(Left to right)Randy C. Speck, nationalmanager and Allan Weber,general manager.

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If you’re in the food business, chances are you’ve boughtproducts from the company or relied on its myriad services.Perhaps its design professionals have even helped you createyour kitchen, which is one of its specialties.Russell has been a market leader for over 75 years thanks

to its commitment to quality, performance, and longevity.It’s perhaps best described as a one-stop shop whose stafftreat their clients — which include Boston Pizza, Keg Restau-rants Ltd., Joey Restaurants, and other famous brands — withgreat care and a strong sense of urgency.And while other firms of comparable experience may be

inclined to coast within the market share they’ve earned,Russell’s team relish new horizons. To take one example:the Calgary staff did such an efficient job installing foodequipment for Nordstrom’s Chinook Center location lastyear that the venerable U.S. retailer chose Russell’s Ottawaoffice to perform the same services for its new Rideau Cen-tre store in that city. “Chinook Center was a satisfying pro-ject for us, partly because Nordstrom’s long-term supplier inthe U.S. recommended us to consult and install,” says Cal-gary General Manager Brent Baker.This chain of events led to Russell helping to build a

restaurant, bar, and coffee kiosk for Nordstrom’s thirdCanadian location, in Vancouver, which opened to hugeacclaim in September and has been called a “retail game-changer” for that city. A fourth Nordstrom location, inToronto, is in the works.But how can a company that was born in the 1930s

exhibit all the energy, ambition, and innovation of a talent-ed new kid on the block, as Russell moving into 2016undoubtedly does? Especially considering the average ageof its staff is above 40?One big reason is change of ownership. Allan Weber, the

new general manager of the Vancouver headquarters,explains, “We’re in the process of building on our longdecades of success, of reinvigorating ourselves and explor-ing new opportunities.”

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ON OUR COVER

WORDS: Robin Brunet

RUSSELL FOOD EQUIPMENT LTD. IS ONE OF THE TRUE BEHIND-THE-SCENESHEROES OF THE CANADIAN RESTAURANT INDUSTRY.

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Weber, who has 29 yearsof experience in the foodservice equipment distribu-tion and manufacturing sec-tors, was recruited in 2014to help steer Russell to newlevels of success, partly bymaking the most of its existing resources.“The story of this company is how itdeveloped tremendous capability in termsof kitchen design, services, after-sales sup-port, manufacturing, and of course pro-viding a huge range of kitchenware - andwe haven’t yet taken full advantage ofthese resources,” he says.Weber adds, “Put it this way: with all

these tools at our disposal, there are manymore new markets we can serve – as wellas broaden our services amongst existingclientele. So while the history of RussellFood Equipment is full of achievementsand milestones, I firmly believe that ourbest years are still ahead.”The spark that triggered this ambitious

outlook for the future occurred on Sep-tember 2 of 2015, when Seattle-basedBlue Point Capital Partners announced it

had purchased Russell via an undisclosedcapitalization. The purchase also includedVancouver-based associate companyQuest Metal Works Ltd. (Russell’s manu-facturing arm) and two other Quest man-ufacturing plants in Winnipeg. Blue Point described Russell as “a lead-

ing value-added distributor, manufacturerand service provider of foodservice equip-ment and supplies… that serves over20,000 foodservice operators acrossCanada,” and it noted that in addition torestaurants, the company also caters tothe institutional, government, education,healthcare, and hospitality markets. Blue Point Partner Mark Morris said,

“The organic and external growth oppor-tunities that Russell possesses are perfect-ly suited to benefit from the value-addedresources and tools that Blue Point will

bring to the partnership.” Currently man-aging over $800 million in committedcapital, Blue Point has a 25-year trackrecord of partnering with companies andbringing about accelerated growth.What is significant about Blue Point from

a layman’s point of view is its team. “Theyare young and very forward-thinking indi-viduals,” Weber explains. “They were exact-ly what the Russell family had been lookingfor when they decided to sell the company:the Russells wanted a buyer who woulduphold its values and build on its heritage,instead of letting everything they hadworked so hard to develop be absorbed byanother food equipment firm.”Indeed, Blue Point Vice-President

