck.

“Americans seem to love Little Trees,” concludes Lazarchuck. And their buying patterns reflect this. The Little Trees air fresheners are―far and away―the best-selling automotive air fresheners on the market.

For more information on the company and its products, visit its booth at 1553 North Hall at the NACS show or www .little-trees.com. ■

W.A. Brown & Son sells its coolers and freezers for use by bakeries, beverage storage, blood banks, caterers, chemical storage and processing, chemical houses, computer disks, computer rooms, convenience stores, florists, frozen dough, frozen products, hospitals, ice cream distributors, microfilm storage and processing, bulk purchasing of meat, pharmacies, photographic supplies, restaurants, schools and wine storage.

More information is available at www.wabrown.com. ■

Steve Cox Lyle Sapp Kate Seymour Senior Associate Publishers

Top Athletes LeBron James, A'mare Stoudemire Rely On Sheets Energy Strips For Tasty Boost Sheets Energy Strips, co-founded and endorsed by such athletes as LeBron James and A’mare Stoudemire, were launched in the summer of 2011. After being placed on your tongue, Sheets paper-thin strips quickly dissolve. Sheets Energy Strips are individually wrapped, require no water and come in two great flavors: Berry Burst and Cinnamon Rush.

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ConvenienceRETAILER

Distributed by Convenience Sheets are are already on the shelves at GNC stores, Walgreens, Walmart and 7Eleven. They're small enough to keep in your wallet, won't spoil or melt and have no calories, carbohydrates or sugar. Each strip contains vitamins B5, B6, B12, E, biotin and 50 milligrams of caffeine.

Please stop by and see Convenience

September/October 2011

Valet®,

Valet in booth 5235 at the NACS show to enter to WIN an autographed jersey from LeBron James, A’mare Stoudemire, Chris Paul, Ray Rice or Brian Urlacher! In addition, free planograms and category management tools are available to help you optimize your Health & Beauty Care business.

For more information, call 800.351.2000 or visit www.cvalet.com. ■

ConvenienceRETAILER Lee M. Oser CEO and Editor-in-Chief

Kim Forrester Associate Publisher Rhonda Baker Paul Harris James Martin Bill Morris Deborah Yarbrough Account Managers Lorrie Baumann Editorial Director A.J. Flick Editor Rocelle Aragon Dirk Deppey Jennifer Miller Karrie Welborn Associate Editors Valerie Wilson Art Director Yasmine Brown Graphic Designer Selene Pinuelas Traffic Manager Enrico Cecchi European Sales Convenience Retailer is published by Oser Communications Group ©2011.

BPA Worldwide Member since June 22, 2009.

All rights reserved. Executive and editorial offices at: 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715 520-721-1300/Fax: 520-721-6300 www.oser.com www.convenienceretailer.net European offices located at Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini, 11, 50125 Florence, Italy.

sure bets Crunch Pak Partners With Cultural Icon To Promote Nutrition

Tony Freytag, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, introduces new Crunch Pak’s Disney co-branded products.

a line of fresh sliced apple products created in conjunction with Disney Consumer Products that feature popular Disney characters such as Phineas and Ferb and Cars 2. Previously branded Disney Garden and featuring Disney·Pixar Toy Story characters, the new line is co-branded by Crunch Pak and Disney for the first time.

CR: Tell us more about Crunch Pak®.

TF: Crunch Pak, exhibiting at NACS in booth 4786, is the leading supplier of cleaned, ready-to-eat fresh apple slices.

Located in Cashmere, Wash., the heart of Washington state apple country, Crunch Pak was founded by apple growers who believed that people would eat more apples if they were easier to eat.

CR: And of course, you’ll be talking

CR: How does Crunch Pak make apples easier to eat?

TF: Crunch Pak utilizes the perfect recipe of vitamin C and calcium to prevent spoilage and maintain the crispness of an apple after it’s sliced. Crunch Pak’s breathable bags allow the sliced apples to receive the right mixture of oxygen while emitting carbon dioxide; that combination ensures the apples maintain optimum quality during transportation to market and ensures a 21-day shelf life.

CR: Tell us about the new products you’re introducing at this year’s NACS show.

TF: At NACS, Crunch Pak is introducing

C-Stores Get Slice Of Profitable Food Category With Giorgio Foods’ Pizza

Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza each day, making pizza a bigger business than the hamburger and hot-dog industries combined. That’s $35 billion in revenue that convenience stores deserve a slice of.

Giorgio Foods has a pizza program that can help convenience stores compete and win in the pizza market. Giorgio’s program is designed using premium “pizza parlor” style ingredients to provide the best-quality pizza with the least amount of time and effort spent by store employees. With two styles to choose from, Prebaked or Take & Bake Pizza, retailers can select a pizza that best suits their operation.

As part of the program, Giorgio’s pizzas are delivered to the stores frozen.

They may be prepared frozen or thawed for speed of service. From frozen, Giorgio pizzas will cook in five to 10 minutes and from thawed in four to seven minutes, depending on the oven.

The Giorgio Pizza Program also provides convenience stores with a versatile oven that handles pizzas up to 16 inches in diameter. Everything from thin to thick Continued on Page 16

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about other products also. Tell us about those.

TF: Crunch Pak is continuing to produce its FOODLESTM line. Packaged in the shape of Mickey Mouse and featuring Mickey and friends characters, FOODLES feature an assortment of healthy snack food options including apples, grapes, cheese and pretzels. In addition to the new Disney co-branded products, Crunch Pak will also be exhibiting all the other items in its family of products including Snackers, Just Grapes and Crunch Pak carrots, all items introduced over the past year and gaining distribution nationwide.

CR: Your association with Disney is a little unexpected. Tell us more about that.

TF: No one else is packaging fresh-cut apple snacks in partnership with a cultural icon such as Disney. The co-brand allows Crunch Pak to engage with kids through a beloved reference point and make the snack experience fun and inviting. Crunch Pak creates all of these items in accordance with strict nutritional guidelines created by Disney just for kids, which assure they are nutritionally balanced.

For more information, visit Crunch Pak in booth 4786 at the NACS show. ■

sure bets SCHNEIDER CHEESE: WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

The answer is really quite simple: a premium, healthy snack at a great price.

We have been making Schneider Cheese for decades and we do it well.

Schneider Cheese Company was the original snack cheese company in the Midwest. Our modest beginning was a small cheese plant in Waldo, Wis. We’ve been making snack cheese products since the late 1970s, back when snack cheese wasn’t even a category. Schneider Cheese Company was the first to get cheese out of the grocery store and into the convenience store as a healthy snack alternative to candy bars and potato chips.

Originally, we produced string cheese in 5-pound bulk bags and the customers would help themselves to a piece or two out of an open bag in the cooler. Of course things have changed since then; we now have the packaging and display boxes that attract attention to this healthy category. But our history and experience

are second to none. Schneider’s started it all, and now the snack cheese category is a multi-million dollar category in the C-Store market.

But that is not all.

Back in the mid-2000s, Schneider’s was purchased by one of the largest cheese-producing companies in the world, Saputo Cheese. The goal has been to grow the category and the Schneider name in the C-Store market. Now we have the combined experience and talent of those who built this into a multi-million dollar category and the financial backing of an aggressive, trendsetting company. The result is a deliciously attractive high-margined healthy snack alternative. We have a strong presence in the marketplace and an aggressive pricing program that is second to none.

With our stand-up boxes our program takes very little shelf space, but that small shelf space makes for huge profits.

So … what’s in it for you? Huge profits, experience in marketing and confidence that your stores are selling a premium snack cheese for a great price.

For more information, call 218-5624651. ■

NFL Star Seeks Redemption From Fans For Football Blunder

Mars Chocolate North America announced that its SNICKERS Brand, a proud sponsor of the NFL, has teamed with NFL Films to release a new documentary chronicling former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Leon Lett’s epic blunder that occurred on Thanksgiving Day in 1993.

The film, “The Man Who Played Literally Hungry: Leon Lett and the True Story Behind His Infamous Thanksgiving Blunder,” sheds new light on the potential cause of Lett’s uncharacteristic play that fateful night, which still haunts him 18 years later. The film is available at www.nfl.com/snickers.

The blunder occurred during a rare snow and sleet storm in Dallas. Leading the Miami Dolphins 14-13 with 15 seconds remaining in the game, the Dolphins lined up for a 41-yard field goal attempt. The Cowboys blocked the field goal, but while his teammates began to celebrate, Lett attempted to recover the ball, slipped on the ice and allowed Miami to recover the muff on the Dallas

one-yard-line. By touching the ball and then failing to hold onto it, Lett enabled the Dolphins to take possession and try another field goal with three seconds left on the clock, which they subsequently made to win the game.

“I have three rings, but I still wake up in the middle of the night because of that play,” said Lett, who was a two-time Pro Bowler for the Cowboys. “Miami was 8-2, so Coach kept riding me all week about the need to play hungry. I thought he meant literally!”

After watching the film, viewers will have the opportunity to “forgive Leon” for playing literally hungry at www.nfl.com/snickers. If Leon can reach a total of 25,000 “forgives,” SNICKERS will honor him on the day of this year’s rematch between the Cowboys and Dolphins on Thanksgiving Day. For more information about “The Man Who Played Literally Hungry: Leon Lett and the True Story Behind His Infamous Thanksgiving Blunder,” visit www.nfl.com/snickers. ■

Franklin Display Group Clears Path to Sustainability

Finiti E-Cigarettes Ease Smokers' Concerns With Product Quality

In an independent study this spring of 132 smokers, nearly all were intensely curious about electronic cigarettes, yet only 6 percent had tried them. “It makes sense,” Russell Stone, President of the Finiti Branding Group, explains. “With a product so groundbreaking, most smokers are skeptical of e-cig technology and whether it can truly replicate regular smoking.” To ease potential customer concerns and gain their longtime loyalty and trust, Stone and his team decided the best route was good old-fashioned product quality of the highest standard.

Finiti e-cigarettes are an alternative to traditional cigarettes, providing the satisfaction of nicotine without smoke, according to the company. Instead of burning tobacco, Finiti uses liquid nicotine naturally derived from tobacco and water vapor to transform the normal

smoking experience in a smoke-free, ashfree, odor-free way.

“We spent many months, many long hours with the research and developing of Finiti e-cigs,” says Stone. “As smokers ourselves, we wanted the Finiti experience to be all about the pleasures of smoking, without all the worries. Most of all, we wanted an e-cig of peerless quality!”

The Finiti team started with developing liquid nicotine that would provide rich tobacco taste. Rather than manufacturing synthetic nicotine, Finiti uses a liquid derived from natural tobacco leaf. The company created a sturdy, unibody disposable to closely replicate the feel and look of a traditional cigarette.

“We wanted smokers to realize from their very first taste of Finiti that it Continued on Page 16

Are “sustainability” and “green initiatives” on your corporate agenda? This topic is relevant, demanding, and for most of us, it’s complicated. The green industry initiative is gaining momentum. It is important enough to have made it all the way to President Obama’s and the U.S. Congress’ agenda.

Consequently, many companies are searching for answers to the question, “Where do we turn for honest, proven assistance?” How can my company embrace this new initiative and make a difference?

Franklin Display Group has partnered with Resourceful ClearStream to develop a recycling product line that has already assisted many companies, communities and event planners in creating solutions for affordable, clean recycling programs. An example of this partnership was a collaboration with NASCAR® in the Winston Cup SeriesTM at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The ClearstreamTM Recyclers used in three different sections of the speedway were: outside the gates, on the concourse areas and in the suites. Not only did the ClearStream Recyclers hold up to the massive crowd of 150,000 race fans, more than 150 cubic yards of material were deposited in them. The ClearStream Recycler keeps recyclables separate from the trash, so no further sorting is needed.

That’s an interesting success story, but you’re probably asking yourself, “How does that relate to my business?” In events like the NASCAR weekend, the benefits were two-fold. The first was the fact that they were doing their part in recycling.

They made a commitment and a difference in an incredibly important cause. Secondly, they branded the recyclers and promoted

their company at the event.

Consider the following on how a company could participate: Imagine your company was headquartered in Texas, near Austin. Every year, the Austin City Limits Music Festival draws massive crowds.

Consider the opportunity to sponsor, or purchase the ClearStream recyclers for such an event. The ClearStream recycling system offers branding on either the “billboard” or directly on the lid. ClearStream Recyclers are branded and ready to go, allowing you to be actively participating in a recycling program that will make a difference while at the same time promoting your brand.

Prior to ordering the recyclers, your marketing department would need to work with various city and municipal departments to assess needs. Fortunately, most event planners and municipalities are already involved with recycling, so the coordination of material removal is typically not an issue. The issue they face is finding a reliable, affordable containment system. They need assistance, which is exactly where your company can step in.

You can make a difference and build your brand within your community and throughout the country.

To learn more about Franklin Display Group/Resourceful Bag & Tag, please visit them at booth 417 at the NACS show.

Resourceful ClearStream owns the ClearStream trademark and is the exclusive sales agent for the product line. Direct all sales inquiries to Jim@resourcefulclearstream.com or call 800-872-8241 x110. Please visit their website at www.resourcefulclearstream.com. ■

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sure bets Crunchies Saw Healthy Ritter Sport Bars Blend Chocolate With Taste Of History Snack Food Trend Coming

With nearly 100 years of experience and history, absolute dedication to quality can still be seen and tasted in every bar of Ritter Sport chocolate.

What started as a small, local business has grown with each generation and is now a successful international business; Ritter Sport chocolate bars are available in more than 90 countries around the world.

Headquartered in Waldenbuch, Germany, just south of Stuttgart, the company is managed by the third generation of the Ritter family, whose interests lie well beyond making outstanding chocolate. Ritter Sport is also active in environmental protection, fostering fair-trade practices, encouraging employee development and supporting the arts.

The company’s passion is, of course, chocolate! All production takes place in Waldenbuch, which enables Ritter to continuously ensure the highest standards of quality.

What makes Ritter Sport chocolate so unique, besides its square shape, is that the company uses 11 different chocolate masses in the production of the bars.

Ritter matches these to the finest whole hazelnuts and almonds, raisins, biscuits, wafers and other inclusions to develop the very best combinations of flavor and texture.

With more than 18 varieties available in the United States (including Alpine Milk, Marzipan, Espresso and Strawberry Crème), Ritter has something for just about everyone! In addition to the standard 100-

gram/3.5-ounce bars, Ritter also offers a seasonal 250-gram/8.8-ounce bar, 16.7gram/0.59-ounce mini bars, and, most recently, a line of 65-gram/2.3-ounce bars.

These new bars are available in five varieties including White Chocolate with Almonds, Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Milk Chocolate with Hazelnut Praline, Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts and Extra Fine Milk Chocolate with 35-percent cocoa.

Though a bit smaller than the standard 100-gram/3.5ounce bars, the 65-gram/2.3ounce. bar is equal to its bigger sibling in terms of quality, flavor and overall chocolate eating experience.

The unique square shape of the bars allows for a big, fulfilling bite of chocolate.

With the introduction of the 65-gram/2.3-ounce line of chocolate bars, Ritter Sport can continue to develop its distribution nationally―especially in the convenience channel as well as other specialty channels―with this competitively priced item. Furthermore, the smaller size of the 65-gram/2.3-ounce bar makes for easier immediate consumption and portion control.

All Ritter Sport chocolate bars are recognized by the colorful and sophisticated foil wrappers―each corresponding to a particular variety―so it’s always easy to spot one’s favorite on the store shelf.

For more information about Ritter Sport, please visit Euro-American Brands’ booth 5244 at the NACS show or go online to www.ritter-sport.com. ■

C-Stores See Opportunity in Healthy Snacks, Guilt-Free Foods

U.S. retail sales of snack products in 2008 reached an all-time high at $68 billion.

Sales are projected to near $82 billion by 2013, a total market increase of 20 percent despite the stifling effects of economic recession.

“With public health concerns of obesity driving an overwhelming desire by most consumers to eat healthier, it is our responsibility as manufacturers to create healthier consumer choices,” said Kevin Lawrence, CEO of BioNutritional Research Group, manufacturer of the top-selling Power CrunchTM Protein Energy Cookie.

“We have gained a large consumer following for Power Crunch mainly because it is a healthy snack product that tastes like a dessert,” Lawrence said.

“There are literally hundreds of consumer reviews on the Internet that rave about the flavor texture and nutritional profile of Power Crunch. It’s very flattering to see so much consumer support for our products, but more importantly, it tells us we are on the correct path. Power Crunch has the type of taste advantage that companies need to find if they want to compete in the healthy snack category.”

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As health-related concerns gain momentum, companies must focus on key manufacturing trends including portion control, low sugar, whole grains and natural/organic.

“If you want to gain a competitive advantage in the healthy snack category, you need to innovate. This has been a key initiative and company mission since BNRG was created in 1993,” Lawrence commented.

Consumers want guilt-free snacks.

They want assurance that their snacks are nutritious without sacrificing that snackfood taste appeal. This trend doesn’t stop at the grocery store; it is perhaps even more important for the C-store customer.

Finding a healthy, on-the-go snack in a convenience store wasn’t an easy task just a few years ago.

“Times are definitely changing,” said Lawrence. “It definitely shows, as our business with 7-11 has doubled within the last 18 months.”

For more information on BNRG and Power Crunch, please visit booth 235 at the NACS show, go online to www.bnrg.com or call 714-427-6990. ■

Crunchies Food Co., LLC was established in response to the obvious dearth of good-tasting and truly healthy natural snacks on the market.

The company sought to develop a line of pure foods that would blend the taste and crunch of a potato chip but be completely free of the preservatives, added sugar, trans-fat, and excessive sodium so prevalent among many snack food products.

The result was an innovative breakthrough in blending great taste with important nutrition: Crunchies freezedried fruits and vegetables have proven hugely appealing to everyone from school children to seniors and from health-conscious parents to busy executives.

Available today in a wide array of deliciously nutritious flavors, Crunchies are produced by placing individually frozen fruits and veggies in a refrigerated vacuum chamber that removes up to 97 percent of the moisture. This assures consumers of a unique crunchy treat that retains virtually all of its nutrients and enzymes (unlike conventional heat drying methods), while still maintaining its shape and intensifying its flavor.

To fully realize the growth of the natural snack trend, Crunchies Food Co. is led by 28-year packaged goods industry veteran James Lacey, who serves as the company’s President and CEO. Formerly an executive with Weider Nutrition, Power Bar, Nestle Food and Smith Klein-

Giorgio Foods pizza can be prepared with ease. Long life, compact space-saving design and multicapabilities make this the ideal oven for demanding commercial foodservice environments. If you are starting a pizza program, consider Giorgio’s program, which helps offset the cost of the oven with some Continued from Page 9

Finiti was not just another techy gimmick, but a revolutionary advance in the lives of smokers.”

Quality is engrained in the day-today operations at Finiti, which employs an on-site quality control team monitoring every step of the manufacturing process. As well, Finiti e-cigs and their facilities are tested regularly by an FDAaccredited third party.

“Plus,” Stone adds, “we take all feedback from our customers very seriously, as we see our quality as a continuous commitment to improve. The way we look at it, we are in this together with our Continued from Page 11

Beechman, Lacey is applying his considerable crossfunctional management, international distribution and marketing expertise to help lead the company through its most significant period of expansion to date.

This included the early 2007 launch of several distinct new items all reflecting the trademark blend of innovation and product excellence of Crunchies Food Co. Crunchies is adding new additions to its fruit and veggie lines for a total of 12 veggie flavors, 10 fruit flavors, five organic flavors, and its brand new Munch Pak size available in six popular fruit flavors.

Already favorably covered in some 40 national magazines and hundreds of regional newspapers, Crunchies Food Co. is poised to continue growing over the years without losing its core emphasis on consumer satisfaction, quality ingredients, superior packaging, and supporting worthy environmental causes.

As James Lacey puts it, “You can’t improve on nature, but you can freshly package what nature has given us and make it readily accessible to people wherever they may be. We’re heartened to see how enthusiastically our products have been embraced around the country and look forward to staying true to our mission of creating great-tasting, innovative, healthy snacks for many years to come.”

Come visit the Crunchies Booth or check out www.crunchiesfood.com. ■ of Giorgio’s fine products.

