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 Stellar steamers were much in evidence on the exhibit floor of the recent Western Restaurant Show in Los Angeles, CA, appearing both in the Aga Foodservice Equipment booth (#1359) and a s part of a display of some of the most energy-efficient foodservice equipment now on the market, which was presented by ENERGY STAR® and several Southern California-based utility companies. Stellar's extensive show presence re-enforced several recent sales gains, including the placement of the company's boilerless
steamers in the kitchens of the Long Beach (CA) Unified School District.
During the Western Show, Stellar exhibited a working model of a connectionless Capella VI boilerless steamer to provide a live demonstration of the company's energy- and water-saving cooking technology, as well as a 10-pan Altair II model. (A Stellar Capella model was also featured at the ENERGY STAR® - utility company booth.) As expected, Stellar-drawn booth traffic was mainly composed of representatives from regional chain restaurants, high-volume noncommercial foodservice operators based in and around L.A., local specifying consultants and design-and-build dealers.
"We feel we're now doing a fair job of getting products and information to traditional dealers. Our rep groups, including Lund-Iorio, which now represents Stellar in Southern California, are increasingly leading us to the dealers we need to do business with," remarked Cliff Waters, AFE's Western Region Sales Director. "During the show and afterwards, I'll be turning more of my attention toward opening new chain accounts and school district foodservices, which will help to provide more field-test feedback on Stellar products."
Though Waters shares the view that industry trade shows have lost some of their importance as product-research venues due to the proliferation of equipment manufacturers' web sites, he still feels that shows are indispensable to brand building and heightening product awareness, especially for companies not yet well known in the national market. "There is no other way for a former niche company such as Stellar or for our newly formed Aga Foodservice Equipment division to tell our story and demonstrate our products' advantages to so many potential customers and specifiers in such a relatively short period of time," he confirmed. "That's why you'll see an enhanced presence and live cooking demonstrations when Stellar exhibits next at the New York Show in November."
Stellar Continues To Ascend At NRA 2006 "For us at Stellar, the overall NRA show experience this year was a pleasant
surprise," remarked Bob McLoughlin, the company's VP of Product Management. "This was our first year sharing a national-scale stage with our Aga Foodservice Equipment sister companies, and it was gratifying to see the amount of booth traffic and purchasing interest we received."
McLoughlin also noted that he spoke with "a lot more" decision-making operators than in recent years. "We're seeing more inflation now, and big spikes in fuel and energy prices, and that may have sent many end-users to NRA intent on finding the most cost-effective equipment suitable for their different programs' applications," he related. "We can say for sure that this year's show will lead to a number of good new orders during the next several quarters." S haring booth space with Eloma combi ovens helped draw many show-goers'attention to Stellar's similar and highly water- and energy-efficient boilerless design, McLoughlin advised. He added that while some operators are still learning that a boilerless steamer can cook just as quickly as and more efficiently than conventional boiler-based models, more are realizing that Stellar's patented technology translates into less-frequent and easier maintenance, as well as reduced downtime and fewer expensive repairs.
"We found that potential customers were very receptive to Stellar's value proposition, not only because of the money and energy the steamers can save, but also because they regard our company's products as well-built, reliable and easy to operate," McLoughlin commented. "Hearing feedback like that helped us confirm that we're winning recognition for the Stellar brand across the major markets."
Earning industry recognition as a category-leader in energy savings and performance is helping Stellar take its place as a national company within Aga's AFE division. This affiliation is also allowing Stellar to develop
further improvements to its gas- and electric-powered lines of ENERGY STAR®-certified boilerless steamers.
McLoughlin related that he had informed NRA attendees that Stellar is now developing new purpose-built technology that will further reduce lime and calcium build-up in its steamers, as well as make these units easier to clean should build-ups occur.
"One advantage we expect this new sediment-control system to deliver is the minimalization of lime and scale in every Stellar model," he advised. "Our solution will also make steamer cleaning simpler and more effective than
ever before."
Another way Stellar steamers will be able to offer competitive advantages to both end-users and specifiers is through current development of integrated cooking and chilling systems with other AFE companies. Because today's professional kitchens require unprecedented levels of efficiency and synergies among differently applied equipment, McLoughlin stated that Stellar will be working with sister companies Eloma and Victory to ensure foods cooked in steamers (or combis) can be quickly and efficiently loaded into blast chillers or other refrigeration equipment to allow it to be safely placed into cold holding for future service. |