Charley Geiger remarked, “Blue Point’soperational and strategic approach willcontribute to the company’s growth anddevelopment, while preserving its distinc-tive culture and history of leadership inCanada. Working with Russell’s experi-enced management team, we are thrilledto have the opportunity to contribute ourresources to a strong industry leader.”Russell’s general managers in other

locations believe the time was right for achange of hands. “It’s important to notethat the Russell family sold the companyafter one of our best years nationally,”says Brent Baker. “In other words, theyacted from a position of strength, which isenormously helpful in accommodatinggrowth, new ideas and energy.” As a result, Baker is looking forward to

the immediate future. “I have a good feel-ing about our new owners. The Russellfamily brought us to a point where wewere attractive to a world-class privateequity company, and now that companywill help take us to the next level.” A visit to Russell’s Vancouver head-

Russell Food Equipment Ltd. serves nearly 50,000 foodservice operators across the country.

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Cambro is a proud supplier to Russell Food Equipment

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more focused on using the company toprovide custom equipment for its restau-rants across Canada and in the UnitedStates. “It’s a great collaboration, one builton mutual trust,” says Zareei. With its Vancouver and Winnipeg facili-

ties, Quest plays a major role in fulfillingRussell’s claim to one-stop-shop status. Itsspecialty is building custom fabricated fix-tures and heavy duty cooking ranges, andover the years it has expanded to include anentire selection of cooking, serving, prepara-tion, and ventilation equipment — with eachitem designed and fabricated to meet theheavy-duty demands of foodservice opera-tors. “Quest dovetails perfectly with ourprovision of kitchen equipment because itscustom work ensures that all the equipmentfits perfectly into its intended spaces,” saysWeber. “Quest also plays a key role in ensur-ing that each kitchen achieves optimumflow — as well as looks good.”Plus, the Quest/Russell relationship is

unique in that it provides a direct linkfrom customer to manufacturer, withactual performance and operator feed-back becoming the basis for continuedproduct refinement.Russell has long emphasized the impor-

tance of good kitchen design rather thanlimiting its interest to equipment sales, and

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quarters in early December sheds consid-erable light on the type of company andculture Blue Point acquired. Amidst theendless cluster of warehouses in theindustrial sector of East Vancouver, Rus-sell’s three-storey, white art deco-stylebuilding takes up an entire block and isfamiliar from a long distance. Behind, inthe parking area, the building steps up toa more intimate showroom, which in turnadjoins Quest, whose history is inextrica-bly linked to that of Russell’s (Ken Russellbought the firm from founder Bill Questin 1938, thus launching his career as afood industry service provider).While it’s only one facet of a larger oper-

ation, the showroom embodies all the ele-ments that have made Russell a success.First and foremost, it’s an exceedingly pleas-ant facility to browse through, well laid outand organized. Second, the array of equip-ment, from hand garlic presses to largemulti-burner ranges, is enormous. The salesteam are helpful rather than overbearing,and they exhibit a keen knowledge aboutwhatever item is pointed out to them.The overall impact of the showroom is

akin to the reassuring professionalism onegets from visiting a luxury car dealership.At a time in the North American restau-rant scene when kitchens are only begin-ning to be appreciated by the public fortheir visual as well as functional appeal,Russell’s team have always regarded themas the heart and soul of any establishment— and they know right down to the lastdetail how to make even the humblest ofspaces perform to optimum efficiency.The bulk of the Vancouver headquar-

ters is taken up by another showroom (forclearance equipment); various administra-tive departments that coordinate closelywith the company’s 14 locations fromB.C. to Halifax; a warehouse; and a test

kitchen where demos are conducted forthe benefit of the sales team (and wherelocal chefs — especially those employedby busy chains — can come and test newmenu offerings in peace).Weber says if one word had to define

the Russell staff, it would be `knowledge-able’: “In terms of years, most of ouremployees have an incredible amount of

experience under their belts,but even so we still emphasizeon-going education and train-ing to keep them informedabout the constant stream ofnew products available on themarket and developments inthe food industry overall.”Weber goes on to say that