Giorgio has been a trusted name for generations in the food industry, and that’s why it is building a stellar reputation in the convenience store market with discerning customers and consumers.

To find out more, stop by Giorgio booth 6085 at NACS show, visit www.giorgiofoods.com or call 800-3305705. ■

smokers. They’re taking a chance by switching over to the new technology of Finiti, and if Finiti doesn’t deliver real smoking pleasure, then we won’t hesitate to return their money.”

Available in a range of SKUs, including two rechargeable kits and disposable e-cigarettes, Finiti e-cigarettes are available in regular and menthol.

Finiti products are priced to suit every lifestyle, beginning at $9.99 for a disposable e-cigarette that lasts as long as two packs of traditional cigarettes.

For more information, please visit booth 928 in the NACS show, go online to www.myfiniti.com, email info@myfiniti.com or call 855-6934648. ■

features Dietz & Watson Deli Meats, Artisan Cheeses Cut Sodium, Not Taste

Dietz & Watson, a leading producer of premium deli meats and cheeses, prides itself on the fact its deli meat and artisan cheese products already meet the New York City Department of Health’s National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) 2012 and 2014 standards in the deli meat and firm and semi-firm cheese categories. Dietz & Watson’s famous franks and cream cheese meet the 2012 NSRI standards and the company has pledged to achieve the 2014 standards for both.

“The National Salt Reduction Initiative

marks a great turning point for the food industry and consumers concerned with health,” said Louis Eni, CEO of Dietz & Watson. “We are proud that we’ve met the 2014 standards three years ahead of schedule, and have met them since the late Seventies, but we plan to work hard to decrease the sodium content of more of our products without compromising the high quality and flavor we’re known for.”

The N.Y. Health Department began the NSRI last year to prevent heart attacks and strokes by reducing the amount of salt in

packaged and restaurant foods. The initiative formed a coalition of cities, states and health organizations working to help food manufacturers and restaurants voluntarily reduce the amount of sodium in their products.

While it has already met the 2012 NSRI standards for hot dogs, Dietz & Watson is pledging to achieve the 2014 standards for its line of premium frankfurters, including its gourmet All Beef Franks, Black Angus Franks and Deli Franks.

“Since we opened in 1939, we have only ever used the best natural ingredients

and never compromise taste. You’ll never find fillers, artificial flavors or MSG in any of our 450 products,” said Eni. “Through our extensive Healthier Lifestyle line launched in 1979, we have been offering lower sodium, healthy choices for three decades, and the NSRI is just another example of our commitment to our customers and quality.” ■

XLERATOR Retrofit Kit Provides Family Paper Business Spans Continents, Cultures Cost-Effective Solution To Restroom Paper Towel Dispensers

XLERATOR® high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers are now available with ADA compliant stainless-steel paper towel dispenser retrofit kits. The new kits provide a simple, cost-effective solution for replacing built-in paper towel dispensers with XLERATOR hand dryers.

A stainless-steel panel allows the dryers to mount neatly where dispensers existed, leaving restrooms clean and green. XLERATOR completely dries hands in 10 to 15 seconds – three times faster than conventional dryers. It uses 80 percent less energy and delivers a 95 per-

Alcohol Ads Alcohol Marketing and Youth at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study’s conclusion came after CAMY found nearly 1 in 11 radio ads in 2009 targeted the most vulnerable age group.

In 2003, trade groups for beer and distilled spirits committed to placing alcohol ads in media venues only when underage youth comprise less than or equal to 30 percent of the audience, since 30 percent of the audience is 20 years old or younger.

The CAMY analysis found that 9 percent of the ads in 75 markets that account for almost half of radio listeners age 12 and older failed to meet the industry standards. Three brands alone – Miller Lite, Bud Light and Coors Light – placed more than half of these violating ads.

The National Research Council, the Institute of Medicine and 24 state attorneys general have called on the alcohol industry to beef up its standard and meet a “proportional” 15 percent placement standard, given the fact that the group most at risk for underage drinking – 12to 20-year-olds – is approximately 15 percent of the U.S. population.

Continued from Page 1

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cent cost savings versus paper towels, while creating a more hygienic restroom.

“XLERATOR hand dryers and retrofit kits are being specified by facility managers who are looking for ways to help trim the cost, maintenance and waste associated with paper towels and while taking significant step towards greening their facilities,” said William Gagnon, Vice president of Marketing and Key Accounts for Excel Dryer.

The newest technologies in highContinued on Page 24

“A 9 percent failure rate for an already weak standard means that a significant number of young people are being overexposed to alcohol advertising on the radio,” said Dr. David Jernigan, CAMY Director. “Reducing the voluntary standard to 15 percent would go a long way to keeping our young people safe and away from the undue influence of alcohol marketing.”

The influence of radio as a local media venue continues even in this dynamic digital age, as 93 percent of Americans ages 12 and older reported that they owned and/or used an AM-FM radio in 2011.

For this report, CAMY analyzed alcohol advertisements placed on the radio in the 75 local markets in the United States in 2009 for which fullyear data from a consistent survey methodology were available. These markets represent 46.5 percent of the U.S. population age 12 and above. Other key findings include: • In 2009, youths aged 12 to 20 were more likely per capita than adults to hear 32 percent of alcohol advertising placements.

• Distilled spirits were the most common type of alcohol advertisement to overexpose youth audiences in Portable People Meter markets. The PPM is a

Despite its success and even though it has been named a “Top 100 Minority Owned Company” by Minority Business News, Roses Southwest Papers Inc. has not let “La Familia” go out of its business.

What Roberto and Rose Marie Espat began as a small family business in Belize, Central America, expanded to the United States in 1984.

A 20,000-square-foot facility was built in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1985 to produce toilet tissues and kitchen roll towels using recycled fiber.

By 1989, the bag division was added to the product line and the facility grew to 40,000 square feet.

In 1993, additional warehouse, dock facilities and converting equipment were added, which resulted in the addition of

another 40,000 square feet. With the addition of the napkin division in 1995 to the product line and further warehouse and office expansion throughout the years, Roses has expanded to 250,000 square feet and now employs 250 people.

Even before the major fuel price increases, Roses recognized the costs involved in shipping paper products and how that, as much as anything affected the company’s bottom line. In 2005, Roses purchased a mill in Sanford, near Orlando, Fla., and has expanded the facility to more than 100,000 square feet. The Florida operation allows Roses to make its shipping more cost effective and energy efficient.

Through all of this expansion, the

new method of measuring listening, in which survey participants agree to wear a small device that receives a special signal from each radio station. PPMs allow for more precise measurement of actual listening because they do not depend on survey participants’ active recall and do not require them to record their listening behavior in a paper diary.

• In diary markets, where the PPM is not yet in use and where people kept a paper diary of radio listening in 15minute increments throughout the day, beer and alcopops advertising was most likely to overexpose youth.

• Fifteen brands garnered 25 percent or more of their exposure to youth in at least 10 percent of markets from advertising not in compliance with the industry’s 30 percent standard.

• In the majority of the 11 markets where Arbitron’s Portable People Meters were deployed for all of 2009, girls aged 12 to 20 were more likely than boys of the same age to be exposed to advertising for alcopops, distilled spirits, and wine.

young ears.”

Alcohol use is the leading drug problem among youth in the United States. It is responsible for 4,600 deaths per year among young people under the age of 21. Every day, nearly 5,000 young people under the age of 16 take their first drink, and binge drinking (defined as consuming five or more drinks within two hours) accounts for more than 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by young people.

At least 13 longitudinal research studies have found that the more young people are exposed to alcohol marketing, the more likely they are to start drinking or, if already drinking, to drink more.

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth monitors the marketing practices of the alcohol industry to focus attention and action on industry practices that jeopardize the health and safety of America’s youth. The Center was founded in 2002 at Georgetown University with funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Center moved to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2008 and is currently funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information, visit www.camy.org. ■

“The perception that young people are only listening to music on their iPods, cell phones and the Internet is naive,” said Jernigan. “Radio is still a source of entertainment for youth and alcohol ads are still finding their way to too many

Continued on Page 24

features Nicotek offers distributors and retailers the best profit margins in the market—with the highest quality of product available.

Nicotek’s extraordinary marketing efforts provide creative and visually appealing point of purchase displays, from easels to countertop displays, with custom options available. Nicotek provides ease of ordering by phone, email or on the web.

Retailers and distributors rave about Nicotek: “METRO e-cig from Nicotek is the best e-cig on the market today - bar none!”

Continued from Page 1

“I am selling more METROs than any other leading e-cig out there— including those who have been around for years.”

“Nicotek has taken all of the positive attributes of what the consumer wants in an electronic cigarette and combined it into one product line.

Quality is excellent, and when combined with the price points of the starter kit and the cartridges, it gives the consumer an excellent entry point for them to come back and buy the platinum kit with all of its bells and whistles. The quality, quantity and price point of the cartridges make this an ongoing annuity for the business owner who has a very

satisfied customer.”

“My product returns are virtually nil.

My customer satisfaction is through the roof. It’s companies and products like this that help me earn more loyalty from my customers. This product has made it very easy for me to transition existing ecig customers to Metro. I haven’t lost one business customer, and they, in turn, have not only not lost any old customers, but have gained new ones.”

Nicotek invites distributors and retailers attending the NACS show to stop by and visit booth 631 to learn more about this product.

Find out why you need METRO in your retail location today!

My product returns are virtually nil. My customer satisfaction is through the roof.

It’s companies and products like this that help me earn more loyalty from my customers.

For more information, please visit booth 631 at the NACS show or go online to www.nicoteckecigs.com. ■

Excel Dryer efficiency plumbing products and fixtures for sustainable restroom design are featured in Excel Dryer’s latest CEU course, Next Generation Green Restroom Design, a featured education unit in the U.S. Green Building Council’s virtual tour program.

“By collaborating with the USGBC, we hope to provide architects, specifiers and building professionals with a blueprint of best practices to help design sustainable restrooms of the future,” added Gagnon.

XLERATOR is the only hand dryer to be MADE IN USA certified, the first hand dryer to be GreenSpec® Listed and helps facilities qualify for multiple LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credits by the U.S. Green Building Council. A peer-reviewed ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment of XLERATOR confirmed it reduces the carbon footprint of hand drying by 50 percent to 70 percent when compared to traditional hand dryers and paper towels.

For more information, please call 800-255-9235 or email sales@excel dryer.com. ■ Continued from Page 20

Roses Southwest Papers family has remained the guiding force with younger generations learning the business and then plugging into the evergrowing and evolving operation.

But how does this sense of family translate in the competitive paper manufacturing business? First, it is a decidedly different modality of business than that of the “Big Guys” in paper. This translates into a more customer friendly approach to business with an emphasis on service, quality and integrity.

The family-like work environment allows Roses to be more nimble than the “Big Guys” in the industry. Employees are stakeholders. Management decisions can be made quickly, allowing the company to rapidly react to the ever-changing competitive environment. There is a staying power that comes along with the multigenerational management, along with the patience necessary to makes changes and watch the business grow.

For more information, call 505-8420134 or visit www.rosessouthwest.com. ■ Continued from Page 20

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features Kraftfoods.com Gets Social With Meebo Launch

Kraft Foods, the world’s second-largest food company, and Meebo, an online sharing solution for websites, announced the integration of the Meebo Bar on kraftfoods.com, one of the top food and cooking sites.

Kraft Foods is one of the premier consumer packaged goods companies to incorporate Meebo in order to provide users social functionality on its websites.

The Meebo Bar will enable kraftfoods.com visitors to engage directly in real-time chat, to drag and drop content and instantly share it with their friends through their favorite social networks.

“To drive new and repeat visitors, it’s a must for brands to leverage existing social connectivity in order to drive more meaningful experiences and allow for the sharing of content,” said Seth Sternberg, Meebo’s CEO. “The Meebo Bar provides Kraft Foods with a simple solution for its website users to connect and share across

its enormous house of brands.”

“We’re always looking to connect with our consumers in ways that are relevant and meaningful for them.

Facilitating sharing and engaging consumers via social media is a key aspect of that,” said Sarah Rogovin, Director of Consumer Relationship Marketing, Kraft Foods. “With the integration of the Meebo Bar on Kraftfoods.com, we’re offering a new and easy way for our consumers to share our delicious content, recipes and videos directly with their friends and family.”

Kraft Foods will put its own touch on the Meebo Bar with a rotating promotional window, featuring various Kraft Foods iconic brands, and programmed content such as favorite recipes and YouTube videos. Additionally, Kraftfoods.com plans to feature Meebo’s web check-in system once it launches to Meebo Bar partners.

UL Keeps Eye On Evolving Technology For Safety’s Sake When you think of UL, electrical product safety may first come to mind. That is, after all, the UL heritage and why it was founded. UL has been a leader in establishing safety infrastructure, product safety standards and the requirements to help ensure electricity could be used safely for more than a century.

However, as the world evolves, so does the company. UL continue to advance its mission, working for a safer world, in new and important ways. In addition to a rich history in product safety certification, UL provides expertise and thought leadership in energy efficiency,

sustainability, water system certification, food safety as well as training and education programs, including: Sanitation – For more than 20 years, UL has evaluated the sanitary design, construction and performance of commercial foodservice equipment to more than a dozen different NSF/ANSI standards. The EPH Mark is ANSI-accredited in the U.S. and SCC-accredited in Canada, serving to differentiate to health inspectors and specifiers those products that are built to withstand the rigors of foodservice, retail and institutional use. Whether your products prepare or clean, cook or cool, UL can

SweetLeaf Stevia’s Unique Extraction Process Creates Natural Sweetener Jim May, President and CEO of Wisdom Natural Brands, talks about what SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener offers consumers.

CR: What makes your product distinct from the competition?

JM: Simply put, SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener tastes great and is the only 100 percent natural stevia sweetener with zero calories, zero carbohydrates and zero glycemic index. We use a proprietary water extraction methodology where the entire extraction process is accomplished with nothing but cool, purified water and a revolutionary new filtration technique. We are the only company in the world that does this.

CR: Could you elaborate on the process?

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JM: We start with the highest quality and sweetest variety of stevia in the world.

Nothing is added to our leaves in any stage of the process except cool, purified water. Our competitors produce their stevia extracts with various solvents, chemicals, enzymes and alcohols, including ethanol and methanol, leaving a residue of foreign compounds in their final product, which appears to be what results in a bad taste profile. Since there is no chemicalor alcohol-produced bitterness to result in an unpleasant aftertaste, SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener needs no masking or flavoring agents to hide anything. It simply has a clean, sweet taste profile that is ideal for virtually all food and beverages.

CR: How do you evaluate the marketplace

September/October 2011

Meebo has been helping people instantly share and communicate across the web for more than five years. The Meebo Bar is featured on more than 8,000 websites and reaches 40 percent of U.S Internet users (comScore) and almost 165 million people worldwide (comScore January 2010).

Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) is a global snacks powerhouse with an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love. Proudly marketing delicious biscuits, confectionery, beverages, cheese, grocery products and convenient meals in approximately 170 countries, Kraft Foods had 2010 revenue of $49.2 billion, more than half of which was earned outside North America.

Eleven of the company’s iconic brands – including Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia

and Trident – generate revenue of more than $1 billion annually and 40 have been loved for more than a century.

A leader in innovation, marketing, health and wellness and sustainability, Kraft Foods is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.

For more information, visitwww.kraftfoodscompany.com and www.facebook.com/kraftfoodscorporate.

Meebo provides the easiest, most open and most “right there where you want it” way to share on the web.

Integrating all social networks and communications channels into a single, simple-to-use solution, Meebo enables users to easily share content and communicate in real time with the people who matter to them, and connects people to their friends on the numerous websites that have installed the Meebo Bar, through mobile devices and via Meebo Messenger. The privately held company was founded in 2005. For more information, visit meebo.com. ■

provide the sanitation certification required to help you get to market, efficiently and easily.

Energy Efficiency – UL can provide commercial foodservice equipment manufacturers with energy efficiency compliance solutions for U.S. Department of Energy, California Energy Commission, National Resources Canada, as well as other global regulatory requirements. If your company chooses to participate in the enhanced ENERGY STAR® program, UL is an EPA-recognized Certification Body and EPA-recognized laboratory for all commercial foodservice equipment categories. Manufacturers with their own laboratories can also take advantage of UL’s EPA-approved Data Acceptance Program to further streamline their energy efficiency certification programs.

Product Safety – UL continues to keep

pace with the technological developments that affect the commercial foodservice equipment industry. UL has the engineering expertise to help manufacturers navigate the safety requirements for emerging technologies such as electronically commutated and electronically protected motors, flammable refrigerants and protective controls.

UL can also help manufacturers penetrate European markets with their UL-EU product safety mark and Electromagnetic Compatibility testing services.

Knowledge – Another way UL can assist manufacturers is through the consulting and training services offered by the experienced instructors at UL University. A wide variety of public workshops and online training are available throughout the year. In addition, clients can book private workshops or even customize an educational program based on their specific needs. ■

in relation to your products?

SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener is our priority. Keeping our product unadulterated not only delivers superior taste, it also impacts consumer safety. As pioneers in the natural food movement, we are cognizant of the long-term benefits offered by adhering to high standards.

History has shown that artificial ingredients usually prove problematic for a number of reasons, including producing an odd aftertaste and potential adverse health effects. We are dedicated to providing the consumer with a delicious, healthy product.

JM: Today, many people are becoming more aware of what they include in their diets and, consequently, they’re making leaner, healthier choices. Given the dramatic increase in childhood obesity, more parents are concerned with their children’s health and are looking to avoid sugar and artificial ingredients. Natural, whole foods are a growing consumer trend which has been fostered by such disparate organizations as the conventional U.S. Centers for Disease Control to popular television shows like "Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution," which has been a hit for ABC. SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener is the ideal sweetener for the 21st century since it is 100 percent natural and doesn’t contribute to weight gain or impact blood sugar at all.

The world is ready for a change to a greattasting, natural, healthy sweetener.

CR: Where is your current product emphasis?

JM:

Maintaining

the

quality

of

CR: Are there any other consumer trends relevant to your product?

JM: Supporters of fair trade and environmentally sound practices will be pleased to know the SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener production method is a completely sustainable, totally green process from start to finish.

For more information, call 480-921-1373, or visit www.sweetleaf.com. ■

features

Along the way, Blount has been recognized for business, culinary and operational excellence by various business and

industry publications.

Blount Fine Foods is a familyowned company that has been processing food since 1946. It is the largest manufacturer of lobster bisque in America and produces more than 350 proprietary soup recipes, including 75 varieties of clam chowder alone. Its product lines include fresh and frozen gourmet soups for foodservice and retail as well as premium dips and gourmet salads, such as lobster salad and chicken salad. Blount’s gourmet soups and specialty foods are made with the finest and freshest ingredients, handcrafted by a dedicated team through unparalleled customer collaboration.

Blount operates production facilities at its Fall River, Mass., headquarters and in Warren, R.I. Blount generates over 60 million servings of handcrafted gourmet soups each year. ■

neither has its ability to help customers succeed.

To stay on top of the food trends, the country’s most successful chefs and buyers routinely come to ATK Foods to develop flavor profiles, portion sizes and new products to help them compete successfully by exceeding customer’s expectations. From specialty ethnic sausages to gourmet high-end poultry sausages, burgers and meatballs, to fillings for great-tasting appetizers, ATK works with clients to create signature flavors, products and dishes that helps

them stand apart.

To consumers, ATK products are exciting and delicious. To the trade, ATK’s products represent the best in premium quality, from trend-setting to traditional. To customers, ATK products can lead to a partnership in success.

For three generations, ATK has upheld an unwavering commitment to quality in the products it creates and integrity in relationships with all of its customers.

For more information, visit www.atkfoods.com. ■

areas within your establishment to prevent the risk of cross contamination, while using a clean, fresh and more sanitary wiping system for your operation. In addition to color-coding, colors mask stains, giving the towel and the establishment a cleaner appearance.

rest?

