The World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO), a Core Partner of the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) recognized three young leaders in the cold chain during the 53rd WFLO Institute East, held Feb. 18-22, 2017 in Atlanta, and the inaugural WFLO Institute West, which took place March 18-22, 2017 in Los Angeles.
Announced at WFLO Institute East was Matt Toogood, Operations Manager for United States Cold Storage (USCS) as the recipient of the Don Schlimme Future Leader Award as well as Todd Rybicki of Americold as the recipient of the sixth annual RefrigiWear-WFLO Institute Scholarship for Institute East. During the WFLO Institute West, Tom Romanowski of Henningsen Cold Storage was named the first RefrigiWear Scholarship recipient for the West Institute.
Information about the award and scholarships, as well as links to their corresponding press releases can be found below.
About the Don Schlimme Young Leader Award
Organized by WFLO, the Don Schlimme Future Leader Award recognizes outstanding young professionals in the North American cold storage industry. The award is named in honor of Donald V. Schlimme, Ph.D, who passed away in 2012 and was a longtime member of the WFLO Scientific Advisory Committee (1983-2012) and a WFLO Staff Advisor for many of those years. He was an expert in food science and cold storage and was committed to sharing his extensive knowledge.
As the recipient of this year’s Don Schlimme Future Leader Award, Toogood will compete alongside the following award-winning young professionals from around the world for the GCCA Global NextGen Award at the 126th IARW-WFLO Convention taking place April 22-25, 2017 in Dana Point, Calif:
- Tony Lewis Cold Store Operator Award (South Africa)
Francois Smith, Sequence Logistics - Frank Vale Award Winner (Australia)
Graeme Lee, Polarfresh - UK Young Manager of the Year (United Kingdom)
Cavan McKenna, XPO Logistics
(Left to right): 2017 Don Schlimme Young Leader Award recipient Matt Toogood, USCS; Corey Rosenbusch, GCCA President & CEO
About the RefrigiWear WFLO Scholarships
WFLO and GCCA member RefrigiWear, a manufacturer of insulated industrial work wear, accessories and personal protective equipment for use in subzero temperatures, inclimate weather and low-visibility environments, WFLO have awarded one student a full scholarship for the tuition and related expenses to attend the WFLO Institutes, the cold storage industry’s premier training event, for the past six years. With the addition of WFLO Institute West in 2017, RefrigiWear has added a second scholarship. Read the full press release.
Todd Rybicki (left), Americold, receives the RefrigiWear WFLO Institute Scholarship from RefrigiWear Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Silberman (right) during the 2017 WFLO Institute East.
Tom Romanowski (left), Henningsen Cold Storage, receives RefrigiWear WFLO Institute Scholarship from RefrigiWear Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Silberman (right) during the 2017 WFLO Institute West.
Cold Chain Industry Award Programs
The Global Cold Chain Alliance joins its international partners in celebrating excellence in the cold chain. The following is a list of cold chain industry award programs. Click here to learn about the many GCCA industry award programs.