“Clients rely as much on our knowledge asthe product lines we carry; consequently,we probe, ask a lot of questions, and listento our customers in order to alwaysimprove their operation and overall flow atall levels. That, along with being a one-stopshop and serving the front as well as backof house, distinguishes us as a supplier.”Nareman Zareei, manager of facilities

design at Joey Restaurant Group, couldn’t

agree more. “Our relationship with Rus-sell goes back at least nine years, and wemost definitely rely on the company andits expertise as a consultant, not just afood equipment supplier,” he says.While Joey has retained Russell’s

design services in the past, today it is

The company's fully stocked showroom andtest kitchen embodies all of the elementsthat have made it a success.

Weber says good design is more impor-tant than ever in today’s employment cli-mate. “Everyone has seen studies and per-haps experienced first hand the problemof employee recruitment and retention.This is a huge issue, especially withregards to restaurant support staff, andone reason some owners have troublekeeping ahold of people is layout: manykitchens are rabbit warrens that makework conditions frustrating and unpleas-ant. By contrast, a well laid-out kitchenwith reliable, clean equipment keeps sup-port staff happy and goes a long way inattracting up-and-coming talent.”

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When Nareman Zareei is toldof Weber’s theory, he nods vig-orously. “One of the many rea-sons we’ve had such a produc-tive relationship with Russell over theyears is because its design philosophymatches our conviction that a good, effi-cient work environment not only helpsretain staff but motivates them to be moreproductive as well.”Smooth functioning kitchens are espe-

cially important to the Joey chain becausethey are visible to patrons. “Part of ourappeal is that customers can see what’sgoing on — no secrets,” says Zareei. “Addthe fact that the minimum amount ofchefs in our cooking line is 15 and insome cases — such as in Ottawa — as highas 25, and you can understand why trou-ble-free flow is a top priority for us. Everydetail must be worked out, from thesmallest piece of equipment to where

each work station will be.”Russell’s seven-member design team in

Vancouver is well equipped to tackle ahuge range of projects. “We have peoplefocused on upscale restaurants, otherswith in-depth knowledge of institutionalneeds, and so on,” Weber explains.“Equally important, the age of our indi-vidual designers varies — as does our staffin other departments. For instance, it’scommon to have someone with 30 yearsof experience working alongside fresh,new talent, with the resulting synergybeing that the older individual is invigo-rated by the younger one’s energy, andthe younger professional absorbs the acu-men of the older individual.”Not surprisingly, Russell’s design services

are forensic in their intricacyand include equipment leg-ends, utility layouts and eleva-tions to illustrate functionalityand provide local building

authorities with all the necessary documen-tation for approvals.Weber frequently uses the words “inno-

vation”, “freshness”, and “forward think-ing” to describe Russell’s thrust towardsexpanding its horizons under the BluePoint ownership. These words are entire-ly appropriate, as they could be attributedto Ken Russell when he set out to put hiscompany on the map back in the 1930s.Russell had been working in the sheet

metal trade in Vancouver and wasinspired to purchase Quest Metal Worksin order to turn it into a facility that builtcooking ranges for restaurants (the metalshop he had previously worked for spe-cialized in food equipment and hadenjoyed brisk business).

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Dudson, a proud partner of Russell Food Equipment for

more than 50 years, sends best wishes to the new

ownership. We wish you every success and look forward to growing our business together.