New Products, Key Additions Propel Blount Fine Foods Blount Fine Foods, a leading manufacturer of handcrafted artisan soups and gourmet dips, spreads and salads, has been investing in the expansion and upgrade of virtually every aspect of its business. Almost every investment made in the last two years has been undertaken with an eye toward serving large chain customers the way it has served regional chains for years.

“We have been building to this moment, when we can declare with certainty that Blount can meet the needs of any and all foodservice customers looking to upgrade their offering in not only soups, chowders and bisques, but also in dips, sauces, salads and spreads,” said

Bob Sewall, Executive Vice President at Blount Fine Foods. “Our team is complete; our offering attractive, diverse and flexible; and our production capacity ready to meet demand.”

Blount has been steadily putting the pieces in place to serve a larger, more demanding customer base. Over the last two years, Blount has made several announcements about its growth and expansion, including: • The upgrade of its culinary and food safety team • Executive level promotions and management team realignment designed to advance growth plans

Health-Conscious Consumers Crave ATK Foods

What is ATK Foods? On the one hand, an innovative, youthful company of five brands that develops delicious and on-trend foods for the high-end gourmet and health-conscious consumer. On the other, a company with deep roots and well-earned respect in the industry for bringing customers the very best traditional and ethnic

sausage products than can be produced.

Established in 1924 as Leon’s Sausage Co. when Leon Tiahnybik emigrated from Austria, ATK Foods is a third-generation, family-owned and operated diversified food products company. For more than 80 years, its quality and integrity has not varied and

Atlantic Mills Disposable Towels Better on Cost, Sanitation, Functionality Andre LeBlanc of Atlantic Mills, an ITW Co., talks about the advantages of using non-woven disposable towels as a more sanitary method of cleaning.

CR: Why use disposable towels?

AB: There are several advantages to using disposables:

Cost On average, disposables cost between 15 to 45 cents each, but will last a minimum of three days, which comes down to 5 to

15 cents per day, compared to linen towels lasting four hours on average, costing 15 cents per towel.

Sanitation Disposable towels rinse out easier, making them more sanitary and user-friendly.

Some towels are treated to prevent bacteria growth, and are not sitting around growing bacteria while waiting to be laundered. With disposables, you pull a fresh towel every time.

Color coding also adds to your sanitizing program. Designate colors to specific

Maxforce Fly Baits Prevent Pest Problems While flies are undoubtedly a nuisance, certain species have the ability to transmit disease-causing organisms, making the pests even more undesirable for you and your customers.

Houseflies, also known as filth flies, tend to be the most common. This species is particularly problematic because it thrives both indoors and outdoors; it also has the ability to transmit illnesses due to its tendency to feed on decaying organic matter and garbage.

For this reason, it’s important to implement an integrated pest management program using both pesticide treatments 32

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and non-pesticide control options to ensure that your business remains flyfree.

One way to conquer fly problems before they start is to ask your pest management professional (PMP) about Maxforce ® fly baits from Bayer Environmental Science. Both Maxforce Granular Fly Bait and Maxforce Fly Spot Bait are highly effective and can rid your establishment of house flies quickly; the pests start to die in 60 seconds or less when they come into contact with the baits.

Maxforce Granular Fly Bait is a

• Creation of a retail specialty unit to better serve customers across the country at the point of sale • Breaking ground on a headquarters plant expansion that has doubled production capacity (Blount has six times the production capacity it did in 2004) • Safe Quality Food (SQF) 2000 Level 3 Certified • Introduction of an initial line of dips, salads and spreads that has since expanded to dozens of SKUs

Functionality Along with being absorbent wet or dry, disposable towels come in small cases and can fit on a shelf in an office and can be tracked through inventory — a great way to control usage. The towels can be machine-washed and hung dry or soaked in sanitizer solution for an economical use, while still holding up and remaining absorbent.

AB: Through innovation and great customer service, Atlantic Mills is able to offer the broadest line of foodservice towels in the industry. Our reusable, durable and disposable towels exhibit clothlike qualities with the convenience of a longlasting disposable that rinses cleaner and stays fresh longer. We will work with you to create a wiping program suited to your specific needs, which will provide you with cost savings, a higher level of sanitation and justifiable functionality. Why not partner with the wiping experts?

CR: What sets Atlantic Mills above the

For more information, e-mail customerservice@atlanticmills.com or visit www.atlanticmills.com. ■

ready-to-use formulation for outdoor application by pest management professionals that controls flies before they enter inside an establishment. This product also works well when applied around outside dining areas, dumpsters, trash compactors and other areas that attract flies.

Maxforce Fly Spot Bait is a concentrated powder that’s mixed with water and sprayed on surfaces both indoors and outdoors. Flies are attracted to treated areas that control flies for up to six weeks indoors and 14 days outside.

Non-pesticide control is also an important part of fly management for businesses, beginning with sanitation.

Ensure garbage is disposed of regularly, trash containers have tight-fitting lids and trash cans are cleaned on a regular basis. Keep doors and windows closed and confirm that screens are in good condition and fit tightly; also be sure to seal cracks, crevices and entry points around your business’s perimeter.

Above all, business owners should contract with a PMP who has access to the latest tools and technologies for fly control. While non-pesticide procedures help to manage flies, a PMP is best equipped to take care of infestations as well as to help you manage problems before they start.

For more information, go to http://www.backedbybayer.com. ■

features Curtis Raises Coffee IQ With New Brewing Technology

Offering customers an unforgettable cup of coffee has always been the holy grail.

So it’s only fitting that, one day, a coffee equipment company would design a machine smart enough to virtually ensure it by “remembering” freshness settings throughout the dispensing cycle.

Operators will be delighted to see that day is here when they see Curtis

Gemini® brewers in action with new IntelliFresh™ Technology.

Putting brains behind the brew, the Wilbur Curtis Co. developed new IntelliFresh Technology as part of its quest to simplify serving a totally fresh, perfectly heated cup of coffee to the masses. Part of the company’s tradition of innovation, IntelliFresh maintains coffee’s ideal fresh-

Coolerado Air Conditioners Chill Cooling Bills The multiple award-winning air-conditioning technology of Coolerado has shown customers up to a 90 percent savings on their energy bills. Using a patented process, Coolerado air-conditioning systems use no CFCs as refrigerants while delivering 100 percent fresh air.

Independently tested by the DOE, NREL and large utilities including PG&E and Xcel Energy, Coolerado air conditioners are the most significant breakthrough in cooling technology in more than 100 years. Coolerado technol-

ogy uses the thermodynamic cycle discovered by Chief Scientist Dr. Valeriy Maisotsenko. The Maisotsenko Cycle has shown there’s a more efficient way to use atmospheric air and convert the energy into many beneficial purposes.

Part of this discovery has made the Coolerado air conditioner able to cool 3,000 square feet of building space using one-third the power of a standard handheld hair dryer. This is a savings of up to 90 percent in energy costs compared to traditional air-conditioning systems, with

Choffy Brews Like Coffee, Tastes of Chocolate Choffy is a delicious drink that has bridged the gap between coffee and hot chocolate. Choffy is richer and more robust than hot chocolate and brews just like coffee.

Choffy is made from 100 percent organic cacao (cocoa) beans roasted and ground to create a rich drink that provides long-lasting energy and wholebody wellness. Not only does Choffy taste good, it’s really good for you. It contains no sugar, dairy, or chemicals.

Choffy lets you enjoy rich, bold chocolate notes without heavy calories or caffeine! With all of the health benefits

and only 20 calories per serving, Choffy will quickly become part of your routine.

Choffy Presents Two Kinds of Blissful Drinking: • Ivory Coast Choffy – This is the signature Choffy origin as it was the original Choffy launched. These fair trade, organic cacao beans from the Ivory Coast have a deep chocolate flavor with hints of natural grains and slight earthy notes.

• La Española Choffy – This new origin highlights single estate organic cacao beans from the Dominican Republic.

They impart deep, rich yet smooth

CleanRiver Recycling Bin Meets Changing Waste Requirements Good recycling management will boost financial performance by reducing waste disposal costs, enhancing the physical appearance of facilities by reducing litter and improving the environment. The return on investment in recycling is very real, but achieving this ROI requires programs that are planned, implemented and managed within the reality of a facility’s specific waste stream.

Modular, interchangeable and configurable solutions easily adapt to changes in streaming efficiently and economically 36

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extending the life cycle and contributing to the ROI of the recycling program.

CleanRiver™ Recycling Solutions, a Division of Midpoint International, has introduced a public-space waste and recycling bin that is easily configured – and reconfigured – to meet current and future waste stream requirements.

CleanSort™ Transition™ Series Recycling and Waste Sortation Containers use stream-specific openings and internal dividers to accept multiple types of recyclables in a single unit.

ness and temperature throughout the dispensing cycle by enveloping the satellite with pulses of gentle heat.

IntelliFresh settings are locked in just by touching the brew button and are kept until the next brewing cycle – even if the vessel is moved to a remote serving stand.

Insulated satellite servers feature a unique server connection that literally “remembers” settings both at the brewer and on their remote serving stand as well.

Integrated into the famed Gemini brewing system, IntelliFresh nearly eliminates the possibility of serving cold or “cooked” coffee – the sort of thing that creates waste, cuts profits, repels customers and keeps them from coming back.

“Innovation in commercial brewing equipment isn’t about knobs and levers anymore,” says Brant Curtis, the company’s marketing manager. “IntelliFresh combines digital technology with our deep industry expertise, giving customers the ability to serve a killer cup of coffee – every time.”

Simplifying the science behind a great cup of coffee, Curtis’s new IntelliFresh Technology is proof positive that brains, not brawn, are what will continue propelling the commercial brewing equipment business to new heights of customer satisfaction.

For more information, log on to wilburcurtis.com or call 800-421-6150. ■

a similar reduction in greenhouse gases from generating that power.

Coolerado air-conditioning systems were recognized by R&D Magazine as one of “the top 100 most technologically significant products” introduced into the international marketplace, and in 2006 were selected as one of the Top-10 Green Building Products by the editors of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec®. Most recently, Coolerado won an efficiency challenge issued by the University of California-Davis, beating 2010 Department of Energy standards by 80 percent. This efficiency mark prompted Coolerado to win the Best New Green Technology from Popular Science in January 2010.

Coolerado products work in commercial applications as stand-alone air conditioners to provide energy efficient, 100 percent fresh air or as a pre-cooling system to extend the life of a conventional air-conditioning system. Coolerado products have been installed in 21 different countries, providing customers immediate energy-cost savings and green benefits.

Coolerado was founded and operates in Colorado, a state known for technology innovation and environmental vision.

Having installed its first system in 2004, Coolerado is rapidly expanding its production capacity to meet the growing demand for its cooling systems.

For more information, please visit www.coolerado.com. ■

chocolate flavors with delicious nutty overtones.

Jason Vanderhoven, Co-Founder of Choffy, had a simple but brilliant dream to harness the health benefits of the cacao bean. After three years of researching and testing, Vanderhoven’s dream had come true. He had successfully created Choffy, a brewed drink that retained the health benefits of the magnificent cacao bean.

The second half of this brilliant business is the creative mind of Co-Founder Jason Sherwood, who brings more than 15 years of design, branding and marketing experience to the company. Together, Vanderhoven and Sherwood have made Choffy an unforgettable experience and flavor.

Choffy is available at www.DrinkChoffy.com in 12-ounce ($15) and 5-pound ($85) bags. ■

Choffy has a strong, intense taste on its own; some people prefer to drink it that way. Others love the deep chocolate flavor that’s revealed when you add a little creamer.

Choffy contains absolutely no sugar, dairy or chemicals, yet maintains the incredible health benefits of cacao: antioxidants, theobromine, improved circulation and feel great (natural occurring) properties!

Fun Fact: There are more antioxidants in an 8-ounce cup of Choffy than in a serving of blueberries! Want to know more about the health benefits? Visit w w w. d r i n k c h o f f y. c o m / a b o u t choffy/what-is-choffy.

Transition recycling containers represent a breakthrough in container design. The unit may first go into service as a singlestream trash receptacle. As recycling programs are implemented, the trash opening can be replaced with one, two, three or even four modular and interchangeable restrictive opening plates that are color coded and supported by full color graphics featuring location specific image cues to indicate what is being collected in each stream.

“This added flexibility lets you customize your recycling station based on current needs and reconfigure it in the future as your needs change,” said CleanRiver President Dave Jarrett. “Transition Series containers provides greater assurance that you won’t outgrow your waste manage-

ment equipment and assures a higher ROI on your purchase.”

CleanRiver (www.cleanriver.com) manufactures recycling containers, bins and cabinets made from raw materials with the highest recycled content available, including long-lasting plastic lumber made from recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The company combines innovative recycling containers, creative graphics and effective programs into complete recycling solutions that are tailored to each client’s specific waste stream management and recycling requirements. These modular, interchangeable and configurable solutions easily adapt to changes in the waste stream and help to ensure the success of each recycling program. ■

NACS coverage new users into the category, most recently with the launch of ZICO Chocolate, the only chocolate coconut water on the market • Nutrition benefits: ZICO’s flavored products, such as Mango and Pineapple, naturally have 40 percent fewer calories per ounce and 50 percent less sugar per ounce than other leading flavored coconut water brands, making ZICO the coconut water brand of choice for active lifestyle consumers.

ZICO PURE PREMIUM COCONUT WATER—THE HOTTEST BRAND IN AN EXPLODING CATEGORY

For more than 4,000 years, coconut water has been revered as a natural source of nutrition, wellness, beauty and hydration.

In times of famine and war, coconut water has been used as an intravenous fluid and saved lives. Now, modern research has validated its effectiveness, especially for all-natural replenishment.

ZICO’s Founder, Mark Rampolla, fell in love with coconut water as a Peace Corps volunteer in Central America. An avid athlete, Rampolla loved drinking fresh coconut water after running, hiking or hanging out at the beach. In 2004, he left a fast-track corporate career to pursue

his dream of bringing the healthy, natural benefits of coconut water to consumers across the world.

Fast-forward to 2011, as coconut water continues to be the hottest segment within the beverage category. Leading that category growth, the ZICO brand continues its explosive expansion, up over 300 percent year to date. Some of the key drivers for ZICO’s growth include: • Ultimate hydration: ZICO is all natural, loaded with electrolytes and contains more potassium than a banana, making it an effective yet all-natural

1839 BRAND FAMILY ROLLING RIGHT ALONG The 1839 brand has expanded distribution in more than 30 states.

FDA regulations, stiff competition and a declining smoking population are some of the many challenges that U.S. Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers, Inc. (USFCTG) faces, but it is adapting and

moving forward with its plans to gain market share.

The farmer-owned co-op out of Timberlake, N.C., continues to build on its award-winning service to the industry, offering quality tobacco products to consumers around the country. It manufactures

POWER SERVICE PRODUCTS ASKS: DO YOU SELL DIESEL FUEL ADDITIVES? Better Question: Do you sell Power Service, the brand of diesel fuel additives with 74.9-percent brand share according to NPD Group?

Power Service Products manufactures the number-one selling brand of diesel fuel additives in the United States. You may currently be carrying a brand of

diesel fuel additives, but if you’re not selling Power Service diesel additives, you aren’t carrying the industry leader, and you aren’t selling nearly as much as you could. Of the top 10 selling part numbers in the diesel additives category, eight are from Power Service.

Power Service 16-ounce containers are single-use containers perfect

R.J. REYNOLDS WORKS TO PREVENT UNDERAGE TOBACCO USE As a manufacturer and marketer of agerestricted products that carry significant health risks, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco has long been active in working to prevent youth tobacco use. The company develops and supports programs that limit youths’ access to and their use of tobacco products and partners effectively with external stakeholders to expand the adoption of youth tobacco prevention programs. R.J. Reynolds is committed to accelerating the decline in youth tobacco use.

One of the company’s many initiatives is Right Decisions Right Now: Be Tobacco Free―an evidence-based youth tobacco prevention program.

This program was tested nationally and 40

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was found to be successful in lowering tobacco use among middle school-aged students. Additionally, students’ susceptibility to peer pressure showed significant declines versus that of control groups. This program has consistently received positive feedback from educators and administrators. The free materials may be viewed and ordered at www.RightDecisionsRightNow.com.

R.J. Reynolds, along with other likeminded organizations, helped to establish the Coalition for Responsible Tobacco Retailing and its We Card program, widely accepted as the nation’s premier tobacco training and education program to prevent the sale of tobacco products to the underage.

hydration alternative to artificial sports drinks and flavored waters • Packaging innovation: ZICO is the only national brand available in a resealable, recyclable on-the-go bottle • Product innovation: ZICO continues to lead category innovation and bring

some of the best products available today.

With 11 styles of box FSC 1839 cigarettes, six styles of filtered 1839 cigars, box and soft, 1839 RYO and pipe tobaccos and 1839 cigarette tubes, USFCTG is the quality leader in the value-priced category.

USFCTG is a subsidiary of U.S. Tobacco Cooperative, headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. The co-op, which was established in 1946, has farmer members located in the tobacco-growing states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North for light-duty diesel vehicles (dieselpowered pickups and passenger cars) fueling at your store. The easy-pour bottles convert diesel drivers into loyal customers.

Diesel Fuel Supplement® +Cetane Boost® (Part No. 1016): The product of choice for optimal winter operation.

Diesel Fuel Supplement Benefits: • Prevents Fuel Gelling • Boosts Cetane for Faster Starts • Protects Against Fuel-Filter Icing • Effective in Biodiesel Blends Since its inception in 1995, We Card has held thousands of classroom training sessions in all 50 states and distributed more than 1 million We Card kits, which provide retailers with training materials to assist in preventing tobacco sales to minors.

We Card has a new online training program, allowing retailers to learn more about the Food and Drug Administration requirements on the sale of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. For more information, go to www.WeCard.org.

The most recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is good news for youth tobacco prevention.

SAMHSA statistics show a downward trend on tobacco sales to minors (retailer violation rate), with the national average declining from 40 percent in 1997 to 9.3 percent in 2010, the lowest rate ever achieved in the history of this program.

As a company, ZICO is on a mission to tell the world that Mother Nature made a better sports drink: ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water. They’re athletes. They drink ZICO daily (lots of it!), know it works and want to help others make the switch to ZICO, too. Stop by NACS booth 3632 to see for yourself what the ZICO brand is all about.

For more information, please visit booth 3632, go online to www.zico.com or call 617-938-9737. ■ Carolina and Virginia. With all of that experience and years of hard work, it is no wonder that the 1839 products are the best quality products for your money today.

Distributors around the country continue to have success with the 1839 product line.

To learn more about the U.S. FlueCured Tobacco Growers, Inc. and the 1839 product line, please visit booth 1249, go online to www.go1839.com, email 1839@ipass.net or call 877-289-1839. ■

Diesel Kleen® +Cetane Boost® (Part No. 3016): A performance-enhancing product that is used year-around except during the cold winter months.

Diesel Kleen Benefits: • Cleans Dirty Injectors • Boosts Power • Improves Fuel Economy up to 8 percent • Prevents Injector Sticking Please visit Power Service at booth 5410 or call 800-643-9089 for more information. ■

Convenience store owners and operators nationwide deserve much of the credit for these dramatic declines.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) became law on June 22, 2009, giving the FDA the authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco products in order to protect public health.

This federal statute requires the FDA to issue a variety of regulations designed to prevent underage access to tobacco products, including prohibiting “self-service” displays of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products (except in age-restricted facilities), establishing a federal minimum age of 18 for the sale of tobacco and requiring retailers to obtain identification from any consumer under 27 years of age.

For more information, please visit booth 1613, go online to www.rjrt.com or call 336-741-7437. ■

NACS coverage ON THE GO? BRING A BAG OF VEGGIE STRAWS! For those times when reaching for a carrot stick just doesn’t cut it, Sensible Portions is ready to provide a healthier way to satisfy your snack cravings.

Veggie Straws, available in savory varieties such as Lightly Salted and Rosemary Olive Oil, offer the same texture and taste of a typical potato chip.

However, Veggie Straws eliminate the guilt and greasy fingers that potato chips often leave behind. Sensible Portions’ unique ingredient list leaves out the high level of rice substitute that other snacks

use, which creates a better-for-you product that is far from bland, packing delicious flavor into every straw!

