Refrigeration Magazine - February 2023

Cover photo by Joel & Jasmin Førestbird with Unsplash

We’re Built to Last Y

You knew it all along. You knew it would come to this. Getting to your customer about as quickly as the thought entered their mind that they were going to need you.

“ASAP” was replaced with “We Need It Yesterday.” And now it’s been replaced by an app that allows them to ‘check in’ in order for you to see where they are, anticipate what they need by way of where they are and what they are doing, and get it delivered to them before they change their mind and choose a 7-11 closer to them at the moment. I’m painting a hypothetical picture here, but I’m not too far off.

Our Technology feature this month (p. 6) looks into the latest app for just this scenario. “7-Eleven Inc. is making it easier than ever for 7NOW delivery smartphone app users to order their favorite products and get it delivered to anywhere they are.

With the latest app update, the convenience store retailer set up thousands of locations called 7NOW Pins that enable customers to receive delivery where it’s convenient for them. This proprietary technology allows customers to order the delivery service to parks, beaches, sports fields, entertainment venues and other public locations that may not have traditional addresses.”

Our Environment feature looks at the plastic waste problem we are all hyper aware of. There probably would already be some kind of workable resolution on the table, except the bottled water industry continues to fight any regulation, because they say they are singled out as the largest contributor of plastic waste. They have lobbyists who will likely keep plastics free and clear from any ban. The UK meanwhile, has taken some brave measures, to take place in 2020. Read about those in this issue.

Bob Cota, former employee of Getchell Brothers, Brewer, Me, passed away, and we share his obituary with you. Many of you may have known him, and our thoughts and prayers go to his loved ones, including his Getchell Brothers family. It’s almost convention season, and the IPIA will be meeting in Ponte Vedra at Sawgrass. Their save the date notice is on page 8. It is bound to be a wonderful event. They always are!

Enjoy the last sales of Summer, and let us know how your season was. Better yet, just let us know how you are, period. We always enjoy the calls and emails we get.

Best to you, Mary

Yopp Cronley, Editor, Refrigeration Magazine

"‘ASAP’ was replaced with ‘We Need It Yesterday’. And now it’s been replaced by an app that allows them to ‘check in’ in order for you to see where they are, anticipate what they need by way of where they are and what they are doing, and get it delivered to them...”

problem,

Refrigeration Insulation Finish

Polar Temp checks all the boxes. Built stronger than the others, they are checked and re-checked before leaving our factory to give you years and years of trouble-free service. Quality and longevity are engineered into each merchandiser. For more information on our full line of Ice Merchandisers please call the factory sales office nearest you.

ON THE RADAR

Technologies to Watch

By Tammy Mastroberte

Beyond 2023, the convenience store industry has its eye on emerging and upcoming technologies that may have an impact on the business in the future. Here are a few retailers are watching:

LED COOLER DOORS

Adopters of this cold vault option, where LED screens show the product on the shelf rather than a glass door, are able to know that products are out of stock because of built-in sensors. They also can run product advertisements on the doors themselves, according to Steve Morris, president of Retail Management Inc., who operates stores for small chain retailers.

“It will probably be five to 10 years before the costs will come down for smaller retailers, but the more accurate data collection gathered and shared from larger chains can have a downstream effect for smaller retailers when it comes to planograms because vendors will have store and market specific data that is more timely,” he said.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) CHARGER INTEGRATION

While c-store retailers are already installing EV chargers at locations where demand calls for it, there remains a lack of integration with the other offerings at the store. This is because most EV equipment providers require customers to download their brand app to engage with the charger, said Jeremie Myhren, co-founder of Onramp, a Chicago-based fleet payment company, and the former longtime chief information officer of Rockford, Ill.-based Road Ranger, operator of 70 stores.

“We need to get EV vendors to implement charging into our store branded apps because 99.9 percent of the retailer EV implementations are completely disconnected from everything else on the site, so there are no rewards connected or the ability to pay for other things,” he said.

