Serendipity Brands, a New York-based super-premium ice cream brand inspired by the world-famous Serendipity3 restaurant, said it teamed up with delivery startup Gopuff, Philadelphia, for a one-day experiential pop-up in New York inspired by the classic 1983 film, “A Christmas Story.” To help celebrate the launch of Serendipity’s limited edition “A Christmas Story”-inspired pint, the pop-up offered attendees free pints of the new flavor and a recreation of the iconic “A Christmas Story” living room. With more than 700 total in-store attendees, Serendipity Brands and Gopuff distributed 1,000 pints of free ice cream and gave away 60 leg lamps to special winners throughout the day.

The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA), host of the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest, said it is seeking volunteers to prepare entries and assist judges as they evaluate thousands of world-class dairy products. Volunteer applications are available at WorldChampionCheese.org/Volunteer.

“We’re grateful for the volunteers who help make the Contest possible. Affectionately known as The B-Team, our volunteers appreciate seeing this expert evaluation firsthand, connecting with dozens of their colleagues in the cheese industry, and making this world-renowned event run like clockwork,” said Kirsten Strohmenger, events manager for Madison, Wis.-based WCMA.

Entries for the 2022 Contest must be submitted at WorldChampionCheese.org/MyEntries by Wednesday, Jan. 26. Following the entry deadline, competitors will package and ship their products for check-in.

Multiple volunteer shifts are available to support this check-in process, scheduled for Feb. 15-18 and Feb. 21-25 at WOW Logistics’ warehouse in Little Chute, Wis. Volunteers are also needed during the judging portion of the contest, March 1-3 at Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison. WCMA said it is also seeking volunteers to manage the Championship Cheese Cooler Display on the trade show floor at CheeseExpo in Milwaukee.

To help ensure a safe working environment, all 2022 contest volunteers and judges must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, WCMA said. Volunteers will receive an official B-Team baseball cap and pin in appreciation of their efforts.

F4SS, the Foundation for Supply Chain Solutions, announced a new strategic partnership with Herndon, Va.-based PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. This partnership will allow F4SS to provide additional value to its members and expand its reach. Saddle River, N.J.-headquartered F4SS will maintain its vital role providing a forum for consumer packaged goods companies, external manufacturers and secondary packagers to share best practices, benchmark, network and help companies find solutions to challenges they are facing across the supply chain.

Effective January 2022, PMMI will provide management support for F4SS, adding to its portfolio of association partners, which includes The Cold Pressure Council, CPA, The Association of Contract Packagers and Manufacturers, The Institute of Packaging Professionals and OMAC, The Organization for Machine Automation and Control.

Businesses across the world are confronting increasing water challenges and growing calls for tangible accomplishments on sustainability. The Water Council, Milwaukee, partnered with Emeryville, Calif.-based SCS Global Services to meet this challenge by improving corporate water stewardship outcomes and reporting. This new partnership will include the development and rollout of programs to help companies move beyond traditional water management to credible and verified water stewardship that addresses enterprise-wide challenges and opportunities, the organizations said.

Blommer Chocolate (Blommer), Chicago, announced several organizational changes to better serve its customers. David Meggs will move into the chief operating officer role, leading the commercial team (sales, marketing, R&D, supply chain), in addition to operations of the company’s four North American production facilities. Meggs joined Blommer in 2017 and has an extensive background in the food industry in various sales, business development, and engineering roles.

As part of this change, Blommer said it is promoting Colleen Ness to vice president, sales and marketing. Ness also joined Blommer in 2017 and brings a strong background of leadership roles in sales and customer-focused activities.

Blommer also said it promoted Melissa Tisoncik to vice president of research & development and QA. Tisoncik has more than 10 years of experience within Blommer and will now take on responsibility for the company’s quality assurance and regulatory activities.

Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes, a Kennesaw, Ga.-based supplier of science-backed solutions for microbiome health that was recently acquired by Chicago-headquartered ADM, said the United States Patent and Trademark Office published its application for a distinct use of Deerland’s signature strain DE111 of the probiotic species, Bacillus subtilis DE111 based on compelling human clinicals performed on DE111.

The patent application (US# 2021-315808 A1), titled “Bacillus subtilis containing composition for treatment of gastrointestinal irregularity,” claims the use of B. subtilis strain DE111 for promoting gastrointestinal and bowel regularity. Deerland said it envisions additional applications for supplements and functional foods/beverages claiming anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties that exert health benefits of gastrointestinal regularity, immune support and balancing of the microbiome.

CRB, a Kansas City, Mo.-based provider of engineering, architecture, construction and consulting solutions to the life sciences and food and beverage industries, said Paul Skinner was promoted to chief financial officer (CFO). A deeply experienced business and financial leader and 23-year CRB veteran, Skinner replaces longtime CFO Tim Henquinet, who plans to retire in 2022.

Motion Industries Inc., a Birmingham, Ala.-based distributor of maintenance, repair and operation replacement parts and a provider of industrial technology solutions, completed the purchase of Kaman Distribution Group, Bloomfield, Conn., for a purchase price of approximately $1.3 billion in cash, effective Jan. 3, 2022. Motion Industries said the acquisition will significantly boost its concentration in core industrial products and services, as well as in the growing technical/automation arenas, including precision engineering.

Synerlink, a Barry-Wehmiller Packaging Systems company based in Paris, announced the appointment of Aurore Vanappelghem as project director. In her new role, Vanappelghem leads Synerlink’s project management team and is responsible for evolving the company’s abilities to manage food-filling and packaging equipment projects in a timely, cost-effective manner. Prior to joining Synerlink, Vanappelghem spent 22 years in various roles at Autoliv, a Swedish-American automotive safety supplier.