Available in grab-and-go one-ounce bags, Veggie Straws are single-serve alternatives to the full fat snacks usually offered in the convenience channel. This pre-packaged portion size allows responsible consumers to watch their fat and calorie intake, without sacrificing the taste or texture that they crave. Boasting 30-percent less fat than the leading potato chip makes Sensible Portions a popular choice for the health-

conscious, on-the-go adult.

Veggie Straws’ fun straw shape also makes them a favorite among kids too! A treat for the whole family, these light and airy straws are a satisfying snack that have already reached millions of mouths!

Sensible Portions’ philosophy can be summed up by company president Jason Cohen, who states, “Our products offer the same great taste of potato chips with fewer calories and less fat. Portion control and the consumption of the right ingredients are key to developing sustainable, better-for-you

pretzels, flavored pretzel pieces and pretzel sandwiches. Select products are also available in larger multi-serving size bags.

Snyder’s of Hanover has been America’s Pretzel Bakery since 1909.

The company has been recognized for its creative new products and its assortment of delicious pretzels. Snyder’s of Hanover is the healthy, great tasting brand of snacks Americans choose.

For more information, visit the Snyder’s-Lance booth 1900. For recipes and amusing facts on pretzels, visit www.snyderofhanover.com. Find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/snydersofhanover and follow them on twitter at www.twitter.com/Snyders_Hanover. ■

SNYDER’S OF HANOVER, YORK PEPPERMINT AND DARK CHOCOLATE Snyder’s of Hanover® is pleased to introduce a new addition to the seasonal line of convenience store chocolatecovered pretzels: 3.5-ounce York Peppermint Pretzel Sandwich Dips.

This latest Pretzel Sandwich Dips creation is filled with cool, minty peppermint cream and coated in smooth, dark chocolate.

As the newest flavor for the Pretzel Sandwich Dips line, imagine the refreshing taste of a York Peppermint Pattie with the crunch of a Snyder’s of Hanover

Pretzel, then enrobed in dark chocolate – perfection! Also available in the 3.5ounce size are Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwich Dips ― a Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwich, dipped in Hershey’s Milk Chocolate.

As a seasonal offering, the new York Peppermint Pretzel Sandwich Dips will be available nationwide for a limited time from October through December. Be sure to get them before time runs out!

Snyder’s of Hanover’s convenience store line offers a variety of traditional

RIPKEN POWER SHRED OFFERS A HIGH-QUALITY, ALL-AMERICAN JERKY SNACK WHILE BENEFITING THE CAL RIPKEN, SR. FOUNDATION

Sourced and made in the United States, the high-quality, protein rich, Ripken Power ShredTM has quickly become one of the hottest new jerky brands in the meat snack category. Launched by Florio Sports, LLC, at last year’s National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) trade show in Atlanta, Ga., the company recently inked deals with Kroger, making the product available in 100 stores throughout the Mid-Atlantic

region, and with the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), offering the snack at a discounted rate to military personnel in 251 commissaries on military bases throughout the United States, Europe, Far East, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Cuba.

In addition to retail partners, Ripken Power Shred became the official beef jerky for the Trenton Thunder―the double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees―and Babe Ruth

BLEND YOUR OWN ETHANOL CAMPAIGN REPONDS TO RETAILER CONCERNS The Blend Your Own Ethanol campaign (BYO Ethanol) is taking part in its third NACS Show, and while the campaign’s goals remain the same, retailers reasons for considering blender pumps seems to have changed over that short time span.

BYO Ethanol was created by the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and several corn grower groups, with a goal of at least 5,000 stations offering 44

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E85 and higher ethanol blends to motorists. The campaign provides information to petroleum marketers to show how adding E85 and other ethanol blends to their station’s product slate can improve a station’s bottom line.

Ron Lamberty, Senior Vice President of ACE, says initial interest in blender pumps was similar to his introduction to ethanol as a marketer in the 1980s. “We bought ethanol straight from the plant and improved margins by

products.” As the healthiereating trend continues to gain momentum, Sensible Portions is ready to tackle those demands with fun, healthier alternatives such as Veggie Straws, Apple Straws and more! The convenience of the single-serve bag makes it easier for consumers to grab a bag while on-the-go, so when choosing a snack, choose Sensibly―choose Sensible Portions!

For more information, visit booth 1258 or like Sensible Portions on Facebook at www .facebook.com/SensiblePortions. ■

League, Inc., which serves over one million youth baseball and softball players ages four to 18 in the United States and Canada. Through these partnerships, Ripken Power Shred has been exposed to thousands of athletes and sports fans as a healthy and unique snacking alternative.

The brand is also committing itself to philanthropy by supporting the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. As a supporter of the nonprofit, a portion of Ripken Power Shred sales will help fund programming designed by the organization to serve atrisk youth in underserved communities nationwide.

“Our mission is to develop high-end products which stand out and that consumers will enjoy,” said Frank Florio,

splash-blending our own E10,” said Lamberty, “and some marketers see a similar opportunity today, buying E85 and using blender pumps to add it to unleaded, resulting in savings over preblended E10.”

Robert White, Director of Market Development for RFA, said a couple of years ago that, “We expected PCI compliance to drive interest in using blender pumps, and the incentives to help pay for them, as a way to reduce the cost of those regulations. Instead, we spent most of our time explaining what a blender pump is, and how the concept works with ethanol or E85.”

This year, some marketers are con-

President and Founder of Long Valley, N.J.-based Florio Sports, LLC. “Along with that, we decided from day one that it’s important for us to give back to the community. Involving Ripken Power Shred with a wonderful organization like the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation was a natural fit for us.”

Ripken Power Shred can be purchased online at www.ripkenpowershred .com and available in three flavors: original, sweet ‘n’ spicy and teriyaki.

Buyers can choose to purchase the product in 3-ounce pouches or .75-ounce cans.

Team and club packs are also available for team sales, fundraising and booster clubs.

For more information, stop by booth 5316. ■

sidering adding E85 due to U.S. automakers’ commitments to make half of their vehicles “flex fuel” vehicles, but the pending introduction of E15 appears to be driving most marketer interest in blender pumps. “BYO has promoted flexibility for future ethanol blends as a benefit of blender pumps, and E15 drives that point home,” Lamberty said.

White added, “Expiration of tax credits for new blender pumps that can sell E15, and E85 may add a sense of urgency, too.”

For more information, visit byoethanol.com, or stop by booth 7637 at the NACS Show. ■

operations THIS ISSUE’S FOCUS: Social media SURVEILLANCE & SOCIAL MEDIA / CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

stunned. In a Washington D.C. neighborhood (Georgetown) T-shirt store, the owner will only allow two or three people in at a time now, after having been flash robbed more than once. In St. Paul, Minn., 35 young people swarmed a clothing store and took $20,000 worth of clothes. In most of the incident,s the young people can be identified and arrested. In one case people outside took down license numbers as the flash rob was occurring and this proved to be important in finding and arresting the robbers.

What was instrumental in apprehending the criminals, though, were the Internet Protocol (IP) cameras. Many of the perpetrators have been charged.

On the world stage, it is now known that much of the London riots of August 2011 were coordinated via social media.

There have always been gangs and groups and mobs that are frightening and intimidate by numbers while committing crimes. The difference with these current “flash robs” is that the addition of social media and a real-time, visible, fast method of coordinating “rob runs” increases

dangers for the public, for law enforcement, and amazingly, even for the criminals. The best weapon for fighting the flash robs, now that the surprise is over, is through the same platforms that make it possible in the first place: Facebook and Twitter. New York City and Dallas have both created “social media crime” departments to offset the flash rob scenarios. The new departments will be checking Facebook, Twitter and other social media posts and additional apps in order to determine criminal connections.

Additionally, in September 2011, the SMILE Conference (Social Media the Internet and Law Enforcement) Conference was hosted by the Dallas Police Department.

In the past eight years, social media has become a marketing tool, a forum for finding old friends, and a stage from which individuals are able to feel important and popular in ways previously unavailable. Having 1,246 Facebook friends or 30,000 Twitter followers means popularity and acceptance, even though the majority of those friends, realistically, remain

Walmart Walmart. They’re competitive.”

Bartholomew isn't alone in his concerns. Walmart's attempts to enter new communities have sometimes been met with opposition, even protests, by local retailers and community activists. Take Chicago, for example: Plans to build a Walmart Neighborhood Market — the company's equivalent of a traditional grocery store, as opposed to the larger "supercenters" for which Walmart is best known — in the East Lakeview neighborhood were announced in December 2009 as part of a larger strategy involving a string of stores in the Chicago area. Local residents immediately began organizing formal opposition to the plan, both in community meetings and on Facebook. Despite a Continued from Page 1

pledge by Walmart to limit the new store's size to 33,395 square feet, the South East Lake View Neighbors Association voted overwhelmingly to condemn the new location — a symbolic vote, as the association had no authority over commercial development in the 48

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neighborhood.

In Chicago's West Chatham neighborhood, meanwhile, the company opened the first of its planned Express stores in the city on July 27.

Built at a tenth the size of its traditional Supercenter outlets, the new Walmart location stocked a more pared-down selection of groceries and essentials, as well as a pharmacy and financial-services desk located on-premises.

The recession and general financial downturn in recent years has almost certainly played a significant role in Walmart's decision to expand into smaller markets.

According to the Wall Street Journal, "Walmart's U.S. business, which accounts for 62 percent of its $419 billion in annual revenue, has reported declining sales at stores open at least a year, for two consecutive years."

In its 2010 annual report, Walmart outlined its strategies for dealing with the more challenging economic environment: "Growth through new stores remains a priority, with supercenters the primary driver because they continue to offer the greatest returns and allow customers a one-stop shopping experience. We are growing also through smaller formats, including both grocery stores and even smaller, convenience formats. We will open our first convenience format stores, Walmart Express, in the second quarter.

strangers. Unlike celebrities, who count fans not friends, this extensive “friending” becomes a behavior in and of itself―how many, not who, appears to be the goal.

On the positive side, in the wake of major disasters, social media has been instrumental in helping families locate survivors.

Social media is here to stay. The crimes instigated by these online communities do not have to reign over a frightened public, C-Stores or other retail environments. The reality is that the same technology that can be used to organize crime can also be used to fight crime―and it is. There is little in this world that is wholly positive or wholly negative. Social media in and of itself is neutral; it’s just a computer program. How that program is used, however, makes it good or bad.

Flash robs took business by surprise, but the ambush is now over.

IP cameras and social media-savvy police may not be able to prevent the crime, but these new communication methods are instrumental in achieving convictions. ■ These stores will be less than 30,000 square feet and will sell grocery, pharmacy and limited general merchandise."

Walmart executive Bill Simon has stated that the three varieties of stores would be used to "drive expansion to urban markets and small towns, as well as fill in gaps in existing markets." The company has also stated that by 2016, it would attempt to build as many as 300 stores in what the U.S. Department of Agriculture has called "food deserts": low-income neighborhoods where the closest grocery store is at least a mile away (10 miles in rural areas), and where there is no immediate and ready access to fresh meat and vegetables.

And despite the occasional pushback, there does seem to be no shortage of communities eager for Walmart's brand of store, whether Supercenter or Walmart Express. In Gladewater, Texas, a local newspaper quoted City Manager Sean Pate as stating that he'd entered into negotiations with the company to bring a convenience-store-sized Walmart to his city in 2012. In Nebraska, Omaha Planning Director Rick Cunningham stated that he saw the arrival of Walmart Express as a hopeful sign that food deserts in his city would be better served.

In Gentry, Ark., meanwhile, Marvin's grocery store closed its doors just two months after after the arrival of that town's Walmart Express. The store's owners refused to comment on the matter when pressed by local reporters. ■

SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY The first use of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) as a crime deterrent in the U.S. is generally ascribed to the city of Olean, N.Y., in 1968. Cameras were placed on the main business route specifically as an attempt to cut crime on that stretch of road. As years passed, CCTV systems became more prevalent, and a preferred surveillance method for CStores and other retail businesses.

Although surveillance (then and now) does not appear to substantially curtail crime, recordings of suspects are helpful in convicting perpetrators. Despite the error factors attributed to tape overuse in VCR-type CCTVs, it was the technology for surveillance for years. A camera seemed more effective than an on-going stakeout or hours of security personnel on payroll. Even with 24/7 security guards, it is not impossible for a window allowing criminal activity to occur.

As computer technology improved, so did surveillance cameras. In fact, today’s surveillance cameras are essentially mini-computers, complete with networking abilities. These new camera-computers, called Internet Protocol cameras (IP cameras), connect via wireless or Ethernet and are able to transmit video to the Internet for remote viewing: real time, remote viewing.

IP cameras are capable of capturing and sending digital images to a hard drive in real time. The cameras come in two main platforms: centralized and decentralized. Centralized systems have a central Network Video Recorder (NVR). For this format, each camera requires an installation of NVR software in order to connect to the network. A decentralized system can be one or many IP cameras, each with a self-contained NVR and each with the requisite software. IP cameras require no rewind, no overdub and the calamity of broken tape will never occur. This makes the process more reliable, but does it make the reduction of crime any more successful?

BY KARRIE WELBORN

The Controversy There have been a number of studies in the U.S. and the U.K. regarding the effectiveness of the presence of cameras and crime deterrence. One of these studies on the effectiveness of a San Francisco camera system was undertaken by the University of California’s Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) at the request of the city’s Board of Supervisors. The results were mixed. On one hand, the report indicated that property crimes within 100 feet of a camera decreased by 22 percent. On the other hand, the number of violent crimes such as rape and other types of assault had little to no change in spite of the installation of a camera system. Interestingly, homicides in particular decreased in number within a 250-foot radius of the cameras, yet increased in number outside the 250-foot radius.

Pushing a crime outside the radius of a camera certainly indicates that criminals prefer noncamera locations, but cameras cannot stop crime.

What has been more successful than deterrence, and is directly connected to the presence of a camera system, is the increased ability of police to determine suspects and of prosecutors to convict, based on the camera recordings. The best case scenario is a balance of security people and IP cameras. ■

operations Specialty Food Industry Shows Renewed Strength

Consumers are spending on specialty food again after a period of holding back.

Sales of specialty food and beverages rose 7.7 percent in 2010, topping $70 billion, according to research released by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade.

“The rebound is impressive,” says Ron Tanner, Vice President of Communications and Education for NASFT. “As consumers feel more confident about the economy, they are coming back to specialty foods.”

In 2009, sales rose by a more tepid 4.5 percent.

Cheese continues to dominate spending for this segment of the food industry, with $3.23 billion in sales in 2010.

Rounding out the top five categories are meats, chips and snacks, bread and baked goods and condiments. Functional beverages are the fastest growing specialty food category, followed by yogurt and kefir.

Last year, specialty food makers focused on their existing items, with new product introductions about even with 2009. Launches of premium private-label products, such as store-brand cookies and sauces, declined to 455 in 2010 from 518 in 2009, demonstrating a return to branded products.

These findings are presented in The

State of the Specialty Food Industry 2011, an annual report from the NASFT prepared in conjunction with market researchers Mintel International and SPINS. The report tracks sales of specialty food through supermarkets, natural food stores and specialty food retailers, and includes research from interviews with food retailers, distributors, brokers and others involved in the supply chain.

The report predicts product claims that will drive sales in the future. Ecofriendly, Fair Trade and sustainable are expected to edge out the current buzzwords all-natural, organic and local.

Here are some highlights from the report: • Total U.S. sales of specialty foods in 2010 were $70.32 billion, with $14.4 billion represented by sales to the foodservice industry.

• Specialty foods represent 13.1 percent of all food sales at retail.

• Natural food stores are the fastest growing retail channel; sales rose 14.7 percent between 2008 and 2010.

• Mediterranean and Indian are the most influential emerging cuisines, importers say.

• Seventy-six percent of specialty food manufacturers reported a sales increase in 2010, with 36 percent up more than 20 percent.

• Gluten-free introductions showed sharp

BetaLED Luminaires Enlighten C-Stores, Save On Energy Costs

While there is little that can be done about the crude oil market, there is a change that may be implemented by the more than 106,000 petroleum retailers and convenience stores to lower energy and maintenance costs.

Typically, the industry consensus has been “the brighter, the better.” Over the past decade or so, increasingly bright light for gas stations/C-stores has caused drivers, residents of surrounding areas and local officials to complain about excessive glare, light pollution and light trespass.

Gas stations/C-stores provide a perfect opportunity for BetaLED® technology to shine. Owners and operators are realizing that customers are drawn to their properties because of perceptions of cleanliness, safety and a friendly atmosphere.

The use of BetaLED luminaires, with its patented NanoOpticTM technology, puts light precisely where it’s needed. The result is a sustainable illumination design that creates a safe and inviting environment while saving significant energy and maintenance dollars.

With crude prices being so volatile, retailers’ profit margins aren’t about to suddenly increase. Utility deregulation and the high costs of natural gas also dramatically impact retailers’ energy costs.

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Additionally, profits are further squeezed by the ongoing maintenance expense of changing traditional fixtures.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Landmark Industries owns and operates 170 convenience stores under various major fuel brands. The retail division began operation under the Timewise Food Store brand in 1982 with one location in Hempstead, Texas. It now markets in 240 stores located in and around the Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Laredo marketplaces with several new units presently being developed.

The Timewise Shell in Laredo is a convenient and friendly one-stop shopping outlet. It’s the place to fill up with gas, grab a quick snack, get a hot cup of coffee, pick up groceries, eat lunch, buy dinner and get the car washed.

As a locally owned business, Timewise/Landmark Industries is interested in doing its part to help the environment. For example, the store recently retrofit the canopy with new, energy-efficient BetaLED luminaires, dramatically reducing energy costs and virtually eliminating maintenance expenses.

Previously, the 10 fuel dispenser canopy was illuminated with 320-watt metal halide fixtures. These 56 fixtures

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gains, with 119 new products in 2010 versus 67 in 2009.

• Supermarkets remain the largest seller of specialty foods, with 72.3 percent of sales, but their share is dipping as specialty and natural food stores attract more consumers.

• The average specialty food manufacturer produces 51 different items and brings in $2.3 million in annual sales.

• The Fancy Food Shows, customer recommendations and trade magazines are the most important sources for discovering new products, retailers reported.

A summary of The State of the Specialty Food Industry 2011 research was published in the April 2011 issue of Specialty Food Magazine.

NASFT is a not-for-profit trade association established in 1952 to foster trade, commerce and interest in the specialty food industry. Today, there are more than 2,900 members in the United States and abroad. NASFT’s website for consumers, foodspring.com, provides an insider’s look at specialty foods and the companies, entrepreneurs and artisans behind them. For information on NASFT, go to http://www.foodspring.com/about/nasft.

For information on the NASFT’s Fancy Food Shows, go to http://www.foodspring.com/about/fancy-food. ■

were retrofit with 30 BetaLED 304 Series® 141-watt 60 LED luminaires, which have reduced energy consumption by an astounding 80 percent.

“Retrofitting the canopy with energyefficient BetaLED luminaires is not just good business for Timewise Shell, but it’s good for our community,” said Steve Dujka, Landmark Industries comptroller.

“This is another example of how Landmark Industries and Timewise Shell are cornerstones of the community, whether in our charitable giving, delivering the products and services that consumers need or taking the lead in creating a sustainable future.”

In addition to retrofitting the fuel island canopy, Timewise Shell retrofit the car wash metal halide fixtures with 18 BetaLED luminaires in a one-for-one replacement, providing a remarkable 61 percent energy savings.

While energy savings was important to Timewise Shell and Landmark Industries, maintenance-related factors also played an important role in choosing BetaLED. Even though Landmark Industries has on-staff maintenance people and a bucket truck, the company often called an outside electrician to service Timewise Shell’s metal halide products―at a cost of more than $200 per call.

For more information, please visit booth 6456 in the NACS show, go online to www.beta-lighting.com or call 262884-3110. ■

BRANDED FOODSERVICE PROGRAMS DISH UP SUCCESS FOR C-STORES

Building on their inherent strength in convenience, efficiency and 24/7 availability, convenience stores are rolling out their own, branded foodservice programs that return higher margins while also improving food quality and healthfulness, according to “Convenience Store Foodservice Trends in the U.S.” by market research publisher Packaged Facts.