FOODSERVICE ROBOTICS

Replacing labor in the kitchen for c-stores that have proprietary foodservice offerings is a possibility thanks to the introduction of robotics. While its unlikely robots will be running an entire kitchen in the near future, there are emerging options that can help.

“Having robotics to make things like a cheeseburger and fries can help take labor out of the equation and do some of the mundane tasks, which is something bigger brands are doing, and we have to keep our eye on it,” advised Myhren. RM

Great Lakes and Mo Valley Joint Meeting

The joint GLIA/MVIMA convention will be held March 2529 at the Atheneum Suite Hotel in Detroit, MI.

At press time, Tom Howat, secretary of the Great Lakes Manufacturers Association, mentioned the agenda ‘isn’t carved in stone,’ but we are printing a general idea. Check with Tom for specifics if necessary.

Sat, March 25

Sunday, March 26

3:00 pm

Great Lakes and Mo Valley Joint Meeting Tentative Schedule

Hospitality room open | Senator Suite

There will be suggestions for restaurants and potential dinner companions

4:00 pm Great Lakes Board Meeting | Plato room

8:30 am Missouri Valley Board Meeting | Plato room

12:00–5:00 pm Suppliers Set-Up | Plato room Registration

12:15–3:00 pm Bowling (Optional) Hospitality Room Open

6:00 pm Drinks with Suppliers | Ballroom

7:00 pm Dinner | Ballroom

8:00 pm–12:00 am Hospitality Room Open | Sponsored by your suppliers

Monday, March 27

Monday, March 27

8:30 am General Session | Ballroom

9:30 am Supplier presentations continued | Ballroom

10:45 am Board bus for Home City Ice in Detroit

11:15 am Plant tour at Home City Ice

12:00 pm

Board busses to Home City Ice in Shelby TWP, MI

12:30 pm Stop for lunch enroute to Shelby plant

6:00 pm Cocktails - Silent auction begins

7:00 pm Dinner/Awards - Auction continues

9:00 pm – 12:00 am Hospitality Room Open | Sponsored by your suppliers

Stay a While and Explore Detroit OR Have a Safe Journey Home!!! RM

KEITH & Finnicum Farms Built to Last

KEITH doesn’t usually receive much walk-in traffic from customers, but they love it when they do! KEITH employees recently had the pleasure of meeting Kenny Finnicum and his father Norman from Finnicum Farms, located in Grand Island, Oregon.

Kenny was picking up a cylinder for his 1981 WALKING FLOOR® system and shared his thoughts on owning the ancient drive unit, which has given him very little trouble over the years. “It’s a very reliable system,” says Kenny. “We’ve hauled majorly heavy loads—we’re farmers after all.”

Kenny has owned the trailer since 1995 when he bought it from a dairy that was a feed customer of his. Since then, he has hauled sawdust, corn silage, sweet corn, beans and feed.

According to Kenny, the cylinder replacement is the first major repair he has had to make on the

system. Although, he has rebuilt the cylinders one time before.

“The amazing part is that we are using the original slats since I have owned it,” says Kenny. “They are just now wearing thin.”

Kenny was able to provide a serial number and KEITH tracked down information that it was originally sold in August 1981.

Even back in company founder Keith Foster’s day, WALKING FLOOR® systems were built for the long haul.

In addition to unloading systems for trailers, KEITH manufactures WALKING FLOOR® Ice Storage and Conveying Systems for the packaged ice industry. KEITH Manufacturing Co. is located in Madras, Oregon where it designs, manufacturers and assembles its equipment for worldwide distribution. RM

Perfect FIT

somber magician walked into the shoe store. Atop his head stood a tall, coneshaped hat emblazoned with bright stars and thin lightning bolts. Draped over his shoulders hung a black sorcerer’s cape. The clerk, a young and athletic looking man, glanced up. Long, curly, black hair flowed from beneath the solemn man’s colorful head gear. A fair-sized lock of it was twisted up in the trembling left hand of the obviously upset man. He explained in a thick, Slavic accent that he was a performer in the art of illusions and had bought the shoes for his assistant but that the shoes simply did not fit. He perspired terribly.

