In This Issue

How the Economy is Changing Your Customer

WFLO Names Institute Scholars

Still Time to Register for WFLO Institute

U.S. and Russia Agree

U.S. and Canada Disagree

Stand Out From the Crowd

Connie Says

Terminal Freezers Founder Dave Dayton Passes Away

Cold Storage Industry News

Food Industry News

Government News

Rising food costs, record-high operating costs, and environmental concerns are fundamentally altering food processing and distribution practices. At the 2009 IARW-WFLO-IRTA Annual Convention & Expo (28 April – 2 May at the Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, California, USA) members will hear straight from customers about how the economy is changing the rules of the game. In our feature presentation “Brave New World – How the Economy Is Changing Your Customer,” Mark Grohe, VP of Logistics for ConAgra Foods, will lead a panel discussion designed to gain insights from industry leaders about how companies can achieve operational efficiencies to meet the challenges of today’s changing customers. Register today for the world’s largest refrigerated logistics event.

WFLO is proud to announce its first-ever Institute Scholars, recipients of the 2009 WFLO Institute Scholarship. These PRW professionals, selected from an impressive pool of worldwide applicants, will receive free tuition and lodging at the 2009 WFLO Institute. These scholars embody the commitment and professionalism that have long been a touchstone of our industry. The recipients are:

At-Large Scholarship – Corey Amador, Hanson Logistics, Lafeyette, Indiana, USA

Leader Scholarship – John Peterson, M&M Warehouse, Worthington, Minnesota, USA

International Scholarship – Rachel Corcoran, Versacold Logistics Services, Murarrie, Queensland, Australia

Our congratulations go out to these impressive award recipients. We look forward to receiving applications for the 2010 Institute Scholarships!

There’s still time to sign up your personnel for the PRW industry’s finest training - the WFLO Institute, 8-11 February 2009 at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Join over 280 PRW professionals by registering today.

A new trade agreement between the Russian Federation and the United States reduces quotas on U.S. poultry, increases quotas on U.S. pork, and raises duties on poultry and pork shipments above the quotas. Despite the lowered poultry quotas, U.S. poultry producers hailed the agreement for achieving an acceptable amendment to the bilateral meat and poultry agreement with the Russian government and for preserving the poultry and meat trade with Russia. Russia is the single largest export market for U.S. poultry and the fourth largest market for U.S. pork. Together, poultry and pork exports to the Russian Federation approach $1 billion.

Canada will seek formal consultations with the U.S. under the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement process concerning the U.S. country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law which went into effect on 1 October 2008. Canadian producers claim that the COOL rules have led a growing number of U.S. meat plants to stop accepting Canadian hogs and cattle which require greater documentation on where they came from as well as tags indicating they are free of BSE. Furthermore, non-U.S. cattle and pigs must be segregated in U.S. feedlots. The Canadian Ministry of International Trade charges that the COOL regulations create "undue trade restrictions to the detriment of Canadian exporters."

The 2009 IARW-WFLO-IRTA Convention & Expo is swiftly approaching. If you plan on attending Convention, one of the best opportunities to reach potential customers is by advertising in the Convention Program Guide. Why advertise in the Convention Program Guide? The program guide guarantees you the attention of the event's 700+ attendees, emphasizes your booth location, and targets industry decision makers that are attending the event. Download your Insertion Order Form and submit today!

Are you planning on displaying at the IARW-WFLO-IRTA Expo? Reserve your booth at the same time as your ad space and save 10%! Take advantage of this offer here. Deadline for insertion orders is 2 February 2009. Questions? Contact James Rogers or call +1 703 373 4300.

Dry ESFR Sprinkler Breaks New Ground In Cold Storage Fire Protection – Bruce White, Lockton Loss Prevention Engineer, has brought us information on a new ESFR Sprinkler. The sprinkler is strictly for the “box in a box” and Bruce's believes that the local fire code authorities would accept it in lieu of “in racks”. Read more. Anyone interested in this sprinkler needs to check with their individual codes people. If you have questions, call your IARW Service Team +1 816 960 9946 or email cphipps@lockton.com.

Dave Dayton, founder of Terminal Freezers, passed away 20 December 2009. Since incorporating Terminal Freezers Inc. in 1984 along side his brother Lowell, Dave had dedicated himself to building one of the industry's most respected companies. "Dave was a consistent supporter of this association and a leader in this industry. Dave had many friends and a strong following of those who enjoyed his company and stories. He will be greatly missed," said GCCA President and CEO, Bill Hudson.

A service was held at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Walla Walla, Washington, USA on Saturday 27 December.  Dave's family would appreciate privacy during this difficult time.

Bay Grove Capital, LLC is pleased to announce that it has acquired Seafreeze Cold Storage, a subsidiary of Toyo Suisan Kaisha, Ltd. of Japan.  See full release.

The Department of Energy is adopting new energy conservation standards for commercial ice-cream freezers, self-contained commercial refrigerators, commercial freezers and commercial refrigerator-freezers.  See full report.

Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. unveiled a line of AC-powered reach trucks designed for refrigerated warehouses and third party logistics (3PL) applications. See full story from Modern Materials Handling.

Construction of one of the largest cold stores in France has begun near Lille. The facility, owned by Kloosterboer & McCain, will have 70,000 pallet spaces and be operational by April 2010. See full story from Fresh Plaza.

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service has released year end reports on the Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses, Cold Storage, and the Cold Storage Annual Summary. Learn more.

Forbes detailed the future of LED lighting.  Some sources say that the market for LEDs in lighting should grow to $1.4 billion in 2009. See full story from Forbes.com.

Position Available: Bodegas Frías, based in Guatemala, seeks a General Manager who is fluent in Spanish, has attended the WFLO Institute, and would be willing to relocate to Guatemala. Learn more.