Packaged Facts projects that convenience store foodservice sales grew 6 percent in 2010 and will rise an additional 6 percent in 2011 and 5 percent in 2012.

In the process, convenience stores are going head-to-head with established restaurant players, seeking to take a slice out of the limited-service restaurant pie while also keeping in mind their customers’ broader on-the-go purchasing needs.

“By enhancing foodservice quality and variety, we believe convenience stores are poised to benefit from increased sales of gasoline and other merchandise, as consumers seek to consolidate their purchases in the interest of efficiency,” says David Sprinkle, publisher of Packaged Facts.

“Because it is so well positioned, we anticipate that convenience store industry foodservice sales growth will outperform the retail and restaurant foodservice industry average through 2013.”

Several factors are driving c-store companies’ efforts to aggressively build sophisticated foodservice platforms. These include the need to create a buffer against gasoline sales volatility; to deepen customer relationships; and to protect and leverage a store’s coffee/beverage turf. Moreover, the report continues, c-store operators recognize their foodservice shortcomings – fewer healthy choices, and a perceived quality gap between their offerings and those of traditional restaurant competitors – and they are working to overcome these obstacles.

“Convenience Store Foodservice Trends in the U.S.” helps industry participants understand and leverage key trends shaping category growth by including: • Analysis of convenience store users intended and actual merchandise and foodservice purchases (by type), to help participants develop trip consolidation strategies that increase guest traffic and drive sales.

• “Quick Bite” food health attribute analysis, to develop on-the-go meal solutions and snacks in accordance with consumer health preferences.

• Convenience store foodservice purchase considerations, to develop and position menu items and craft marketing messages in accordance with consumer purchase rationales.

For further information, please visit www.packagedfacts.com/ConvenienceStore-Foodservice-6498044/. ■

operations Fire Protection Systems No Place To Skimp Call it what you want: a “downturn,” “correction,” “recession” or even “double-dip recession.” Anxious economic times may call for tightening expenses, but one place where you shouldn’t cut back is your fire protection. Having a high quality fire protection system, keeping it maintained and having a “fire plan” will protect your property and operations from damage and business interruption, should a fire occur.

Most businesses can’t recover from a fire incident during a booming economy, let alone during lean times. Fire can strike anywhere at any time.

Thinking it “will never happen to us” is

not much assurance, and never looks good in hindsight. Now, more than ever, it is important to protect your assets, your operations and your market presence from any possible loss–especially fire.

The Amerex KP system is fully listed to ANSI/UL 300 and meets all code requirements. The KP system is designed to reduce installation costs in new construction or retrofit situations where you are upgrading and–when using the “Zone Defense” option–can allow you flexibility for changes.

Regardless of what fire suppression system you choose or are currently using,

Coolio Freshboards Get Your Product, Story Seen By Customers Every brand has a story, but is yours being heard? If your product needs to be refrigerated in a grocery store cooler unit, then the chances of it making enough noise to stop consumers are slim.

The fact is, consumers do not notice 90 percent of new, fresh products launched in grocery stores. Add to this limited fridge/freezer space and you have countless products squashed together whispering at consumers to get their attention. Products simply cannot be heard in this frosty selling environment.

That’s where Coolio comes in.

Coolio International, a Belgium-based company now expanded into North America, manufactures portable, plug-in cooling displays that are lightweight and easy to assemble.

These freestanding refrigeration units can be placed away from overcrowded cooler sections, in virtually any part of a store that has access to an electrical outlet.

Imagine rescuing your product from frosted-over grocery store fridges and getting it into high-traffic areas such as Point of Sale (POS) and aisles.

The placement of your product in a Coolio will definitely get it seen and heard, but the creative company goes one step farther to help you scream your brand story, even in the most boisterous of stores. All Coolios come with a Freshboard that is completely customizable and versatile. Freshboards can feature any graphic or logo, including promos and contests.

Freshboards are designed to fit onto any standard style of Coolio and are

Business Insights Group Reveals What Customers Are Doing American Express Business Insights is an analytics and consulting organization that harnesses its wealth of global spend information to reveal powerful intelligence about your customers, competitors and marketplace.

Customer surveys and focus groups might tell you what your customers think, but Business Insights data tells you what

they actually do. This is because Business Insights draws from the aggregate spending patterns of approximately 90 million cards in force, that make over 5 billion annual transactions, in nearly 130 countries. Due to Business Insights’ direct relationships with both card members and merchants, Business Insights can give you

Spray Master Technologies Keeps C-Stores Gleaming With rising gas prices, consumers are becoming more conscious of both how and where they spend their money. When choosing a C-store, one of the most important factors is how clean it is. This not only influences their decision to stop, but whether they come inside for those secondary sales as well. Most operators keep their stores clean with one or a combination of cleaning methods ranging from 68

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contracted services to a garden hose and elbow grease. These can be effective, but they require a big investment in money, time and effort, and the results often last only until the next leaking car or spilled soda leaves its mark on the parking lot.

Spray Master Technologies can help keep your stores looking clean and inviting for customers at all times by making cleaning easy, effective, and available

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make sure you are protected. Confirm that your system is ANSI/UL 300 compliant, that its maintenance is kept up to date and it matches your current cooking line. You should also confirm that Class K extinguishers are in place, maintained and ready for use.

Train your employees on proper action should a fire take place: 1 - Call the Fire Department; 2 - Evacuate the area; 3 - Pull the system pull station; 4 -Stand by with a hand portable extinguisher if it is safe to do so. Protect yourself–protect your business.

For more information, visit www.amerex-fire.com. ■

designed to wrap around the entire display, giving your product 360 degrees of leverage. No matter which direction your customers come from, they’ll see your brand and know its story.

Freshboards also help with your sustainability initiative, as they are made from 100 percent recycled corrugate and can be recycled after you’ve told your story. It’s just one more benefit Coolio offers its clients.

“Shelf space doesn’t increase,” says Megan Jones, Marketing and Customer Service Manager. “If you want to add something, you need to take something away. With the Coolio, you can add as many products as you want and just switch out the promotion.”

Coolio is a one-of-a-kind game changer in the North American retail environment.

For more information, please visit booth 1218 at the NACS show, go online to www.coolionorthamerica.com or call 905-331-9497 or 866-864-5273. ■

a more complete picture of consumer behavior and industry dynamics.

Business Insights solutions can help you understand and maximize business performance by analyzing overall industry trends and customers and competitors for specific industries.

Business Insights data provides valuable information to understand the evolving marketplace.

For more information, visit www.americanexpress.com/businessinsights. ■

24/7. Spray Master Technologies has been producing commercial-quality pressure cleaning systems since 1985, serving multiple industries with custom solutions to their unique cleaning needs.

SMT makes a central cleaning system that is built into an existing store or new construction project. The system provides a main pressure system which sends a conservative 3.2 gallons per minute of pressurized water out to remote station boxes in strategic cleaning locations around the facility. The system is controlled at the remote stations where the Continued on Page 84

PROPER PRODUCT TRACKING INCREASES CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

In today’s highly competitive marketplace, it is critical for all companies―particularly retailers and service companies―to consistently over-deliver on service. Since shopper satisfaction drives loyalty, retailers must create a positive shopping experience for their customers.

This often simply includes basics such as making it easy to find products and ensuring no out-of-stocks.

Given that the typical convenience store transaction is 120 seconds from car to register and back to car, ease of locating a product is mission-critical.

TNT/CROSSMARK certainly recognizes this, and is committed to delivering solutions that address needs and drive growth for clients. To facilitate better solutions and ensure that clients have a competitive edge, the company continues to build on its culture of service excellence.

“By providing exceptional service to our clients we are able to help them better service their customers,” says Ken Gomez, Vice President – Business Development at TNT Marketing/ CROSSMARK. “As part of our commitment to service excellence, we have developed a total category -solutions approach that we’ve built into our centralized sales process for our clients in the C-store industry. Our category resources and expertise provide a clear direction for achieving optimum product selection, effective merchandising, appropriate pricing and volume-driving promotions. “Our centralized sales process creates a single point of contact for each client, and that point of contact manages all clients in that specific category―and this creates better solutions for our clients. In addition, this process allows our clients to spend less time managing multiple contacts and more time focusing on other ways to grow their business while working with our C-store sales teams. This results in greater sales growth for our clients and a better experience for the shopper, as well as efficiencies and solutions for retailers and distributors.

This, in conjunction with our exceptional in-store execution capabilities, helps manufacturers and retailers more effectively focus on ensuring shopper satisfaction to drive revenue growth,” adds Gomez.

Service excellence is the cornerstone of CROSSMARK and is pervasive in every aspect of their business.

Consistently providing exceptional service to clients in the C-store channel is no exception.

For more information, visit TNT /CROSSMARK at NACS 2011 booth 4813, or contact Ken Gomez at 469-8141139 or ken.gomez@crossmark.com. ■

operations D.R. Mozeley Builds C-Stores In 9 States

D.R. Mozeley, Inc. is a general contracting firm specializing in design build, construction management, and turnkey projects. Established in 1958 by David R. Mozeley Sr., the firm continues today as a general contractor based in the Charlotte, N.C., area.

The firm’s completed project list includes offices and warehouses, city parks, city fire departments, schools, freestanding restaurants and commercial buildings, as well as conventional, modular and high-end convenience stores.

The company also has a site division with more than 100 pieces of heavy equipment. This division does utilities for

DRM, Inc.’s petroleum customers as well as the city and state. The company is a licensed general contractor in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida and Georgia.

Mozeley’s specialty and expertise within the general contracting industry is building convenience stores. Within the last 55 years, DRM, Inc. has built over 1700 C-stores. Among these are many Cstores that co-op with restaurants such as McDonalds, Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘Biscuits, Subway, Backyard Burgers, Arby’s, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and several more. Without question, DRM,

Straight Up Alcohol Server Training Products Empower Staff, Protect Retailers Many retailers are vulnerable to fines and negative publicity associated with serving alcohol to minors. Often, a lack of training and a lack of consistent processes are responsible.

Straight Up LLC, an alcohol education training and consulting firm based in Knoxville, Tenn., shows retailers how to teach their staff to achieve a higher standard of alcohol service. Straight Up offers a variety of training programs sold under the brand name of TopShelf Responsible Beverage Service.

“Our ideal client is any business that serves alcohol – restaurants, bars,

and retailers,” said Kim Pouncey, President of Straight Up. Straight Up was founded by Pouncey and Melinda Wolfe, two longtime restaurateurs and alcohol awareness trainers who saw an opportunity to improve the alcohol service training that bartenders and alcohol servers received.

“Our newest product, ‘Minors: Reducing a Major Liability,’ as well as all of our other programs are constantly evolving so they are up to date and inclusive of current trends,” said Pouncey. “We know the latest tricks that minors tend to use in terms of fake IDs, and the ways

Bally Refrigerated Boxes Enhances Systems Bally Refrigerated Boxes has recently introduced several new product enhancements to its line of refrigeration systems.

All low-profile evaporators are now furnished with patent-pending smartspeed fan motors. This innovative approach utilizes a two-speed fan motor which allows the evaporator fans to operate at a reduced speed when the condensing unit is off-cycle. The typical electro-

commutated (ec) fan motor uses 60 watts per motor at full speed, the smart-speed reduces this to 13 watts per motor when off cycle.

Another product addition is the Bally BQ quiet condensing units. This is an offering of compact design scroll and hermetic condensing units for both medium and low temperature units ranging from 1 HP medium to 3.5 HP low temp units.

Lustra Car Wash Products Save Space With the introduction of the Ultraflex® system from LustraTM Car Care Products, convenience stores have realized benefits beyond the safety and convenience that the system provides. The advanced chemistry developed to produce these ultra-concentrated car wash chemicals has resulted in the elimination of large drums, which have been replaced with products that are packaged in one-gallon containers and corrugated cartons that are fully communityrecyclable. This translates into a huge space savings of over 50 percent in the 72

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equipment room, allowing for more storage space for other convenience store items and easier access to the system.

Because products are transferred into reservoirs utilizing a no-spill method, chemical messes are no longer an issue, keeping the equipment room cleaner.

Since drums require special equipment and large vehicles to transport them, logistics are simpler with the Ultraflex products. Lustra’s Ultraflex products are easier to handle with cases of four-gallon bottles that weigh no more than 40 pounds.

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Inc. is a true turnkey building contractor.

Its in-house staff of more than 90 includes its Pump and Tank Division, Concrete Division, Excavating and Grading Operators, Project Managers, Estimators, Sales and Business Development, Superintendents, Crew Leaders and Office Personnel. These services are the contributing factor to DRM Inc.’s success. Along with excellent quality, DRM, Inc. delivers projects that are completed on time and within budget.

For more information, visit D.R. Mozeley, Inc., online at www.drmozeley .com, call 704-394-0133 or stop by booth 506 at the NACS show. ■

they try to get around the drinking age limit. We work closely with law enforcement to find out what they’re looking for on compliance checks. We try to combine a law enforcement perspective and a restaurant perspective.”

Straight Up is based in Tennessee, but is able to customize its training programs to coincide with the laws and regulations of various U.S. states and municipalities. It can also create custom-training programs to reinforce and complement existing company policies.

“We work with a lot of big restaurant chains, and companies have different policies,” said Pouncey. “For instance, some companies say, ‘Card everybody,’ some companies say, ‘If you don’t look at least 30 years old, you get carded.’ We can work with companies to make sure that the training we deliver reflects alcohol serving and selling policies that they have in place.” ■ Tests have shown a reduction in sound levels of 15 dba over conventional style condensing units. These units are also equipped with EC variable speed motors–further enhancing the energy-saving potential.

Bally continues to see increased specifications calling for their Smart-Vap II electronic controller. This defrost control eliminates the time clock and heater contacts usually mounted on the condensing unit. This allows for the elimination of the control wiring required from the evaporator to the condensing unit–oftentimes a point of contention during installation. ■

Ultraflex can now be sent to store locations along with general merchandise, allowing for more efficient deliveries. The Ultraflex system eliminates transporting watered down products in bulky drums, decreasing fuel consumption by 75 percent. Smaller vehicles cost less to operate and are better for the environment.

All in all, Ultraflex helps to simplify operations for convenience store operators and provides a chemical program that offers all car wash cleaning and protection needs.

Lustra Car Care Products, www.lustrabear.com, is showing at NACS booth 7264. ■

CONSOLIDATED SALES NETWORK MEETS NEEDS OF MANUFACTURERS, CUSTOMERS

David Tucci, Executive Director of Consolidated Sales Network, discusses how his company operates.

CR: Tell us about Consolidated Sales Network.

DT: The Consolidated Sales Network is an alliance of independent food brokers that have partnered with each other to help facilitate the manufacturer/broker/customer relationship in today’s marketplace.

CR: What challenges does CSN attempt to solve?

DT: CSN exists for one simple reason: to offer manufacturers an efficient broker partnership that delivers on effective customer penetration. Manufacturers are faced with several choices in solving their go-to-market challenges. By working together, our broker partners provide the efficiencies of a national broker organization offering single point of pay and the effectiveness of a local broker organization empowered with entrepreneurial ownership involvement.

CR: Why is CSN a better choice for the convenience segment?

DT: The convenience channel has many challenges, not the least of which is managing the vertical communications structure needed to be effective at the large national wholesalers and the chains they serve. Oftentimes, manufacturers are given limited choices in solving this dilemma. The large national brokers have great communication systems, but may be limited in their depth of chain coverage and must overcome the blurring of sales management responsibilities. Local independent brokers may be a good option at local indirect chain customers, but do not have the relationship or frequency of coverage needed in customers several states away. In the areas of technology, we have built a strategic alliance with Symphony/IRI to have access to sales data for the convenience segment. Several members have JDA and/or Apollo space management software. We are in the process of moving to a standardized retail reporting system. All of these things are critical as clients look for sources of excellence.

CR: What has CSN done to solve this coverage challenge?

DT: The partners of CSN have built a vertical coverage model for the convenience segment that is seamless. Our model ensures that client can have confidence Continued on Page 84

operations API’s eMaintenance System Reduces Repair Times, Costs

Petroleum Institute’s American eMaintenance is a low-cost facilities/maintenance management system that can help you dramatically reduce repair times and costs while ensuring Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and customer satisfaction.

Scalable and modular, this web-based system automates the process of capturing and completing real-time maintenance requests, allowing you to follow up on all maintenance jobs and manage contractor and asset performance while ensuring the process is both efficient and accurate.

Speed is of the essence when it comes to asset breakdowns. With API eMaintenance, a site manager can place a maintenance request on the web or automated phone service in less than five minutes and the contractor will instantly receive the work order by email, SMS or fax.

So, the next time the power goes out on a site, as long as you have eMaintenance, you won’t be losing more revenue while being left on hold.

Take better care of your assets by implementing a preventative maintenance schedule and know when it’s the right time to replace an asset by reporting on downtime and breakdown frequencies.

When an asset has reached the end of its useful life, don’t keep wasting money on repairs and lost revenue; replace it and keep your customers happy, too.

Make your contractors accountable meeting their SLAs. API for eMaintenance has a built-in reporting suite so you can track equipment downtime to compare directly with the contractor’s SLA to see exactly how much money was lost because of delayed response time. Compare scorecards of your best- and worst-performing contractors and use this information to improve service levels.

Save time and money with automated contractor invoicing. Instead of manually approving stacks of invoices every month, you can start managing the excep-

WellCard Health Helps Employees Save Money at No Charge to Employer WellCard Health™ has announced an innovative health care savings program at no charge to employers or employees.

Employees save money on a wide range of health care services. Through the WellCard Health Discount Card Program, members and their families will begin saving up to 80 percent on prescription drugs, dental care, lab and imaging services, and more.

The WellCard Health Discount Card program allows everyone to access deeply discounted rates from hundreds of thousands of participating providers.

“With healthcare costs on the rise, the savings offered by the WellCard Health Discount Card will help ease some of the financial burden that employers, employ-

ees and their families are facing. During this tough economic time, we are excited to offer a no-cost solution that can help people when they need it most,” said Doug Taylor, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for WellCard LLC. Competitive Health is providing the medical networks for WellCardHealth “WellDyne is changing the landscape of healthcare value-added programs. To date, these programs typically charged enrollment and monthly fees to employers and employees. Zero cost to enroll and participate with The WellCardHealth program is an industry game changer. For the first time, incentives are aligned with the member’s best interest. The emphasis is on what truly matters – the quality of the

ACLinx Components Deliver Power Throughout Stores

D&P Custom Lights & Wiring Systems Inc. is pleased to introduce its complete line of proprietary modular wiring components, ACLinxTM. ACLinx components include everything needed to provide power throughout a store, including power poles. Power poles are available in various lengths and colors and feature modular, snap-together extrusions with multiple channels for separate routing of both power and data lines.

In addition, all power poles can be customized to exactly meet a retailer’s needs―with just the right configuration of switches, sockets and receptacles.

In addition to power poles, the ACLinx Modular Wiring System allows 76

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retailers to configure multiple layout options for their stores, reducing labor and installation costs for future remodels. The D&P in-house electrical design team works together with retailers, builders and contractors to assemble a custom-tailored power distribution network.

The ACLinx system works throughout the store, powering gondolas, coolers and other in-store stations such as coffee and convenience foods quickly and easily.

All the connectors in the ACLinx line of products have been specially designed for ease of installation and safety. Not only are connectors color-coded by application to make installation a snap (brown to brown, green to green), but the unique

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tions; eMaintenance lets you know which invoices are within the standard cost range for parts, labor and travel, so you can concentrate on those that aren’t. Go paperless by automating the process and reducing the amount of invoices you approve every month.

Ensure your contractors work safely by using the Safety Audit Module and American Petroleum Institute’s Worksafe Program. With the Geo Mapper module, it is possible to see a live map of every site within your network and see where contractors are carrying out work, so you can carry out unannounced safety audits. Make sure your contractors are trained to work safely by requiring them to have an API Worksafe safety key before they can work on your sites.

For more information on API eMaintenance, please visit both 1315 at the NACS show, go online to www.api.org or call 202-682-8516. ■

program and the discounts provided to customer,” said Kimberly Darling, President of Competitive Health.