The guarded salesman, a former marine who’d served two tours in Iraq and another in Afghanistan breathed from his mouth and not his nostrils. The man before him smelled like wild, crazed fear. Wide eyes darted rapidly around the store as the terrified magician wailed softly in his native tongue. He exhibited such frightened behavior the clerk was tempted to call 911. He decided instead to refund the money back and get the deranged man out of his store as quickly as possible. The salesmen shuddered involuntarily as he scrutinized the strange man walking away whimpering and talking incoherently to himself. He felt the hair rise on his arms and the back of his neck. A cold chill followed.

Feodor Romanov swore like a son of the fisherman he was. Noticed early on for having the “gift,” the young boy was taken from his home and trained in the art of wizardry, sorcery, bewitchment, and the black art of summoning from the dark side those things that furthered the known boundaries of his craft. At the present, he was ruing the day he ever entered the pursuit of black magic. Summoning from beyond for

such a silly thing had been a mistake. How could he have been so taken with another? It was destiny that he had been embarrassed. He’d used the gift for selfish reasons. It was unprofessional. He was right in getting rid of them.

Bob walked tenderly out of the hardware store. His sciatica had been acting up a lot more lately. It didn’t help his toe was disjointed again. He placed the new set of sockets in the truck and wondered if the ice bags would be in today. One of the baggers said they had another three days worth and that was way too close for Bob’s comfort. He cranked up “old faithful” and headed back the ice plant. A few minutes later, just before his final left turn, he saw the shoe store. A large colorful banner proclaimed “The Right Shoe for the Correct Ailment.” Bob glanced at his watch and made the split-second decision.

Inside the store several clerks assisted customers while another, stout and muscular, with a militarystyle hair cut sorted through boxes of returns. He stopped as he saw the shoebox returned from the strange man from Russia. A chill, similar to the one experienced earlier, when the frightened and depressed magician stood only a foot away from him, sent a rush of puzzled fear through the salesmen’s body. Deciding he needed a breath of fresh air he left the shoes on the counter and told his assistant manager he was going to lunch.

A moment later, one of the clerks found Bob looking helplessly at the vast array of

By: Mike Landino

“therapeutic” shoes. After digesting the customer’s physical ailments, the enthusiastic young clerk excused herself and walked into the back room. Taking longer than Bob thought necessary to find a pair of shoes, the woman walked out with a question on her face. She smiled at Bob, held up a finger, and then walked over to another clerk. Nodding, she smiled and sauntered happily towards a counter in the back of the store. Finding what she was looking for she walked over to Bob.

“Here ya go, sir. It was the last pair. We’re pretty lucky.” The friendly girl smiled and offered the shoes for Bob to put on. “These were just brought back this morning. Too small; something like that. Try them on. Walk around, see what you think. There is a lot more cushion and they’re wider. That should take the pressure of that left foot a little bit.”

The perky, young clerk was right, Bob thought as he drove into the parking lot of the ice plant he built from the ground up twenty-three years ago. His right foot tapped uncharacteristically to the music coming from the truck’s radio. The shoes felt great. His feet felt great. “Life is good” he laughed out loud, turning off the truck and practically jogging into the building.

mid-sized production plant, his four ice makers produced more than eighty ton of tubular ice every twenty-four hours. It was a good living, and he was his own boss. But hard work was the rule of the day. The sign that hung over the doors leading into the production room read: “For All Those Who Enter, Be Prepared to Sweat.” It was an aphorism Bob lived by. Unfortunately, his body had been showing the effects of that hard work for the last several years. In the early days, while earning his dues in a physically demanding industry, especially during the heat of the summer, the iceman had produced the ice, bagged it, and then spent early mornings, lunch hours, and countless hours after his day job delivering it. Life was much easier now. No longer did he have to keep a second job to make ends meet. He had a good crew of young, motivated men working for him, along with a receptionist and a book keeper. A smile came to his face as he recalled the day his wife was finally able to stop working at the ice plant. She’d been pursuing her life-long passion for the last several years now. Debbie’s last showing earned great reviews from a national art critic. Bob smiled again and surprised himself by dancing a quick jig. He supposed his good humor was directly related to the new shoes and in no small way, Debbie’s blossoming art career.

