The Blackstone Group, a private equity investor, is purchasing Pinnacle Foods for $2.16 billion. Pinnacle is the parent company of Swanson. The sale includes Swanson frozen entrees, Mama Celeste frozen pizza, Aunt Jemima frozen breakfast products, Lender’s bagels and the Van de Kamp’s and Mrs. Paul’s frozen seafood brands. Upon completion of the sale, Roger Deromedi, former Kraft Foods CEO will serve as Pinnacle’s chairman. Joe Jimenez, formerly of H.J. Heinz, is also expected to be a director.

National Frozen Foods Corp. promoted Patrick D’Ambrosio to director of bulk and industrial sales. (right)



Pat Englert of Ashworth Bros. now serves in the newly created position of Undine sanitation manager and will head the conveyor belt manufacturer’s new business venture as the US representative for the Undine CIP Belt Cleaning System.



Pasta USA has been acquired by Conte Luna Foods and Minot Milling as a division of Philadelphia Macaroni Co., a fifth generation grain-based food processing company in Philadelphia, PA.

Griffith Laboratories Worldwide, a global manufacturer of food ingredient blends including seasonings and value-added coating systems, promoted Jennifer Convery to general manager. Convery is a 14-year veteran of Griffith and previously worked at Johnson & Johnson and General Mills.

Eriko Sakurai has been named global industry executive director at  Dow Corning overseeing Molykote lubricants, Dow Corning  industrial maintenance sealants, and Dow Corning  and Silastic mold making products. (left)



The collective team of World Water Works, Zentox Corp., Install Inc. and FTN Associates won the American Council of Engineering Companies of Arkansas Water and Wastewater project of the year award for the Townsends Water Reuse Project at Townsends Poultry’s Batesville, AR, facility. The water reuse system was designed to treat up to two million gallons per day.  The system treats all the plant effluent and approximately 700,000 gallons of that meets all USDA guidelines for poultry water reuse.