The WellCard Health Discount Card is available for everyone. It is especially beneficial to families who are uninsured or underinsured. The card provides savings and access for services not covered by other plans. The no-cost WellCard Health Discount Card provides unlimited use and never expires.

“We are very pleased to be able to work with the marketplace to provide a solution to the rising cost of healthcare.

We are excited to be changing the face of healthcare in our country with an easy-touse and easy-to-administer program,” said Doug Taylor, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for WellCard.

To find out more information about the WellCard Health Discount Card program, please visit www.wellcardhealth.com. ■

key-locking patterns mean no misconnects or rotations.

The ACLinx Modular Wiring System includes components such as splitter modules, inbound and outbound power connectors, inbound and outbound power whips, and extender cables; all components are easily integrated with other industry-standard components.

D&P Custom Lights & Wiring Systems Inc., founded in 1981 in Nashville, Tenn., is a world leader in custom design for the commercial lighting and fixtures industry, specializing in the custom engineering and fabrication of checkout lights, prewired power poles, modular gondola electrical distribution systems and electrical signs.

For more information, please visit booth 1118 in the NACS show, go online to www.dandpcustomlights.com, email info@dandpcustomlights.com or call 615-350-7800. ■

CLEAN ENERGY FUELS TOUTS BENEFITS OF NATURAL GAS FUELING

Greg Roche, Vice President, National Accounts and Infrastructure at Clean Energy Fuels, explains the benefits of adding natural gas fueling services to facilities.

CR: Tells us about Clean Energy Fuels.

GR: Clean Energy is the largest provider of natural gas fuel for transportation in North America and a global leader in the expanding natural gas vehicle market. We have operations in compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicle fueling, including the construction and operation of CNG and LNG fueling stations. Currently, Clean Energy fuels over 22,700 vehicles at over 240 strategic locations across the United States and Canada.

CR: What are the benefits of natural gas fuel to fleets and consumers?

GR: In a few words, natural gas is cleaner, cheaper, abundant and American. As a clean domestically sourced fuel, natural gas lowers emissions, reduces fuel costs and reduces dependence on imported oil.

Natural gas produces up to 30-percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline in light-duty and medium-duty vehicles, and costs significantly less per gasoline-gallon-equivalent.

CR: What kind of presence does Clean Energy have at convenience store/fueling facilities?

GR: We routinely add CNG and LNG fueling to partner locations. Our presence can range from a single dispenser to multiple dispensers. As experts in natural gas fueling, we are able to provide a turnkey solution to our partners. Just last year we signed a major agreement with the largest retail operator of truck travel centers in North America to build, own and operate public-access CNG/LNG fueling facilities at truck travel centers nationwide.

CR: For convenience store/fueling facility owners and operators, what are the benefits of expanding their services to include on-site natural gas fueling dispensers?

GR: CNG and LNG are additional sales that generate revenue for our partner. The infrastructure for CNG and LNG is quite limited. This means that our partners can create a captive market for natural gas vehicle (NGV) customers. These customers represent fuel sales and C-store sales. Natural gas is also the greenest fuel available and our partners can benefit Continued on Page 84

operations Interchange Reform Can Boost Your Bottom Line

By Bob Carr, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Heartland Payment Systems®

Reserve, resulting in “reasonable and proportional” swipe fees for debit cards that are proportional to the cost of processing those transactions. Prior to this Act, interchange fees ranged anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 percent.

To ensure your store reaps the potential benefits and cost savings of the legislation, verify that you’re on an interchange-plus pricing model with your card processor. This is a transparent, simplified model that passes interchange fees directly to the merchant with no markup, while also divulging the separate fee the processor charges for its services. Then, specifically ask your processor how you can benefit from the new debit interchange bill and reduced fee structure.

As a business owner, it is critical to understand all of the fees and surcharges in your processing statement to begin controlling them and saving money.

Aside from interchange, there are only two other processing fees every cardaccepting restaurateur must pay each month: dues/assessments (imposed by the card brands to cover operating costs)

Consumers have long been drawn to the convenience credit and debit cards provide. Today, most retailers accept “plastic” to not only satisfy demand, but also to boost their sales by offering diverse payment options. However, the fees associated with accepting credit and debit cards can cut into those profits.

In recent months, one of the most hotly debated fees has been interchange “swipe” fees. These fees are imposed by the card brands (Visa®, MasterCard® and Discover® Network; American Express follows a different pricing model), and collected by the issuing banks from businesses, every time a customer uses his/her credit or debit card. According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), swipe fees on debit and credit card transactions amount to $48 billion annually.

With the passing of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act of 2010, interchange is regulated by the Federal

GE Evolve LED System Allows Bright Exterior Lighting, Energy Savings

The latest generation of outdoor area lighting is now here with the NEW GE EvolveTM LED Modular Area Light. GE’s new area light combines the latest in LED system electronics, thermal management, mechanical and optical design to make the advantages of LED lighting a practical reality in parking lots and general lighting applications for C-store owners.

This new LED solution slashes energy consumption when compared to traditional metal-halide lighting. By offering a long, reliable, 50,000-hour rated life, the need for ongoing maintenance is virtually eliminated, enabling C-stores to significantly save in operating costs and achieve greater gains on the bottom line.

Additionally, the Evolve LED

Modular Area light dramatically improves light-level uniformity with the LEDs more effectively throwing light where it is intended, reducing hot spots and dark spots in parking lots. The result is less reflected light and improved utilization for a positive impact on property appearance, security and pedestrian visibility. It also offers significantly reduced glare at all viewing angles compared with HID lamps.

Available in multiple color temperatures (4000K and 5700K), this innovative LED solution offers a 70-plus color-rendering index and utilizes high brightness LEDs to improve visibility and quality of light.

With an exclusive optical ring design, the Evolve LED Modular Area light produces superior vertical illuminance and

ESCO Introduces TMK-3000 Intercom System

ESCO has been designing and manufacturing intercom systems for the petroleum industry for 23 years and is currently displaying its newest design, the easily expandable TMK-3000 Trademark Series of intercoms. The TMK-3000 Trademark intercom system can be seen at the 2011 Chicago NACS/PEI show in booth 7471.

From emergency situations and marketing in-store feature items to helping customers operate today’s complicated fueling equipment and just being friendly with customers, C-store operators require a good quality, easy-to-use intercom system.

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The Trademark TMK-3000 series of intercoms has been designed to handle every situation required in communicating with customers in today’s C-store layouts. Attention has been given to the amount of area occupied by the Desktop Controller (8 inches by 5¾ inches) to the maximum number of wired speaker stations it can control (up to 32).

Many of today’s large C-stores operate with two or more POS systems and require the ability to communicate to customers from each of these locations. The Trademark TMK-3000 can not only con-

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and processing fees (imposed by card processors and/or their third parties for authorizing and/or settling credit/ debit/prepaid cards, as well as for routing money and data to complete transactions). Other charges may be “junk fees” that don’t add extra value.

Consider contacting your payments processor to help you navigate through your statement to make sure the fees you’re being charged are legitimate.You can also visit KnowYourCardRates .com, an educational website created by the NRA, for a free online rate calculator. This free tool has already helped several businesses save up to thousands of dollars.

By learning the facts about payment processing practices and the right questions to ask, you can help reduce your out-of-pocket expenses on every transaction and put the savings toward more important things – like your business.

Bob Carr is chairman and chief executive officer at Heartland Payment Systems (NYSE: HPY), one of the nation’s largest payment processors. ■

efficiently directs the light without wasteful and unwelcomed light spill into neighboring properties. GE accomplishes this with lower lumens and greater energy savings because the fixture’s advanced optical design leverages the LED characteristics to deliver light precisely.

“Retailers that operate 24/7 need to provide adequate light in the parking lot for customers coming to their stores, which can be disruptive to bordering property owners,” says Tim Miller, Global Product Manager, GE Lighting Solutions. “Our unique optic design minimizes light spill and directs the light exactly where you want it, keeping it from intruding into the homes and yards of nearby neighbors.”

A scalable design, as well as the option to choose from double or single modules, makes this product ideal for Continued on Page 84

trol conversations with customers from multiple POS locations (up to 16), it can do it from two locations at the same time, making use of its two voice channels.

The Trademark intercom will wire to every type of 8 ohm speaker found at cstores including bullhorn PA, internally mounted fuel dispenser and canopy pole mounted speakers. The performance characteristics of each of these speakers vary and create varying levels of volume at the customer’s position. The Trademark TMK-3000 intercom has a key design feature that allows each customer speaker location to be set individually to a comfortable volume level.

For more information, please visit booth 7471 at the NACS show or go online to www.escoservices.com. ■

ANTEA GROUP TRAINING COMPLIES WITH STATE ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS

Anthony Thim, Environmental Manager from the Ewing Oil Co., discusses his experience with the online storage tank operator training offered by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and Antea Group.

CR: First, tell us about your responsibilities at Ewing Oil.

AT: As Environmental Manager for 22 years, I am responsible for ensuring that Ewing Oil Company remains in compliance with federal, state and local environmental regulations. During this time, I also have been responsible for providing training to operators at facilities owned by Ewing Oil Co. in Maryland and Pennsylvania. As the result of EPA’s mandated operator training regulations, Ewing Oil Co.’s training program was modified and subsequently approved by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). A similar operator training program has been submitted for approval by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP).

CR: How does this online operator training make your job easier?

AT: I am frequently asked environmental compliance questions as well as for requests for recommendations by Ewing Oil Co.’s open dealer customers; I am now in a position to recommend this online training program. As the instructor for environmental compliance, I found this online training program, with its individual module format, to be well-organized, easy to follow and an ideal self-paced learning opportunity for operators who are unable to attend a classroom presentation.”

CR: Describe how the online operator training has been used at Ewing Oil?

AT: Pending MDE’s approval of this online training program, Ewing Oil Co. was asked for its comments. A new employee with no prior experience in the petroleum industry found this online training program to be quite informative and very beneficial and was awarded the operator training certification.

CR: What are the biggest benefits of this online training program?

AT: This training program has a well organized and easy-to-follow module format, it’s specific to individual state regulations, and it’s a self-paced learning Continued on Page 84

operations Cooper-Atkins Corp. Announces Company-Wide Changes Cooper-Atkins Corp. recently announced several promotions as part of a companywide organizational change in sales and marketing. As of Jan. 1, Bill Eggers will relocate to the company’s Connecticut headquarters and begin in the newly created position of Vice President of Marketing and Key Accounts. Bill will maintain relations with Cooper-Atkins’ foodservice marketing groups and help strengthen brand development and new product development.

Jeff Yeager has been promoted to Vice President of Sales East, taking advantage of his prior experience as Director of Foodservice National Accounts. Jeff’s experience with the

Spray Master Tech cleaning takes place. If you choose to use soap, it is properly mixed and automatically injected back at the main pump, eliminating excess chemical use and Continued from Page 68

CSN that programs built and approved at the wholesaler level will actually get presented to the indirect chain retailers needed to ensure a successful program. Should the manufacturer prefer, CSN has the ability to manage all communication and accountability necessary to properly follow the program. All partners have agreed on commission splits, which ensures that the client will get the appropriate work from the appropriate brokers at the chains involved.

Continued from Page 72

chain community will serve him well as he accepts responsibility for all market segments.

Director of Industrial National Accounts Scott D’Aniello has been promoted to Vice President of Industrial Sales, taking a stronger role in New Product Development and corporate sales strategies.

Mike Carpenter, Chief Marketing Officer, stated, “These changes in combination with several other recent initiatives including the addition of two new Healthcare Regional Sales Managers, Jonathan Ganak and Alisia Shannon, recently hired in the Western Region, and Carol Sullivan, the new Eastern Regional

ensuring a consistent dilution ratio.

Whether spot cleaning a spill or deep cleaning the gas bays, employees simply roll out a portable hose reel, quick connect to the remote, and start cleaning.

With a built-in central pressure cleaning system from SMT, employees can clean CSN provide that?

DT: Retail has become an increasingly important part of the equation in recent years. Through several related entities, CSN broker partners provide retail coverage in numerous markets for appropriate work. We have a menu of services for our clients to shop from which includes continuity coverage and various surge project efforts.

Sales Manager for Foodservice, continue to strengthen the organization as it celebrates its 125th anniversary.”

Cooper-Atkins Corp., headquartered in Middlefield, Conn., has been a leading manufacturer of environmental solutions since 1885. Cooper-Atkins serves the Foodservice, HVAC and Healthcare markets and has built a reputation as a leading manufacturer and provider of quality time, temperature and humidity instruments. Led by Carol P. Wallace, President and CEO, Cooper-Atkins is a Certified Women Owned Business and proud member of the WBENC. For more information, visit www.cooper-atkins.com. ■

easily, effectively, and as often as necessary, keeping stores clean and inviting for customers and providing the clean advantage that C-store operators need.

For more information, visit Spray Master Technologies at www.spraymastertech.com or call 800-548-3373. ■

ue to change and evolve to meet the needs of the manufacturer and the customer. To form an alliance, just for the sake of saying you have coverage solutions, will not work. You need to have seamless coverage to make a difference. If not, you offer minimal benefit to the client. Relationships will not be enough. You need to provide value. If broker alliances provide value to the supply chain, they will succeed. If not, they won’t.

DT: Great question! As the industry and marketplace changes, brokers will contin-

For more information on Consolidated Sales Network, visit booth 3105 at the NACS show, go online to www.csnbrokers.com, email davet@csnbrokers.com or call 612-616-4013. ■

GR: How does no-cost and no-risk sound? Clean Energy will deploy the CNG and LNG systems with our own

CR: What feedback have you received from facility owners about their experiences with adding Clean Energy fueling services?

For more information, contact Greg Roche or Les Stinson at 562-493-2804, visit www.cleanenergyfuels.com or stop by booth 7774. ■

Antea Group

GE

opportunity. The program is accessible 24/7, and no travel, lodging or meals are required.

small to big box retailers. The Evolve LED Area Light is also a product of ecomaginationSM, and its energy-efficient, environmentally conscientious design is RoHS compliant and contains no mercury or lead.

In addition to the benefits offered by the Evolve LED Modular Area light, GE Lighting Solutions offers a comprehensive portfolio of LED solutions designed to help C-stores maximize their energy and maintenance savings, as well as

CR: What about retail coverage? Does

Clean Energy Fuels from the associated marketing benefits.

Continued from Page 76

CR: What assistance can Clean Energy give to owners interested in expanding fueling diversity by adding natural gas?

Continued from Page 80

CR: What types of companies are a good fit for this online operator training?

AT: Operators who are unable to attend or do not need a classroom presentation.

For more information, visit Antea Group at www.anteagroup.com or stop by booth 7990 at the NACS show. ■ 84

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September/October 2011

CR: What do you see as the future of broker alliances?

capital. Our national sales team builds business with commercial fleets and drives customers to our fueling network.

Our national service team maintains the equipment. Our partners enjoy the benefits of natural gas fueling with no investment and no risk.

Continued from Page 80

GR: This gets back to the limited availability of NGV stations. Our partners enjoy the routine repeat business that they receive from NGV customers. After all, the NGV customer cannot simply fuel up anywhere. They will seek out and stick with our fueling network.

enhance visual appearance. At the NACS show, convenience store owners will find a wide array of reliable GE LED lighting solutions for many applications, including refrigerated display cases, signage, architecture, indoor and outdoor lighting.

Don’t miss your chance to see GE’s entire LED solutions portfolio for Cstores, including the new Evolve LED Area Light.

Stop by booth 1507 or the NACS Cool New Products Room and see this innovative new product firsthand. For additional information, please visit www.gelightingsolutions.com. ■

GO-2 PRODUCTS SERVE FUNCTION WITH SUSTAINABILITY

Teri Butler, Go-2 Products Vice President, Sales and Marketing, dishes on what makes her company unique.

CR: Tell us a little about your company.

TB: Go-2 Products, Inc., is a new growth company. We combine worldclass competitive manufacturing with proprietary technologies, both overseas and in United States, for foodservice disposables in plastic and paper. Our current focus is on straws, stirrers, cutlery and food containers. We develop premium customer opportunities by converging our landfill-degradable, thermochromatic and photochromatic color change, and high-speed messaging technologies with traditional items to meet the latest market trends.

CR: What’s your current marketing strategy?

TB: We are working with specific end users to supply their current product needs, while also upgrading their operation to include the latest technology.

CR: What new products are hottest for you right now?

TB: Among others:

• Spoon straws with color change.

• Fountain Straws with new optical effects.

• Landfill-degradable straws and stirrers that can handle hot beverages.

• Straws for branding and advertising.

• Pizza tables with color change―show them the pizza is hot!

• Reusable spoons for ice cream and yogurt with color change―great for kids!

• Textured inks for thermal protection and fun aspect on cups and labels.

• Food safety―cost-effective disposable thermometers and labels to make sure food is being held and served at the proper temperature.

CR: To what do you attribute your company’s success?

TB: Go-2 scientists and product developers are dedicated, imaginative and tireless in finding new and better ways of bringing new products to fruition from the technology and research lab and to the more efficient manufacturing techniques being designed in Burlingame, Calif. Our sales and redistribution partners are active in the field and continually bringing new ideas and opportunities to our customers.

For more information, visit www.go2products.com or stop by booth 5692 at the NACS show. ■

buyers guide

BUYERS GUIDE GRAB AND GO PRODUCTS This listing is compiled from a survey of products conducted by Convenience Retailer.

Crunch Pak's Apple Slices Expanding

AMAzon Waters Coco T AMAzon is the only brand that actually has 100-percent natural enhanced water. The functional beverage contains extracts sourced in the heart of the Amazonian rainforest, lightly flavored with known fruits, each SKU providing a specific benefit.

Amazon is introducing an exciting new product, the “Coco T,” which is a unique blend of pure coconut water and tea. This product will be a big hit in the market because it keeps the pleasant taste of the coconut water and tea mix, while it does not have the strong, heavy after-drink feeling of coconut water.

It provides a hydrating and enjoyable taste. Production is granted as the company has a reliable source: its own coconut farm.

AMAzon Waters 786-400-1630 www.amawaters.com

Crunch Pak®, the founding and leading supplier of freshsliced apples, started as an idea in 2000 with a group of apple growers in Washington state who believed that people would eat more apples if they were easier to eat. Today, Crunch Pak’s sliced apples are available nationwide and organic sliced apples represent 30 percent of the business.

Crunch Pak apples are also available in thousands of convenience stores nationwide, serving as an oasis in many of the nation’s food deserts. In the past five years, Crunch Pak has tripled in size. Crunch Pak, which is the largest slicedapple producer in the United States, recently expanded distribution into Canada and opened a Pennsylvania production plant in 2010.

Crunch Pak 509-782-7753 www.crunchpak.com

Amish Pie Company Fry Pies Amish Fry Pies have all of the mouthwatering tastes of an afterdinner pie condensed into a handheld delicacy! These pastries are deep fried and sealed with a dripping glaze that contains your preference of tasty filling: Blueberry, Peach, Cherry and Apple. Made with only the finest, quality ingredients, the Amish Fry Pies are a family favorite that take you back to a simpler time. The sweetness of sugar, the tartness of fruit, the flaky texture of from-scratch pie crust fried to a golden crisp and enclosed in their signature glaze—all mixed and molded by the hands of local Amish ladies made skillful by decades of experience.

Amish Pie Company 866-919-5956 www.amishpie.com

Fresh Food Solutions Introduces Sano Yogurt Parfaits The new Sano line of products at Fresh Food Solutions first began with Sano Yogurt Parfaits, appealing sundae-style yogurt treats that marched into supermarkets in 2010. Sano Yogurt Parfaits combine alternating layers of fruit, creamy yogurt and crunchy granola in a see-through package that invites pre-purchase inspection. Consumers have embraced delicious Sano flavors, including Very Berry blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries + vanilla yogurt and granola, and Triple Cherry dark cherries, cherry yogurt + cherry vanilla granola.