Such moaning as she had never heard before caused the old woman to peer through the neighbor’s window. Draped in a thin, black, silk cape, the man lamented his despair. It must be a lady friend, the elderly eavesdropper assumed correctly. A large painting of a young petite, dark-haired woman, sat on an isle surrounded by hundreds of bright red burning candles. In front of the portrait sat the desperate broken-hearted man. His hands covered his face. “Katrina, Katrina. I have blundered terribly. My heart weeps for your friend’s injury.” Another sad and desperate wail followed. Tears flowed from his eyes as he leaned close to the picture and kissed the woman’s forehead. “May you forgive my ineptness . . . my clumsiness. . .

I’ve embarrassed you. It was all for you.” A loud wail followed causing the nosy neighbor to jump back from the window. Mumbling her displeasure at the racket inside the dimly lit apartment she left the man to his problems. The Price Is Right was starting soon.

The lamenting continued. It gave Henry the creeps. He’d heard it earlier but thought maybe the man had constipation. Once again, he considered knocking on the door but decided it could wait. Shrugging his shoulders, he shuffled away wondering what the man’s problem was.

Uncontained, life-shattering terror, as never experienced before or thought possible surged through the frightened man’s soul. His heart, he feared, would soon burst. Its pounding increased with each exertion. He pressed as hard as he could not but could keep them from gyrating. Searing pain shot through each foot as every attempt failed miserably adding to his hysteria. Sweat poured down the man’s face. Breathing so hard and irregular gave him sporadic concerns of a heart attack. It was long past hoping this was some kind of weird dream. That went out the window less than an hour after he put them on.

At first, he was elated. His feet had never felt better, or his back stronger. In fact, Bob Valdez felt like a teenager filled with the energy only the young can know. That stopped two hours ago. It happened in the back of one the refrigerated delivery trucks. He was inspecting the condensing unit at the front of the empty semi-trailer. Bob’s feet started tapping to the sound of music coming from the bagging room. At first, he thought it was a voluntary act, one based solely on the melody of the tune as well as the fact that he felt better, mentally and physically, than he had in years. But when he attempted to walk out of the truck his feet led him on a rock and roll wild adventure through the remaining empty portion of the truck. His feet would not stop responding to the music. At forty-two years, the ice man was still strong as a bull but could not prevent them from shimmying long enough to bend down

and take them off his new shoes. Each frantic attempt had only succeeded in causing him to fall flat on his face or worse, on his back, with dancing feet jitter-bugging high over his head. The radio station giving way to several commercials did not stop the feet. At the risk of severely hurting himself, Bob managed to place his hands firmly on the bed of the truck. With legs high above his head and feet swaying to unheard melodies, the pale and bugeyed iceman scooted backwards out of the truck and onto the loading dock. The sound of one of the delivery trucks pulling in caused him to scramble awkwardly behind a tall stack of pallets.

Twenty long minutes later the driver finished unloading his empty pallets and wheeled them dangerously close to his boss’s hiding position. Bob cowered shamefully, on his back, while his driver returned the pallet jack to the truck and walked into the ice plant. Staring wide-eyed at his undisciplined feet, the outrageously confused and shaken iceman knew this was a day to put in the books. What was going on? Why was this happening? Peering out past his place of hiding, Bob decided he had to go for it. A mercifully unmolested, crab-crawl got him past the loading dock and into the building. After what seemed an eternity, he found himself in the rear bathroom; his current location. He’d been cowered in the bathroom for the last hour. He had to try again.

The frightened, exhausted, ice plant owner lay on the floor with his head pressed against one wall and his feet pressed against the other. The dancing feet continued their frantic dance but now with severely limited motions. Bob pressed harder. Bent knees and calves trembled against the strain of pressure. With all the strength he could muster he edged his left foot close to his tapping right foot. Counting softly, but forcefully, Bob reached the number three. With an adrenalin-driven drive, his right shoe came off the wall three inches and instantly moved four inches to the left. With lighting speed, the foot

accelerated back inwards catching the tail end of the left shoe. Bob screamed as he pushed down forcefully. The sneaker dropped to the floor and became still.

