McLEAN, Virginia- The membership of the International Association of Food Industry Suppliers (IAFIS) recently elected four new members and reelected one member to the organization's Board of Directors. Elections were held March 11-12 at the IAFIS 2005 Annual Conference in San Francisco.

McLEAN, Virginia- The membership of the International Association of Food Industry Suppliers (IAFIS) recently elected four new members and reelected one member to the organization's Board of Directors. Elections were held March 11-12 at the IAFIS 2005 Annual Conference in San Francisco.

IAFIS is an association of suppliers to the food, dairy, beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and related sanitary processing industries. IAFIS leverages members' resources through trade shows, concerted sales and marketing efforts, market intelligence platforms, 3-A activities, knowledge sharing, and investment in foundations.

IAFIS member companies manufacture and supply processing equipment and sanitation services, packaging and materials handling equipment, ingredients & flavor systems, support products and services (distributors, consulting, IT, maintenance) and technical services (engineering, QA/QC, I&C, construction).

Five seats were available on the IAFIS Board of Directors this year, including one Business Segment Director seat and four At-Large seats. Each of the following Directors will serve a three-year term:

John Atanasio

John Atanasio, president, equipment division, Alfa Laval Inc., Warminster, Pa., was newly elected as an At-Large Director. At Alfa Laval, Atanasio is responsible for strategic, tactical and operational aspects, including top and bottom line growth. He is responsible for driving separation, heat transfer and fluid handling solutions in industries including food and dairy. Prior to his current position, Atanasio has served as president of Alfa Laval's Parts and Service Division. He has been with the company since 1982.

With IAFIS, Atanasio currently serves on the IAFIS Annual Conference Committee.

Hank Brink

Hank Brink, CEO/president Cadence Technologies Inc., Alpharetta, Ga., was newly elected as an At-Large Director. At Cadence, Brink is responsible for the company's overall planning and execution, with particular focus on client satisfaction and leadership development. After graduating from college with a Food Science degree in 1978, Brink worked in plant operations for Kraft Foods, Northfield, Ill. In 1987, he founded Cadence Technologies, which serves the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries by providing sanitary process systems.

With IAFIS, Brink currently serves on the Sales and Marketing Committee.

Vance Grosser

Vance Grosser, dir. of sales, McCormick Flavor Division, western region, Hunt Valley, Md., was re-elected to the Ingredients Segment Director seat. At McCormick, Grosser has sales and gross margin responsibility for the region, and he serves as sales coordinator for McCormick's Mexico facility, providing it with a source of continuity with the rest of the company. Prior to joining McCormick in 1989, Grosser spent 11 years as sales mgr., industrial products for Bunge Foods.

Grosser is a current member of the IAFIS Board of Directors, Chair of the Ad Hoc Food Safety-Ingredients Committee and serves on the Worldwide Food Expo Executive Committee.

Pete Herb

Pete Herb, v.p. business development, Fristam Pumps USA, Middleton, Wis., was newly elected as an At-Large Director. At Fristam, Herb is responsible for sales, manufacturing and engineering, and contributes to the daily direction of the company's U.S. operations. He joined the company in 1988, and has held positions including applications engineer, and v.p. of engineering. Before joining Fristam, Herb was a design engineer for Harnischfeger Corp., and was employed in the mechanical division of Hooper Construction Corp.

With IAFIS, he currently serves on the IAFIS Sales and Marketing Committee and has been a member of the 3-A Pumps Task Committee. He is also a member of FISA.

Greg Sturicz

Greg Sturicz, products dir., Americas, APV, Lake Mills, Wis., was newly elected as an At-Large Director. Sturicz is responsible for developing sales and marketing plans for all product lines in the Americas regions, as well as developing the regions' channel structure. He joined APV in 2001, and has held titles there including v.p. of sales and marketing-U.S. and director of fluid handling products-global. Sturicz spent 21 years at Tri-Clover in various capacities. He currently serves as chair of the 3-A Pumps Task Committee and has been a member of the IAFIS Technical Committee. He is also a member of the FISA Board of Directors.

The IAFIS Board of Directors meets at least twice a year and is composed of industry professionals who commit their time and energy to the association in order to steer its course on behalf of the membership.