Jeff Rumachik Joins NFRA Staff
NFRA welcomes Jeff Rumachik to its management team as Senior Vice President. Mr. Rumachik was formerly Vice President, Wholesaler and Member Services for the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) in Chicago. His responsibilities will include planning and coordinating annual meetings and managing the association’s integrated marketing programs to include fund-raising, developing mutually beneficial relationships within the industry and acting as liaison with the association’s board and committees. Read more.

NFRA Elects New Officers and Board Members
NFRA recently elected its 2009-2010 Board of Directors at its October 19 Membership Meeting in Washington, DC. Gary Spinazze, VP Vendor Relations, Nash Finch Company was elected Chairman of the Board.

Start Planning your Promotion for March Frozen Food Month 2010
March 2010 will mark the 27^th anniversary of this successful promotion. Following the trend of more at-home meals, our theme will focus on Bringing Families Together at Mealtime. NFRA will drop a 3-page national FSI on March 7, 2010 to over 37 million homes, a $10,000 consumer sweepstakes will be hosted on EasyHomeMeals.com, and several newly re-designed March POS items will be available. Visit the March web page to download the Idea Book & POS Catalog for more information.

Become a Sponsoring Brand for June Dairy Month 2010
Take advantage of the opportunity to coupon at a fraction of the cost for June Dairy Month! NFRA will drop a 2-page FSI on June 6, 2010 to a circulation of 23 million. Sponsors can promote the $7,500 sweepstakes hosted on EasyHomeMeals.com. This co-op sweepstakes allows you to promote your own brand without the extra cost of administration or prizes. Participating brands receive exposure on the consumer website with a home page ad and branded recipes. Many other benefits are included for the participation price of $25,450 per brand. Regional brands have the option of choosing just the East or just the West circulation at a reduced rate. Download the brochure for complete details.

Plan Now to Attend the Annual Retail Executive Conference
NFRA’s Annual Retail Executive Conference will be held April 26-28, 2010, at the Tempe Mission Palms in Tempe, AZ.  The Conference provides the perfect setting for group discussion and networking, enhanced with an extraordinary line up of presentations by industry experts.  The Retail Executive Conference is a must-attend event! Registration will begin in December and is limited to just 150 people. See the tentative agenda of speakers.

Consumer Campaigns Reach Millions with Frozen and Refrigerated Food Messages
So far in 2009, press releases sent by NFRA have generated 1,937 newspaper articles and radio spots have been broadcast 1,043 times. These are all positive messages about frozen and refrigerated foods reaching 171.6 million consumers. These media initiatives are funded by the Cool · Tasty · Wholesome – Refrigerated Foods and Frozen Foods – Fresh Ideas. Great Taste. campaigns and are just one of the many ways NFRA is reaching out to consumers. These important industry campaigns are funded entirely by voluntary contributions. See the many benefits of becoming a sponsor for refrigerated foods or frozen foods.

Frozen & Refrigerated Food Council of Northern California will hold its Annual General Membership Luncheon on December 1, 2009 at the Hilton, Pleasanton. The featured speaker will be Henry Michon, Sr. Vice President, Dairy, Refrigerated & Frozen for Safeway, Inc. For more information contact Mary Ann Winkle at mawinkle@charterinternet.com.

The Mid-Atlantic Food Trades Organization will hold its Christmas for All Kids Dinner Dance Party on December 4, 2009 at Penn’s Landing Caterers in Philadelphia, PA. Proceeds from the event will go to underprivileged children. For more information: www.mafto.org

RLS Logistics announces Accelefrate, a new multi-vendor consolidation program that provides guaranteed transportation rates at significantly reduced costs when customers use RLS Logistics for their transportation needs and maintain an inventory at any one of the RLS Logistics three warehouse facilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The program is available to all consignees no matter the size. Accelefrate allows food manufacturers to be cost efficient in their warehousing and transport while retailers can reduce multiple inbound services by consolidating orders and working with a defined and consistent delivery schedule. For more information: www.rlslogistics.com.  

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will present the Virginia Food and Beverage Expo – Tradition of Taste 2010 on Wednesday, March 24, 2010, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in downtown Richmond, Virginia.  Exclusively for food industry buyers, the Expo will provide a quick and convenient survey of hundreds of Virginia food and beverage items from traditional fare to new and unusual tastes. Admission is free.  Not open to the public.  For more details, including convenient online registration, visit www.vaexpo.com.  

Keep the industry updated about news and staff promotions at your company. NFRA will publish your company highlights monthly in the NFRA Update. Send your company news to us at info@nfraweb.org; via fax to 717-657-9862; or via mail to NFRA, 4755 Linglestown Rd., Suite 300, Harrisburg, PA 17112.