Dennis Janesz, who rose through the sales ranks at Rich Products to become president of Rich’s Foodservice Division, has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for the Association for Foodservice Distributor Representatives.
“Dennis has been a major, positive voice in the foodservice industry for years.
We couldn’t be more proud than to have Dennis join the AFDR team,” says AFDR President Todd Hauser. “Dennis understands what drives the business at all levels, and was a pioneer to bring the manufacturing and distribution sides closer together as a leader with the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) and International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA). This is the kind of collaboration we have consistently championed at AFDR,” Hauser says.
Janesz retired in 2009 from Rich’s after a 35-year foodservice career that began in 1974 as a sales representative for General Foods Corporation. He spent 12 years at General Foods rising to Senior District Sales Manager before becoming the National Sales Development Manager at Rich’s. Janesz was then promoted to various executive positions during his 23-year career at Rich’s until being named Foodservice Division President in 1997.
“While I retired in 2009, I knew I wanted to eventually return to the industry I love,” Janesz says. “AFDR provides me the ideal opportunity to re-engage with the industry as part of an exciting, dynamic group focused on DSRs who literally drive this industry forward every day by helping foodservice operators succeed in a very tough business.”
Janesz will focus on attracting broader and stronger relationships with manufacturers and distributors that support AFDR. Janesz has deep experience in leading industry-wide initiatives as an IFMA Board Member for 10 years, and was IFMA’s Board Chairman in 2006. Janesz also was the Founding Supplier Member of IFDA, and held various IFDA committee roles over the years.
Janesz, a native of Lakewood, Ohio, is a Vietnam Veteran. He’s a graduate of Cleveland State University’s James J. Nance School of Business with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Marketing.