Fresh Food Solutions 718-301-8022 www.flyingfood.com

BioNutritional Research Group Power Crunch Take award-winning taste and a crunchy texture, mix in high protein and low sugar and you have what industry buyers call the right recipe for success. With more than 2,000 bar SKUs now on the market, the category has naturally segmented into sub-categories ranging from bars designed to fuel athletic performance to products for nutritious snacking. In 2003, nutrition bar category sales figures skyrocketed to approximately $600 million, making nutrition/energy bars the fastest-growing segment of the snack bar industry. Today, sales figures are approaching the $2 billion mark. If nutrition bar producers continue creating unique, great-tasting products that deliver real nutrition, shoppers are sure to follow.

Giorgio Foods Adds Breakfast, Lunch To Its Menu

CAF Fusion Energy Drinks An explosion of energy inside a creamy, great-tasting coffeeinfused energy drink awaits you. Three out-of-this-world flavors are ready to ignite your taste buds: Java Jolt with its dominating coffee flavor; Mocha Blast releasing its chocolate overtones with every gulp; and Vanilla Vortex overwhelming you with dynamite vanilla. It’s 12 ounces of protein-packed, cool and delicious incentive that will help you activate your energy flow any day and any time you need the lift. Boost your energy level and taste the drink that raised the bar on satisfaction and flavor-fuel your fire and feed the need with CAF Fusion.

CAF Fusion 800-269-4052 www.caffusion.com

ConvenienceRETAILER

FRS® Healthy PerformanceTM, the next generation of performance drinks and chews, is now rolling out in convenience stores to meet the needs of active lifestyle consumers and hard-working Americans looking for natural, sustained energy. FRS uses the super-antioxidant Quercetin, found naturally in many fruits and vegetables, combined with a patented mix of vitamins and other antioxidants, to provide sustained natural energy without the crash or jitters associated with highly caffeinated energy drinks and shots.

FRS 502-523-4892 (East), 469-422-7432 (West) www.frs.com

BioNutritional Research Group 714-427-6990 www.bnrg.com

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FRS Healthy Performance Drinks, Chews Prove Mettle

Giorgio Foods brings years of experience keeping convenience stores in the best of taste through a popular line-up of authentic style pizzas and strombolis. Recently, Giorgio Foods added a new line of breakfast and lunch products to offer more ways for retailers to satisfy customer’s everchanging cravings. Giorgio has enhanced its popular Grab ’N Go C-store line of strombolis with three new Breakfast ’Bolis Sausage, Egg & Cheese, Bacon Egg & Cheese, and Ham, Egg & Cheese. Giorgio’s new line of breakfast and lunch sandwiches and products also features diverse and unique products such as Sausage, Egg & Cheese Tortes; Chicken, Mango Chutney Regalinos; and Caprese Cornettos.

Giorgio Foods 800-330-5705 www.giorgiofoods.com

September/October 2011

top tech RUN Powered By ADP Smartphone Payroll Platform Available For Small Businesses ADP, a leading provider of human resource outsourcing, payroll services, tax and compliance services, benefits administration and integrated computing solutions for vehicle dealers, announced that its popular payroll management platform for small businesses, RUN Powered

by ADP, is now also available for the RIM BlackBerry OS smartphone operating platform, including the most recent BlackBerry OS 7 release.

ADP clients using RUN Powered by ADP can begin to manage and process payroll for their employees and contractors through their RIM BlackBerry mobile device by accessing the app from ADP.com.

“The addition of a BlackBerry OScompatible version of ADP’s innovative payroll solution means that even more small business professionals can now manage their payroll quickly and securely on a handheld device, at any time from any location,” said Anish Rajparia, President of ADP’s Small Business Services.

RUN Powered by ADP satisfies the demand of an increasingly mobile workforce. According to a 2010 nationwide survey conducted by ADP Research Institute, a specialized group within ADP, small businesses are leading the trend toward increased mobility. The survey showed that 90 percent of small business executives spend at least some time outside of the office for business, averaging nine hours a week, or 23 percent of a 40hour work week. Additionally, one third

of that 90 percent indicated that time “on the go” is increasing.

Furthering its commitment to technology innovation, ADP’s secure and easy-to-use mobile payroll management application is also available for smartphones operating on the Android platform and for iPhones and can be downloaded from the Android Market and the App Store, respectively.

More than 120,000 of ADP’s small business clients are now using the RUN Powered by ADP online platform, which helps to reduce risk by assisting them with best practices for human resources compliance, including employee policy handbooks, hiring guidelines and employment law tips and alerts.

Today, with RUN Powered by ADP payroll’s secure mobile payroll system now available on all three major smartphone operating platforms, small businesses can conveniently manage real-time payroll, run reports and preview payroll processing to ensure accuracy—all from an intuitive and easy-to-use mobile application. ■

OMNIPrint’s Impact Printers Offer Affordable Options For Point Of Sale

Impact printers are improving with speed and accuracy, and OMNIPrint manufactures them for retail store and restaurant use at affordable prices. Impact printers are perfect for businesses that have to operate within a budget for point-of-sale equipment and offer many of the benefits that the more expensive printers have.

OMNIPrint also creates OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) impact printers that can print bi-directionally and are compact in design.

The OMNIPrint OPC200 OEM impact printer has a nine-pin print head, a long print head life span, an automatic paper loader, a paper-out sensor and an automatic paper cutter. This model has a reliability of 150 million characters in the print head. Paper rolls of up to three inches wide can be inserted and used in this model for printing receipts.

For a business that wants to use an impact printer with a nine-pin impact dot matrix, the OMNIPrint OPC311 OEM impact printer is the one to use. This printer has product features that include a 12or 24-VDC power supply, 30 to 42 printing columns, automatic paper loading, 92

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paper-low sensor, peripheral driver and compact design, which is perfect for checkout counters that have minimal space for point-of-sale equipment.

OMNIPrint’s OM100 impact printer offers international certifications for sales receipts, three-ply printing, automatic paper loading, a paper out sensor to let you know when the spool is nearing the end, and user-defined characters that are relevant to the sales receipts. This printer can also produce graphics on the receipts.

This impact printer will fit up to a 3-inch wide roll of paper, can print up to 40 columns and has a paper feed speed of 2.8 lines per second.

The OMNIPrint OM200 impact printer also has a nine-pin print head, is logic-seeking, can print graphics if your business wants to place its logo on every receipt, has automatic paper loading and cutting, plus a 1.5 million cutter life span.

This impact printer has a splash-proof case which makes it durable for use in restaurants and can even be mounted to a wall if necessary.

For more information, please visit omniprintinc.com or call 800-878-6880. ■

September/October 2011

Understanding EMV Vital As Visa Implements System

With Visa’s recent announcement regarding the implementation of EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) standards in the United States, there has been lots of talk and confusion regarding EMV. For many, when they think of EMV, they think of chip and PIN and the need to use a personal identification number to authorize a credit card transaction.

But the security around an EMV transaction is far more than that. As a matter of fact, contactless transactions that do not require a PIN are also EMV transactions. To understand this better, this article will cover some of the history of EMV and its evolution.

Today, EMV is often referred to as chip and PIN and is synonymous with the connected world and online, card present transactions. It is interesting to note that while that is true today, EMV grew out of the offline world.

EMV made its debut in France in the 1980s to reduce risk of credit card transaction in an unconnected world. EMV provided additional authorization between the credit card and point of sale on a local basis.

There is a whole list of authentication protocols that are performed when an EMV transaction is processed. As a matter of fact, this is one of the big challenges to processing EMV in a service center.

The communication infrastructure in

many service centers is two-wire communication. While this is adequate for a mag-stripe transaction, it is deadly slow for EMV. The large amount of data that needs to be transmitted in an EMV transaction has pushed many oil and gas merchants to move to a TCP Protocol. An EMV transaction involves several steps of authentication.

An EMV transaction goes through four basic stages.

First, the transaction needs to be initialized and, at this stage, the terminal gathers basic information such as card number and expiry, as well as the card features and configuration.

The next stage is a data authentication process. There are three data authentication methods and the terminal should select the highest.

Next is the cardholder verification, which can be a PIN, signature or nothing.

And lastly, the transaction is performed.

During each of these stages, messages are being handing between the terminal and the card. This can dramatically slow down a transaction if infrastructure has not been upgraded.

For more information about EMV transactions, please visit AJB Software Design Inc.’s booth 7608 at the NACS show, go online to www.ajbsoftware.com or call 416-621-0296. ■

Applicant Management Software Makes Hiring Process Compliant

Applicant Management is a hot topic in the HR arena right now, especially since the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has been focusing on consistency within recruiting processes. In July 2000, the Office of Management and Budget directed the OFCCP and other agencies to clarify the recordkeeping requirements for applicants, taking into account the Internet and other recent technological advances. In October 2005, the OFCCP published its long-awaited final rule on the definition of an Internet applicant. This rule clarifies when a contractor must solicit race and gender and recordkeeping requirements for applicants sourced through the Internet.

In short, the OFCCP wants to ensure companies are effectively communicating and meeting recruitment and staffing requirements. Therefore, it is imperative companies meet the regulations for compliant applicant management.

Berkshire Associates’ applicant management software, BALANCEtrak, keeps companies compliant while automating and standardizing the entire hiring process. This saves time by concentrating on the most qualified applicants.

BALANCEtrak, a Software-as-a-Service application, lets

users benefit from anytime, anywhere access, unlimited users and superior customer support.

There are numerous methods of tracking applicants depending on the needs of the company. Some use a method as simple as a spreadsheet or desktop database. Given the level of detail needed, many companies have invested in an applicant tracking system (ATS). The ideal management tool is an ATS, to handle demanding recruitment needs.

One aspect of a good applicant tracking process, no matter the system, is clean data. If there are many people involved in the recruiting process, the data integrity can suffer. Here are some best practices to ensure clean applicant data: • The number of new hires on the payroll must match the number of hired applicants in the ATS. • Rejection reasons and stages must be tracked.

• Disposition code for declined offers must be created.

• Recruiters and managers should be trained on using the system and practicing consistency.

• Detailed disposition codes should be used to make research easier.

To find out more, visit www.balancetrak.com or call 800-882-8904.

top tech Service Stations, C-Stores Impressed With API eMaintenance Technology

To say that Donna M. Salvatore, CEO of Urgent Technology USA, is excited about the product her company is pushing would be an understatement. Even though API eMaintenance is not yet widely in use across the United States, the reaction she’s hearing from service station owners and managers who currently use the service leads her to believe that it’s only a matter of time before it is in use throughout the country.

API eMaintenance, developed in 2003 at the request of BP and widely used in Europe, is a simple way to review, choose, order, track and pay for service station and convenience store maintenance.

“Most of the people we’ve shown it to are excited about it,” Salvatore said.

“They find that it’s a lot better than the old Excel spreadsheets or even other newer systems they have installed to keep track of maintenance. You can see their eyes light up and their wheels spinning, and they immediately start thinking of different ways they can use it.”

The system is designed to help a dealer or owner keep track of maintenance work by the various contractors who do work at his outlet: what equipment they work on as well as how often and how long it takes them. Using data gathered from other users, eMaintenance

can tell a dealer if the contractor is spending too much time on one particular piece of equipment.

“The system gives us a better feeling about what the benchmark should be,” she explained.

In addition, it is tied in with API WorkSafe, an online training and qualification service that provides safety training for service station contractors that perform work for station owners.

Salvatore is confident that eMaintenance can save operators significant time and cost savings.

The software for the system is in the “cloud,” meaning that there’s nothing to download or install. All a dealer has to do is log on with a password and user ID to enter the portal. And because all the information is in the cloud, it allows the company to constantly update the historical data.

Salvatore is relying on her Chicagobased sales team to sell the product to dealers, but the company can also arrange webinars, which allow potential customers to watch a demonstration online.

To see a demonstration of API eMaintenance’s system capabilities, please visit both 1315 at the NACS show.

For more information, go online to www.api.org or call 202-682-8516. ■

Online Training Available For UST Compliance UST Operators needing to fulfill the mandates of the Federal Underground Storage Tank Compliance Act of 2005 now have a convenient, online option for training and certification.

Developed by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the environmental consulting firm Antea™ Group, the web-based Storage Tank Operator Training program meets both federal and state operator training requirements for Class A, B and C storage tank operators.

All training content, which is not a webinar or webcast, is tailored to state-specific regulations. Training for each operator class can be separate or combined through the online tool. Operators may access the online program whenever it is convenient and may complete the training at their own pace―stopping and starting as often as needed for up to 30 days.

The online program uses easy-to-follow, narrated video segments.

The training curriculum consists of 18 modules: Operator Training, UST Systems―Tanks and Piping, UST Systems―Ancillary Equipment, Spill and Overfill Control Prevention, Release Detection Overview, Groundwater and Vapor Monitoring Methods, Manual Tank Gauging, Inventory Reconciliation & Statistical Inventory Reconciliation, Automatic Tank Gauging, Interstitial 98

ConvenienceRETAILER

Monitoring, Release Detection for Piping, Corrosion Protection, Emergency Response, Product and Equipment Compatibility, Financial Responsibility, Notification and Registration Requirements, Release Reporting and Closure Requirements.

At the conclusion of the training modules, operators must demonstrate their content comprehension through an examination of questions that have been approved by each state agency, where applicable. Upon passing the exam or training course, operators may print a certificate of course completion directly from the training website.

A training handbook may be downloaded to supplement the training and serves as a reference manual after certification.

During the training, helpdesk services are also available for supplemental support and/or technical questions.

To promote compliance, some states are covering or defraying the costs of the training through grants or discounts.

Eligible state-sponsored programs are noted on the API website. For operators seeking a more customized approach, Antea Group also offers in-person classroom instruction that addresses specific site needs.

For more information, visit booth 7990 at the NACS show, go online to www.apioperatortraining.com, email APIWork Safe@api.org or call 888-951-3456. ■

September/October 2011

Comark Wireless Monitors Track Cooler Temperatures

Comark Instruments’ RF500 wireless monitoring system with remote sensors and probes automatically transmits temperature, humidity and door events to a Gateway Web server unit, which manages the system and stores the data.

The Gateway requires no specialized PC software and connects directly to the LAN, permitting 24/7 single- or multiuser access via the Internet at any time.

The system meets 21CFR Part 11 requirements for a full audit trail.

The Gateway can be placed anywhere on the LAN. Readings outside preset limits trigger alarm notifications via screens, SMS, email or voice for immediate corrective action. All connections to the Gateway are via password-protected login

using the Web browser interface.

RF500 utilizes a license-free band in the 2.4GHz region and is IEEE 802.15.4 compliant.

Transmitters use mesh network topology (two-way transmitters that can send and receive data) to reroute blocked signals around open doors, shifting stock or other unforeseen barriers. A variety of air and penetration probes is available to monitor specific materials or tightly enclosed containers. All transmitters have easy to view LCDs with a low battery indicator, are waterproof and include BioCote® antimicrobial protection.

For more information, call 800-5556658 or visit www.comarkusa.com.. ■

GE Immersion LED Refrigerated System Boosts Products, Bottom Line Convenience stores are losing money every day they wait to replace inefficient fluorescent with the energy-saving, longlife ImmersionTM RH20 LED Refrigerated Display Lighting System.

Utilizing the latest LED technology, this super-efficient, low-wattage solution is designed to minimize energy consumption in horizontal cases, providing retailers with GE’s shortest payback period yet! By reducing costly energy expenses, store owners will love the boost they see on their bottom line.

GE quality and reliability delivers a 50,000-hour lifetime, enabling Immersion RH20 to perform reliably 24 hours a day for up to 5.7 years, lasting up to four times longer than fluorescent. Imagine how many fluorescent tubes a C-store typically replaces over that same time – the reduction in maintenance, labor and materials are significant. In addition, this robust LED solution also eliminates the hassle and disposal costs associated with fluorescent. This superior performance and reliability is backed by a five-year limited warranty.

Designed as a complete system solution, Immersion RH20 includes both canopy and undershelf fixtures. Working together, they create a seamless LED solution to uniformly maximize the visual appearance of the entire case, while an innovative optical design focuses bright, uniform light precisely where you want it.

The adjustable light bar allows selection of the specific lighting angle that is desired. As intense bright light focuses directly onto food packages, refrigerated cases are transformed into a vibrant, enticing selling environment.

Immersion RH20 LED lights are available in warm and cool color temperatures (3000K, 3500K, 4000K and 5000K) and multiple lengths (24 inches, 36 inches and 48 inches) giving you the flexibility to create a unique lighting

environment tailored to your customer.

This new horizontal system complements GE’s Immersion RV40 LED lighting system for vertical cases. Pairing both systems together creates a total solution that allows retailers to achieve greater energy and maintenance savings, as well as improved visual appeal.

Additionally, Immersion LED Lighting Solutions empower retailers to strengthen their commitment to environmental responsibility. Decreased energy usage significantly lowers CO2 [subscript 2] emissions. These revolutionary LED systems are RoHS and NSF compliant, do not emit UV or infrared, nor contain any mercury, lead or glass.

Forty of the top 50 U.S. grocers/supermarkets are using GE Lighting solutions, as well as 19 of the top 25 convenience store chains.

Globally, GE has sold more than 1 million LED refrigerated display case lights since being the first to launch an LED product in the category in 2006.

In addition to the benefits offered by the Immersion RH20 LED Lighting System, GE Lighting Solutions offers a comprehensive portfolio of LED solutions designed to help C-stores maximize their energy and maintenance savings, as well as enhance visual appearance. At the NACS show, convenience-store owners will find a wide array of reliable GE LED lighting solutions for many applications, including refrigerated display cases, signage, architecture, indoor and outdoor lighting.

The new Immersion RH20 Series is making its debut at this year’s NACS show.

Stop by booth 1507 or the NACS Cool New Products room and be the first to see this innovative new product, as well as the entire GE Lighting Solutions portfolio for C-stores. For additional information, please visit www.gelightingsolutions.com. ■

product features

Kick back, put your feet up and unwind … Ex Chill, America’s First Relaxer Beverage has been released under a new name: Ex Chillout. Using the same natural calming ingredients and chamomile, Valerian and lemon balm extracts, Ex Chillout features a delicious new taste profile and eye-catching packaging with stronger branding to stand out better on store shelves. Newly designed Ex Chillout trays feature post-consumer recycled cardboard and eco-friendly soy based ink. Ex Chillout is sweetened with Fruit Up, a natural fruit sweetener extracted entirely from fruits without using chemicals or additives. The Glycemic Index is a low 34. Ex Chillout is a high source of Vitamin C and a good source of B Vitamins. Ex Chillout is lightly carbonated and contains no highfructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors or preservatives, making Ex Chillout the natural alternative in a growing relaxation beverage category.

Ex Chillout 866-753-4929 www.exdrinks.com

Tease Your Taste Buds With All-Natural TEAse Iced Teas TEAse-ingly pleasing! The tingling flavor of wild berries, smoothed with a silky blend of freshly-brewed premium black tea, and ignited with a kiss of sweetness.

Freshly brewed green tea, subtly blended with honey and graced with enchanting ginseng extracts, or tweaked with the snappy flavors of pomegranate and acai berries. Sound good? They are—and good for you with natural antioxidants and metabolism-boosting qualities. Tired of carbonated, syrupy drinks? Ours will refresh and delight you, day or night.

Pick up these 16 ounce single serve bottles at your favorite store or food service facility, and enjoy the healthful, refreshing and fortifying taste of our exciting TEAse blends in your home, office, school and gym. Look for them today and enjoy a TEAse now and again.

TEAse Iced Tea 800-269-4052 www.teaseicedtea.com

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This year, KUDOS® Brand will unveil new tastes featuring some of America’s favorite brands—M&M’S® Milk Chocolate Candies, DOVE® Chocolate and SNICKERS® Bar—and offer two sizes of variety packs. The 2011 line-up includes: KUDOS® with SNICKERS® Peanuts, featuring 20 percent more peanuts; KUDOS® with M&M’S® Milk Chocolate Candies, showcasing an improved chocolate taste; New KUDOS® with DOVE® Chocolate Drizzle; New Variety 10-Pack with KUDOS® with M&M’S® Milk Chocolate Candies (4), KUDOS® with SNICKERS® Peanuts (3) and KUDOS® with DOVE® Chocolate Drizzle (3); and New Kudos® 30-Count Variety Pack with 10 of each: M&M’S® Milk Chocolate Candies, KUDOS® with SNICKERS® Peanuts and KUDOS® with DOVE® Chocolate Drizzle. By highlighting the delicious taste of M&M’S Milk Chocolate Candies, DOVE Chocolate and SNICKERS Bars, KUDOS will differentiate itself in the granola/cereal/snack bar (good for you) segment and maintain nutritional benefits; made with whole grains, each 100-calorie bar is an excellent source of calcium.

