Panel indicts ex-food distributor employee
EDMOND (February 8, 2010)—A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday against a former employee of an Edmond food distributor, accusing the defendant of defrauding a customer.

Appeals court deals setback to BudaFirst
TEXAS (February 8, 2010 - San Marcos News)—Buda residents wary of more industrial development than allowed by the city’s master plan and opposed to the construction of a 500,000-square-foot US Foodservice facility suffered a blow dealt by the Texas Third Court of Appeals Monday.

New Board Officers — Distributor Leaders Elected to IFDA Board
Orlando, FL (January 31, 2010 - IFDA News)—During the Annual Membership Meeting held at the 2010 IFDA Partners Executive Forum, members of the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) elected new Board Officers to the IFDA Board of Directors, elected three new directors, and re-elected seven existing directors. The IFDA Board — which works as the governing body of the association — establishes major strategies, policies, and long-term association objectives.

Pactiv Corporation Honored as Sysco's 2009 Supplier of the Year
HOUSTON (February 3, 2010 - GLOBE NEWSWIRE)—Sysco Corporation announced today that Pactiv Corporation has been named Sysco’s 2009 Supplier of the Year. The award was presented at Sysco’s Super Regional Conference held in Houston, Texas, January 19, 2010. This is the 15th year that Sysco has recognized its top performing suppliers. Pactiv, or its acquired subsidiaries, has been named a Top 100 Sysco supplier each year of the program. They are repeating their first place finish from last year.

Organic produce sales topped $1 billion, USDA report says
WASHINGTON (February 3, 2010)—The nation’s organic farms and ranches have higher average sales and higher average production expenses than U.S. farms overall, according to results of the 2008 Organic Production Survey released Feb. 3 by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Total U.S. Restaurant Counts Slip Slightly in Fall 2009 Compared to Year Ago, Reports NPD
CHICAGO (February 3, 2010 - Vocus/PRWEB)—In a year when the restaurant industry experienced its steepest traffic declines in three decades, the total restaurant unit count was relatively flat, dipping slightly by -0.3 percent or less 1,652 restaurant units nationwide, compared to a year ago, according to a restaurant census conducted in fall 2009 by The NPD Group.

New Year’s Resolutions for Foodservice Distributor Owners
As we start the new year, I can think of no better time to identify your company’s key priorities for 2010 and make a few key personal resolutions that improve your business, your management team, and your relationship with your customers. As you read and analyze your year-end reports from 2009, look for opportunities as well as potential threats to your business.

By Bill Beattie

A Better Market for Business Sellers at the Close of 2009
by Bill Beattie

Because of Keiter Stephens Advisors’ vantage point facilitating foodservice distribution mergers and acquisitions – we’ve represented more transactions in the past 3 years than any other advisor – we’ve been asked to present our perspective on transaction activity in 2009.

As KSA did a year ago, we’re going to start this column with an overview of the mindset of potential buyers.

Finding Hidden Value When Preparing Your Company for Sale
If you are thinking about selling your company and revenues have been down, you may think your business has lost value. That logic is not always true, however, particularly considering the impact of recent deflation in food prices.  Smart buyers are interested in many factors in addition to your sales trends.

Selling Your Company: Options for Distressed Foodservice Distributors
By Bill Beattie
In this column, we consider the options for owners of foodservice distribution companies that are experiencing financial distress. Over the past year, we have encounterd an increasing number of owners who have been in denial regarding the severity of their situations – and as a result, many failed to take the necessary actions in the early stages.

SYSTEM SELECTION: "CONSULTANTS" TO AVOID
By Dick Friedman

    Wall Street isn't the only place where scammers operate. Some so called consultants who say they can select the right system can do worse than take a distributor's money without providing value. They can select a system that destroys the company, as has happened at least twice in 2008. Or they can select a system that is so unsuitable that it gets tossed or never fully implemented, as has happened several times in ’08 and ’09. Whether the system being sought is an ERP, WMS (warehouse management system) or anything else, here are some ways for determining which consultants to avoid; and be inference, which to use.