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tor, to tell Weber in an October 6 letter, “The quality of yourproducts, both those that you purchased from manufacturersthat we specified and those that your stainless steel shop fabri-cated locally, has been outstanding.“Your coordination with our general contractor, Nordstrom

employees, consultants, and of course with me, has been excel-lent from start to finish… we are so appreciative of the quickresponse to our many requests for changes and new items.”Dodds concluded by noting that the three venues within

Nordstrom Vancouver “were the most successful restaurant, bar,and coffee openings in the history of our company, and I attributea significant portion of that success to your fine work.”Further to this Doug Schon says, “People want consistency of

supply and service, they want you to be available after sales.These are basic elements that are often overlooked by other com-panies but which we have honed to perfection.”In early December, Allan Weber stood in the doorway of his Van-

couver office observing activity in the showroom. “The changes toRussell under Blue Point’s ownership are subtle and aimed at enhanc-ing the sense of our people being part of a team, one that is encour-aged to share ideas and whose overall input is very much valued. “This is the core of being able to expand our client base and

increase sales — by being tactfully aggressive and refining ourclosing mentality as a whole — as well offer our services to newsectors such as food processing plants and involve ourselvesmore in existing ones, such as institutional facilities.”But Weber is well aware of the fact that his task is an enviable

one. “It’s a fantastic and rare opportunity to build on success ratherthan trying to resurrect a company. Thanks to the Russell family,we are known and respected across Canada; so to all our clients andpotential new ones, the message for 2016 is to keep watching us:we’re going to be bigger and better than ever.”

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Russell’s background in sheet metalheavily influenced his ethos that if a job isworth doing, it’s worth doing right, andin 1944, with an eye towards stayingahead of the competition by becoming aone-stop shop operation, he incorporat-ed Russell Food Equipment to provide awide range of products and quality ser-vices to Vancouver restaurateurs. As a point of trivia, Russell’s first day of

business was June 12, 1944; on that day, asalesman delivered a brand new Blakesleepotato peeler to a Vancouver venueknown as the Fish and Oyster Bar – andthe owner was reportedly delighted withthe purchase. According to company his-tory, “the sales representative who sold itto him was knowledgeable about theproduct, charged a fair price, andpromised they would always be there tostand behind the products they sold.”Doug Schon, general manager for Rus-

sell’s Winnipeg location, describes KenRussell as having a facility for thinking out-side the box long before that term becamecommonly known. “For example, hedecided to locate Quest plants and a distri-bution centre in Winnipeg in order toensure efficient coverage of all of Canada,”he says. “This was in the 1950s, decadesbefore transportation costs became a cru-cial consideration to industry in general.”The constant strive towards excel-

lence resulted in many other innova-tions: Quest’s product line expanded toinclude broilers, fryers, grills, exhaust fil-ters and the first Canadian designedautomatic wash ventilator system, QuestClearAir. Meanwhile, with Winnipeg as

a manufacturing and distribution hub,Russell Food Equipment expandedright across the country (the Halifaxlocation was opened in 1978).Russell’s steady expansion was forti-

fied by an increasingly loyal work force.“My father, Jack Baker, was one of thevery first salesmen Ken Russell hired,and he stayed with the company for 43years,” says Brent Baker, who himself hasbeen at Russell for 31 years.When asked what has compelled Baker

to remain so long at the same company, hereplies without hesitation, “Because of thegood, sound business policies we practice.We stand behind everything we do, andthat’s a real source of pride.”While there is no shortage of food

equipment competitors in Canada, Rus-sell also distinguishes itself with anunwavering focus on servicing every-thing it sells. To that end, many branch-es are available 24/7, and fully trainedrepair technicians can service equipment

both during and after the original facto-ry warranty period.All of these factors combined ensure

customer satisfaction – which is no easything to achieve, considering the myriadrequirements of many of Russell’sclients. Nordstrom is a good case inpoint: the retailer is famous for taking anexacting, no-compromise approach todeveloping its properties and content;but Russell’s duties as a consultant, sup-plier and installer of the Bistro Verderestaurant, Habitant coffee kiosk, andeBar at Nordstrom’s Vancouver PacificCenter store prompted Rick Dodds, thecompany’s project administration direc-

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The company has 14 locations from British Columbia to Halifax.