Bob hooted loudly and quickly hoped he wasn’t heard. The iceman jumped up with a gracefulness long forgotten, leaned against the wall and held up his lone dancing foot. His right hand came down with blinding acceleration, caught the back side of the shoe and knocked it to the tiled bathroom floor. Bob picked up the shoes, ran from the bathroom laughing wildly. From the edge of the dock, he tossed them as hard as he could and watched as they landed in the field behind his ice plant. Inhaling deeply, the ice plant owner decided he needed to go for a drive. I wonder if I should tell Debbie?

Feodor Romanov sighed in acceptance. He’d done a foolish thing and had paid a fool’s price. Katrina

was lost. Using his gift to turn a pair of sneakers into a pair of dancing shoes had been impetuous. The shoes indeed worked but to his horror, could not be controlled. How silly he was to try and impress her without practicing first. The dance, a charity event to promote the Ten Mile Run for Cancer encouraged all participants to wear running shoes to the dance. The spell was supposed to allow his feet to be graceful. His inaugural attempt with the magic shoes started well. The first minute on the dance floor had indeed impressed his love but that impression quickly turned to shocked horror. The illusionist’s feet began to gyrate and shimmy across the floor in chaotic, jerky motions causing him to stumble into Katrina which in turn, pushed her back into another member of her dance group. The jolt toppled the thin woman into the buffet table, spraining her ankle in the process as well as collapsing the frail table. A large bottle of champagne had fallen

to the floor and rolled down the aisle just as a waiter walked by with two tall glasses of Flaming Tequila. The unfortunate part-time server sailed into the air losing both drinks in the process. One of the ignited alcoholic beverages flew to the near wall and set fire to the drapes. The fire was quickly extinguished but the damage had been done. Feodor grunted. Had he only been witnesses to the sequence of blunders it might have been funny. But it had happened to him and it certainly was not humorous. “I should have destroyed those horrible shoes.”

Two miles away from the ice plant, Charlie was feeling pretty good. The partially empty bottle of Thunderbird concealed in the tattered brown paper bag tucked into the back of his old jeans sloshed mightily as he jogged towards downtown. Finding those shoes in the field was pretty darn lucky, he thought. His old, tired feet felt great. Charlie surprised himself by dancing a jig. RM

Scenes from the Southwestern Ice Association Meeting

Thanks again to Darrell Mount, for sending us these photographs from the recent Southwestern Ice Association in Kerrville, Tx.

Darrell is RouteMan Sales Manager for Keet Consulting Services, LLC in Pelham, Al.

Office: 205.620.9843

Mobile: 205.540.6050.

www.kcsgis.com RM

SOUTHEAST

• North Star 60 Ton Rake Bin (2 available)

• Turbo 30 Ton Rake Bin

• Turbo CB 39 Ice Rake Bin

• Vogt 118, 5 Ton, Mini tube Ice Maker

• Vogt P24A Ice Maker, Mini Tube

• Vogt P34AL W/ High

• Side Ice Maker, Mini Tube

• Vogt P34AL Mini Tube Ice Maker

• Vogt 18XT 7/8 (2) Water-Cooled, 10 Ton Ice Maker

• Vogt 18XT Mid Tube Water-Cooled, 10 Ton Ice Maker

• Vogt HE40 Water-Cooled Ice Maker

• Morris 16 Ton Cube Ice Maker

• Ice One DX6 5 Ton Ice Maker

• Ice One DX11 10 Ton Ice Maker

• Turbo CF40SC 20 Ton Ice Maker

• Turbo SF8SC 5 Ton Ice Maker

• Turbo CF12, 6 Ton Ice Masker

• JMC 2’ Belt Conveyor

• Matthiesen 710 Belt Conveyor

• Amcot ST-25 Cooling Tower

• RSD 80 Nominal Ton Cooling tower

• Hamer Ring Closer, To Include Belt Conveyor

• Hamer 125 Bag Closers

• Hamer 540 Form, fill, & Seal Machine’