Deli Staff Deserve NXT 10-302 Cut-Resistant Gloves Spectra-cut gloves are often used in meat, deli and produce preparation to handle knives and change cutting blades on machinery.

While visiting a variety of stores, Daymark Safety found that the employees were unhappy with the spectra-cut gloves for a number of reasons. Spectra gloves often seemed bulky and ill-fitting.

Loose fingertips on the competition’s gloves often bunch up and cause issues when cutting or operating machinery.

Other gloves are difficult to sanitize, and even after washed were found to retain odor and color from the foods they came into contact with. From a safety standpoint, the spectra’s fiber offers little or no protection for knife-tip injuries, where the fibers are simply penetrated through their gaps.

The NXT 10-302 cut-resistant gloves were released for food preparation and became accepted immediately as a high-performance solution to cuts and knife slips that is actually comfortable to wear. On top of overall comfort, the NXT-302 allows a latex or nitrile glove to fit overtop easily.

Tests saw an increase in compliance, as well as longer product life and enhanced safety due to the protective nature of NXT 10–302 SuperFabric® guardplates.

Daymark Safety 800-847-0101 www.daymarksafety.com

When you want a lighter, more refreshing option, try this lemony protein-packed treat. With 20 grams of protein, the new Builder’s flavor gets those muscles rebuilding better than any lemon could.

CLIF Builder’s are packed with soy and nut proteins in a delicious, dipped double-decker bar. And unlike other protein bars, a CLIF Builder’s bar has no trans fats or hydrogenated oils. They’re crispy, tasty and entirely natural.

Dansko shoes have served to fill a need in the retail market. Known for their supportive footbeds, exceptional arch support and signature rocker bottom, Dansko clogs are one of the few shoes that can withstand the rigors of long work shifts.

“I was turned on to the (Dansko) Professional Clogs by a coworker, and they truly are the most comfortable shoes I own!

They are the only shoes I can work a full shift in (also a double) where my feet/legs do not hurt afterwards,” says Jamie D. of Mission Viejo, Calif.

Twenty years ago, Dansko began distributing their signature clogs from a horse farm in Chester County, Pa. Today, it operates out of an 80,000 square-foot LEEDcertified headquarters and offer a variety of styles including heels, boots, sandals and flats. Over the years, Dansko has amassed a loyal following among professionals known to spend long hours on their feet by consistently delivering a superior product.

“Our approach has always been one of proper foot health, reliably delivered,” says Dansko CEO and Co-founder Mandy Cabot. “Our shoes all feature a contoured foot-bed, built-in arch support and an exceptional shock absorption and energy return system. Together they help reduce impact on the body and improve posture. Our classic rocker bottom keeps the foot and leg moving forward in a natural gate to promote better body mechanics when walking.”

Clif Bar & Co. 800-254-3227 www.clifbar.com

Dansko 800-326-7564 www.dansko.com

KUDOS 800-551-6795 www.kudosbar.com

AirTight Secure Wi-Fi provides the first and only AP solution managed from the cloud offering Wi-Fi access PLUS fulltime rogue detection and prevention to satisfy PCI compliance in a single device. If you plan to deploy Wi-Fi now or in the future, don’t put your data and network security and PCI compliance at risk. This is an ideal solution for forward looking convenience stores which recognize that adding Wi-Fi access for their customers can generate business while in-store Wi-Fi applications can increase employee productivity.

• Ideal for geographically distributed Wi-Fi networks • Easily managed centrally from anywhere on the Internet • No additional administrative burden • Zero capital outlay

Deployed in five minutes, AirTight’s combination AP/security sensor works in ANY network environment to provide secure Wi-Fi access and satisfy all your PCI scanning requirements at remote locations for less than the cost of a single AP from wireless network vendors.

AirTight Networks, Inc. 877-424-7844 www.mywificloud.com

Launched last year as an extension to the DNA energy drinks, DNA Brands now includes meat snacks. The DNA Shred Stix currently come in three exciting flavors: Original, Pizza and Spicy Jalapeno.

Made with the highest quality ingredients and no MSG, DNA Shred Stix have bold and contemporary flavors. The pizza stick is made of real tomato paste and real Romano and Parmesan cheeses. A new flavor hitting the streets is the Taco Shred Stix. Just like the existing shred stix, this new flavor is made with real ingredients, such as chili pepper, red bell pepper, paprika and garlic. When the package is opened, you will feel like you walked into your favorite taco-style franchise!

DNA Brands www.dnabeveragecorp.com

product features BODYARMOR® SuperDrinkTM, the latest innovation by award-winning beverage brand architect Lance Collins, is an incredibly refreshing, all-natural beverage that both protects and restores the active body―with an unparalleled blend of coconut water, electrolytes, antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients. Encouraging consumers to be “super,” Collins, the creator of FUZE® Beverage & NOS® Energy Drink, serves up an aspirational message with a blend of optimism and straightforward dialogue with the recent southern California launch of BODYARMOR SuperDrink.

For the active lifestyle consumer with even just a modest interest in nutrition, BODYARMOR SuperDrink simplifies the choice beverage: Debuting in four exotic fruit flavors and two tea blends, all six refreshing flavors have identical nutrient blends of electrolytes, antioxidants, vitamins A, C, E and B complex and amino acids, leaving only selection of flavor to the thirsty consumer.

To consume the nutritional equivalent found in a single 16-ounce bottle of BODYARMOR SuperDrink, the consumer would need to consume all or parts of three-to-five bottles of juice, isotonic and nutrient enhanced beverages—meaning a lot more dollars coming out of consumer wallets and significantly more calories and sugar going into their bodies.

Launched in four exotic fruit flavors and two teas, each 16-ounce bottle of BODYARMOR SuperDrink contains a proprietary blend of coconut water, electrolytes, antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients to deliver the nutritional power of natural juice and high performance beverages with significantly less sugar and calories. BODYARMOR SuperDrinks will be sold by select natural foods, convenience, drug and grocery retailers across the country for a suggested retail price of $1.99 to $2.49 per bottle.

Sparrer Sausage is proud to announce the launch of New Lil Dudes Snack Sticks.

Available in 24 count Display Caddies, Lil Dudes are a 1-ounce high-protein nutritional snack for anytime and anywhere. Lil Dudes includes top performing flavors as well as hot new flavors—all made with Real Hickory Smoke. The flavors include Honey Turkey (only 50 calories, 7 grams of protein and gluten-free), Pepperoni Popular Spicy Pepperoni flavor (gluten free), Original Beef Lean Beef flavor with Hickory Smoke flavor (gluten-free), Teriyaki Rich & Sweet Teriyaki Beef Stick, Hot Pepper Hot Spiked Smoked Beef Stick (gluten free) and Jalapeno Jalapeno Peppers in the All Beef Stick (gluten free). Since 1938, Sparrer Sausage is a family-owned company making quality meats for consumers across the country. Lil Dudes are part of a new family of quality meat snacks, and are made at Sparrer’s state-of-the-art facility in Chicago, Ill. Quality Sparrer products include Real Hickory Smoked Summer Sausages, Thuringer, Chorizo, Salami, Pepperoni, snack sticks and gift boxes in branded and private labels. Family brands include Sparrer, Splendore, Lil Dudes, Nordic Chalet, Huntington Farms, Sparrer Natural and El Campeon.

Sparrer Sausage Co. 773-762-3334 www.sparrers.com

BODYARMOR www.drinkbodyarmor.com

Richardson Brands, the world’s largest manufacturer of rock candy, has introduced its Dryden & Palmer brand twocolor pure cane sugar crystal sticks.

The new two-color sticks are produced at Richardson’s factory in Canajoharie, N.Y. “Our new two-color sticks can be enjoyed as a lollipop by the younger set or by kids of any age,” said Don Butte, CEO of Richardson Brands. “Its introduction is our latest new product that’s consistent with Richardson’s strategy for growth and the first from our new Research & Development Center in Canajoharie.”

The new Dryden & Palmer two-color crystal sticks are individually wrapped and are available in four single flavors: citrus, cherry, green apple and melon.

They are shipped in 72 count packages.

Richardson’s 180,000 square foot facility in Canajoharie proudly carries the State of New York’s coveted Good Manufacturing Practices Seal of Approval.

Richardson Brands www.rockcandy.com

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The Hughes Branch Server collapses multiple servers into one by running applications in individual virtual machines (VMs), reducing capital, energy and IT support costs. The platform supports virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) deployments as well as Hughessupplied WAN Optimization, digital signage and training solutions enabling the branch of the future today.

Hughes 866-251-2795 www.enterprise.Hughes.com/NACStech

One of two new flavors!

Made with real cinnamon! Unlike other yogurts on the market, Straus Family Creamery yogurts are “vat set.”

Made in small batches in stainless steel vats, the yogurts are cooled completely and then poured into the 30-ounce plastic yogurt containers. This is a traditional yogurt-making process common in Europe that results in a smooth, creamytextured yogurt that practically pours out of the container. Simply made with organic milk and other delicious organic ingredients, consumers will appreciate the fact that Straus yogurts contain no added pectin, modified food starch, corn starch, thickeners or high fructose corn syrup.

Straus Family Creamery 707-776-2887 www.strausfamilycreamery.com

For the convenience store operator, Gas Buddy’s OpenStore™ provides a solution to seamlessly connect convenience stores with their customers through new media options. The OpenStore solution is a turnkey social media marketing platform for convenience stores, providing much needed two-way communication between store operators and their customers.

OpenStore includes individual websites for each location. Each of the websites contains customized information and content related to that location and to promote features that matter to local consumers the most. The solution is designed so that whether you have one location or 500 locations, it is simple and easy to manage your online presence. OpenStore is divided into various modules that lets you customize a solution that provides maximum benefit for your brand.

Available modules include a customer feedback module to help collect reviews and feedback on your brand.

An electronic couponing module includes dedicated mobile apps for the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry to send scannable electronic coupons directly to consumers. Other modules include social media presence modules, job posting modules, and robust mapbased station locators. The entire solution is delivered through cloud-based computing and requires no on-site hardware.

GasBuddy Retail Systems Inc. www.gasbuddyretail.com

NBC Universal Television Consumer Products Group and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” have teamed up with iconic ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s to introduce the new flavor entitled “Late Night Snack.” The unique new flavor features a rich vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and crunchy fudge covered potato chip clusters—the perfect mix of salt and sweet for a late night snack. Accordingly, Late Night Snack is made with Fair Trade vanilla in the vanilla ice cream and Fair Trade cocoa in the potato chip cluster fudge coating.

CLIF Kid® Launches New Zbar Crispy, Zfruit Punch Flavor CLIF Kid®, maker of great-tasting organic snacks for active kids, has released Zbar CrispyTM, an organic rice crispy snack that is an extension of the original baked Organic Zbar line. CLIF Kid also introduces a new Fruit Punch flavor for Zfruit™, the popular fruit rope twist made with organic fruit puree.

Zbar Crispy is made with 8 grams of whole grains and a sprinkling of toasted oats for a lightly textured crunch. Like the original Zbar, it has a balanced blend of carbohydrates, protein, fiber and healthy fat to help curb hunger and stabilize energy levels that keep kids feeling full longer. CLIF Kid Zfruit (formerly Organic Twisted Fruit) is a tangy, chewy, organic fruit snack equivalent to one serving of organic fruit. It also provides an excellent source of vitamin C. Zfruit offers delicious convenience that makes it easy for kids to get their two to four recommended daily servings of fruit. Fruit punch joins Zfruit’s other flavors in Mixed Berry, Sour Apple, Strawberry, Tropical Twist and Grape. Zfruit Ropes retail for 89 cents each and $4.49 for a six-pack box.

Ben & Jerry’s 802-846-1500 www.benjerry.com

Cliff Bar & Co. 800-254-3227 www.clifbar.com

new products product features

The Kellogg Convenience Team introduces an exciting new snack mix flavor from the powerhouse Cheez-It® brand: Cheez-It White Cheddar Snack Mix. This new mix combines Cheez-It White Cheddar crackers, crunchy curls, bread slices, wheat squares, pretzel twists and white cheddar flavored seasoning.

Combining the popularity of white cheddar flavor with the ability to mix and match taste and texture combinations that snack mix lovers crave makes this a strong addition to the salty snacks set.

The Kellogg Co. 888-289-5554 www.kelloggsconvenience.com

Nestle Drumsticks sprinkle in some fun this summer with new Drumstick Sprinkled! sundae cones. Available in three flavors—Vanilla, Chocolate and Vanilla Cherry—Drumstick lovers can now savor biting into creamy chocolate, vanilla or vanilla with a gooey cherry center, all coated in chocolate and crunchy sprinkles.

Topped with sprinkles instead of nuts, the new cones are safe for children with peanut allergies as well as being a new twist to a favorite treat. Drumstick Sprinkled! sundae cones are available now nationwide with an SRP of $6.99 for a box of 8 cones.

Drink Me Tags™, the unique gift cards for wine bottles that are bridging the gap between a greeting card and a wine bag, has some new additions to its ever-growing collection. The latest tags added to the repertoire are fun and witty and house the taglines: “Bottoms Up,” “A Toast to the Host” and “Drink Up Buttercup.” Drink Me Tags hang on a loop of ribbon and slip over the neck of any wine bottle.

You stock your wine racks, which make grabbing a thank-you bottle a quick and easy gift, so why not stock up on wine tags? Just grab a bottle, throw on one of Drink Me Tags’ wine cards and you are out the door with a great gift!

Whether you are going to a dinner or birthday party, a BBQ, just need to give a thank-you gift, etc., Drink Me Tags are a quick way to add style to your wine bottle. Drink Me Tags’ colorful and charming cards cover the range of sentiments and with over 20 to choose from you’ll have a new tag to give each time!

“People love to give a bottle of wine for most any occasion – a celebration, a thank you, a holiday, or just because,” says Sara Rossi of Drink Me Tags. “So we created wine bottle gift cards that are easy, classy, and inspired, making a good bottle of wine the perfect gift with that little something extra.”

Wine is often the best gift to give and Drink Me Tags is making it easy to personalize it. Just because you don’t own the vineyard doesn’t mean you can’t put your name on the bottle. Drink Me Tags has affordable options for customizing Drink Me Tags for absolutely any occasion or need – weddings, stores, vineyards, resorts, trade shows, corporate gifts, etc. Customize as few as 25 or as many as you want!

So, what are you waiting for? Your wine bottles are begging to be tagged!

Drink Me Tags are available for $2.25 a tag in a variety of designs.

C-stores can now offer consumers a healthy choice: Beanitos, chips made of beans in four flavors, and now in a single-serve 1.25 oz bag. The chips are projected to hit 500 C-stores in coming months.

All four flavors—Black Bean, Pinto Bean & Flax, Chipotle BBQ and Cheddar Cheese Pinto Bean—will be available in the new bags, with a suggested retail price of $1.29. The small size and price make it ideal for a healthy snack or as part of a salad or sandwich meal deal.

Each bag packs six grams each of complete protein and fiber, compared to the average single-serve bag of potato chips that contains only two grams of protein and one gram of fiber. A chart provided by the company puts Beanitos’ nutrition content ahead even of other ‘healthy snacks’ like SunChips. It also has lower carbohydrate and glycemic index figures as a result of being made from beans.

Dave Foreman, Beanitos CoFounder & President commented, “With our new bags we’re able to deliver a healthy snack to places like schools, vending machines, delis and sandwich shops, hotels and convenience stores.

Snacking should be a healthful bridge of satiety between meals, and Beanitos provides a long over-due new healthy option in the grab-and-go, single-serve category, one that keeps you fuller, longer.”

Drink Me Tags 203-226-5665 www.DrinkMeTags.com

Beanitos 512-609-8017 www.beanitos.com.

Nestle Dreyer’s Ice Cream 800-441-2525 www.drumstick.com

By combining the great taste and healthy benefits of popcorn with the satisfying crunch of a chip, Popcorn, Indiana created chip’ins, the world’s first gourmet popcorn chip. One-hundred percent natural, infused with zesty flavors that pop, healthier than fried chips and tastier than baked, chip’ins are air-popped, unleashing all of the healthy goodness of popcorn in a chip. The shape itself makes it possible to finally dip your popcorn, yet the enticing flavors readily entertain taste buds on their own.

Popcorn, Indiana 800-707-4444 www.popcornindiana.com

Friday’s® Jalapeño Cheddar Potato Skins snack chips are made from real potatoes and real potato skins to give you thick, crunchy chips that deliver a true jalapeño cheddar taste.

Inventure Foods 623-932-6200 www.inventurefoods.com

Rotisseries are sized for C-Store foodservice programs.

Watch your bottom line and customer traffic increase with adding this healthy alternative to your fried chicken program.

Fresh roasted whole chickens, brisket, ribs, pork for BBQ, etc. Cook/hold capability, 12 chicken capacity, shelf system for halves, pieces, turkey drumsticks etc.

Compact and powerful—12 chickens in 65 minutes. The pleasing visual and aroma drives sales to double at lunch and helps capture the elusive dinner customers with offering center of the plate products. Small footprint for counter top placement or mobile stand available.

Visit us at www.resfab.com for more information on rotisserie and fryer programs (breading & landing tables) perfect for the demands of any C-Store operation.

Hudson’s Famous Brew Iced Tea is an enjoyable drink because it is made from pure tea—no added colors or instant tea powder. It is renowned for its distinctive reddish color, floral aroma and smooth, non-astringent taste.

Resfab Equipment Inc. 866-359-0808; U.S. Office 352-326-2443 www.resfab.com

Sara Lee Foodservice 800-682-SARA (7272) saraleefoodservice.com

Hudson Tea Company 866-383-2792 www.hudsonteacompany.com

America’s No. 1 brand of breakfast sausage paired with egg and cheese on a flaky biscuit. Jimmy Dean® D-lights® Breakfast Sandwiches, with one-third fewer calories and half the fat, offer a better-for-you breakfast option for consumers on the go.

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calendar

UPCOMINGEVENTS WHEN

WHAT

WHERE

WEBSITE

September 11 - 13

Philadelphia National Candy, Gift and Gourmet Show

Atlantic City Convention Center

www.phillycandyshow.com

September 11 - 13

ASD/AMD Variety Merchandise Show - East

Javits Convention Center, NYC

www.asdonline.com/september

September 12 - 13

People in Consumer Goods & Services Summit

Hotel 71, Chicago

http://the-tma.org/retail

October 1 - 4

National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show

McCormick Place, Chicago

www.nacsonline.com/NACSShow

October 15 - 16

The National Franchise & Business Opportunites Show

Dallas Market Center

www.franchiseshowinfo.com

October 17 - 19

Mobile Shopping Summit

Bridgewaters, NYC

www.wbresearch.com/mobileshopping

October 17 - 19

In-Store Marketing Expo

Navy Pier, Chicago

www.shoppermarketexpo.com

November 6 - 9

Retalix Synergy 2011 Conference & Expo

Dallas, TX

http://retalix.com/synergy.cfm

November 7 - 9

Retail Law Conference 2011

Chicago

http://www.rila.org/events/conferences/retaillaw/Pages/de fault.aspx

November 8 - 9

Kosherfest

Secaucus, NJ

www.kosherfest.com

International Council of Shopping Centers New York Conference

Hilton New York, NYC

www.icsc.org

January 2 - 6

Promotional Products Association International Expo

Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas

theppaiexpo.com

January 15 - 18

NRF 101st Annual Convention & Expo

Javits Convention Center, NYC

http://events.nrf.com/annual2012/Public/MainHall.aspx?ID= 11628

January 24 - 26

Vision 2010 Consumer Products Conference

Hotel Inter-Continental, New Orleans

www.inda.org

January 26 - 28

OASIS Gift Show

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

www.oasis.org

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER December 5 - 6

JANUARY 2012

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