• Hamer 1550 Form, fill, & Seal Machine’

• Hamer 310 Form, Fill, & Seal 3 available

• Matthiesen VL510, Top Load Bagger, Galv

• Kloppenberg Stainless 1600LB Bin

• Generac 100KW Generator

• John Deere 40KW Generator

• Stainless Snow Reels

• 4000LB Scoop Bin, Stainless

• 9” x 16’ Stainless Screw Conveyor

• 24”x 10’ Bucket Elevator

• 18” x 24’ Bucket elevator

• Leer 10LB Block Makers

• Star 10LB Block Makers

• Hamer 1-Head Baler

• Hamer 3-Head Baler

• 10lb Ice Bags

• 8lb Ice Bags

• JMC 2’ Belt Conveyor

• Matthiesen 710 Belt Conveyor

• Amcot ST-25 Cooling Tower

• RSD 80 Nominal Ton Cooling tower

SANCHEZ REFRIGERATION

954-648-2459

FOR SALE

• 1 Matthiesen 40 ton bin, NEW

• 1 Matthiesen VLS magic finger, NEW

• 1 JMC baler with reverse system, NEW

• 1 cooler/freezer walk-in used

• (2) 35 ton ammonia icemaker Remote complete, NEW, 1” to 7/8

NATIONWIDE/INTERNATIONAL

FOOD GRADE VOGT TUBE ICE FOR SALE

REFRIGERATION

• 20 HP KRACK CONDENSER

• VILTER COMPRESSOR 458XL

6 AND 26 POUNDS BAG

We are located in Magog, Quebec, Canada 20 min from the border of Vermont.

We can bag in other size for serious quantity.

CANADA

BLOCK MAKER

• LEER BL39 W/ REMOTE CONDENSER

WATER PURIFICATION

• AQUAFINE UV

USED EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

1-800-599-4744 | itcpack.com

SUPPLIES

• BAGS AND WIRE

• PARTS

• SPARE PARTS

PACKAGING

•HAMER 125 –NEW, USED AND REBUILT

•HAMER RING CLOSER W/CONVEYOR

• SS SHAKER W/ STAND

ICE EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

• Magic Finger

• (8) Turbo Ice Makers, 10 & 20 Ton

• Cooling tower pumping station

• Hamer 125

• 16 feet stainless steel auger

• (3) power pack for freezer

• Kamco bin

• Forklift

• Indoor/outdoor merchandisers

• Ice bags

• Trucks

• Other ice equip. and misc. items

• 360 Turbo Block Press

• Bagger

Contact Lino at 416-676-3429

Email: clearicesolidblocks @hotmail.com

Food grade Ice, the only ice manufacturer with HACCP certification from BNQ in Canada.

We ship daily in all Ontario and Québec We can arrange transport for you wherever you need it.

We can pack in your bags.

Contact us today! info@glacecarnaval.com

1-888-824-4524

Ice for Sale Vogt Mid-Tube

NORTHEAST

ICE CARVING TOOLS

Plastic liners for clear block makers $1.24/ea

Reusable drip pans from $6.50/ea

Over 500 items in stock for Ice Carvers

IceSculptingTools.com or (440) 717-1940

ICE FOR SALE

Vogt Mini tube ice, 8, 20 & 40 lb. bags. All ice is screened, palletized & stretch wrapped.

We deliver or you pick up. Our water is treated with ozone for sterilization. No chlorine added!

Martin’s Ice Company Phone (717) 733-7968 or fax (717) 733-1981 PA

EXCESS ICE

GET THE HIGHEST QUALITY BAGGED ICE

We can co-pack tube ice from 5 to 22lbs using your supplied bags. Having an 800-ton ice making capacity and being PIQCS Plus accredited, we can make sure you have the highest quality ice possible and are getting it quickly!

Contact Info:

Jacob Abbo

(313) 862-3344 OR

Jacobabbo@usicecorp.com