Hilmar Cheese Co. said 55 students demonstrating community involvement and academic performance will each receive a scholarship toward their higher education through the company’s annual scholarship program. This program helps fulfill Hilmar Cheese Co.’s purpose to improve lives.

The scholarship program has four categories: children of employees of Hilmar Cheese Co., Hilmar Cheese Co. Visitor Center part-time staff, children of the dairy farm families who ship milk to Hilmar Cheese Co. and students with an agricultural major living in the counties where the company is located. This last category is for students not affiliated with the company, the Hilmar, Calif.-based company said, but dedicated to the agricultural industry and living in Merced or Stanislaus counties in California or Dallam or Hartley counties in Texas.

This year, previous recipients of a dairy farm family child or employee child scholarship were invited to apply for a renewal scholarship. Twenty-four students received renewal scholarships, Hilmar Cheese Co. said.

First-time scholarship recipients include 12 children of Hilmar Cheese Co. employees, four part-time visitor center employees, four children of the dairy farm families who ship their milk to Hilmar Cheese Co. and 11 agricultural majors, the company said. Renewal scholarships were awarded to 24 children of employees and the dairy farm families who ship their milk to Hilmar Cheese Co.

The Hilmar Cheese Co. scholarship program reflects the company’s ongoing support of higher education and its commitment to employees, dairy farm families, the California and Texas agricultural industries and the communities where the company operates. Qualifying students are encouraged to apply Nov. 1 through Feb. 1, 2023, the company said. For more information about Hilmar Cheese Co.’s scholarship program, visit the “About Us” section of www.hilmarcheese.com.

Ice cream company Baskin-Robbins, Canton, Mass., said it is celebrating the happiness ice cream brings to every moment with a refresh of its logo, packaging, employee uniforms and tagline encouraging customers to “Seize the Yay” — appreciating every moment, no matter how big or small.

“For more than 75 years, Baskin-Robbins has been the destination for celebrating the moments that matter most,” said Jerid Grandinetti, vice president of marketing and culinary for Baskin-Robbins. “Our new look and manifesto recognize the extraordinary role ice cream has played in our customers’ lives, along with our continued commitment to innovation and creating someone’s next favorite flavor.”

To celebrate the rebrand, while paying tribute to its robust heritage, Baskin-Robbins said it is launching a collection of limited-edition merchandise — the very first line of branded merchandise for the 77-year old ice cream brand. The exclusive “yay-worthy” items will be available for a limited time, beginning April 18, 2022. The collection includes clothing and other items that will encourage “yay seizing” moments, including bicycles and skateboards, available exclusively at ShopBaskinRobbins.com.

DeConna Ice Cream, a family-owned and operated ice cream distributor headquartered in Reddick, Fla., said it is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022. The company has been servicing the Florida and south Georgia markets since its founding in 1947.

United Dairymen of Arizona (UDA), Tempe, Ariz., said Josh Susany was appointed chief financial officer of the company. An experienced financial leader, Susany assumed responsibilities on March 28, 2022. As CFO, he will lead all FP&A, commercial and operations finance functions for the nearly billion-dollar cooperative.

Susany joins UDA from Eagle Family Foods, where he served as vice president, finance for Eagle’s manufacturing and distribution in baking evaporated and sweetened condensed milk, where he led commercial and operations finance teams. As a cross-functional business partner, Susany successfully influenced margin optimization and commercial retail pricing, driving positive bottom-line results, UDA said.

Additionally, UDA said it promoted Ashley Ellixson, JD, to chief business operations officer. Ellixson’s broad range of operational knowledge, including deep dairy industry expertise, has been an invaluable asset to UDA since she joined the cooperative in 2017. Recently championing UDA’s sustainability efforts, Ellixson was instrumental in establishing and garnering support for UDA’s 2030 science-based sustainability goals.

California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), Tracy, Calif., said it selected Lauren Dutra of Hanford, Calif., and Siena Rollin of Riverdale, Calif., to represent the organization in Mexico during the 2022 CMAB International Internship Program. The interns, selected from students coming from a California dairy background enrolled in agriculture-related programs at colleges and universities, were chosen based on academic achievement, their connection to the California dairy industry and a willingness to travel abroad and learn more about international dairy sales and marketing.

The goal of the International Internship Program is to provide young agriculture and dairy college students with an opportunity to learn about dairy foods and marketing in the international marketplace, CMAB said, with a focus on developing leaders who will serve on dairy industry boards and work in dairy foods processing or in sales or marketing.

Dutra is currently working towards her Bachelor of Science in dairy science from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, where she serves as a representative of the Dairy Club, as well as a Committee Member of the Cal Poly Western Bonanza Management Team. Rollin is currently working towards her Bachelor of Science in agricultural communications at Texas Tech University, where she founded and organizes the Dairy Club, CMAB said.

3-A Sanitary Standards Inc. (3-A SSI), McLean, Va., announced the recipients of the 3-A SSI 2022 Dr. Ron Schmidt Student Travel Award, a program intended to help motivated, career-oriented students participate in the annual education program of 3-A SSI and gain comprehensive knowledge about hygienic design for food processing equipment and systems. Recipients will participate in the 3-A SSI education program titled “Design to Clean: Creating a Hygiene-focused Culture” and related events on May 17-19, 2022, at the Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport – Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. Recipients of the 2022 awards, 3-A SSI said, include:

• Basim Alohali, University of Nebraska/Lincoln.
• Shiyu Cai, Cornell University.
• Leslie Cancio, University of Nebraska/Lincoln.
• Kimiko Casuga, Cal Poly/San Luis Obispo.
• Gurpreet Chaggar, Purdue University.
• Bhaswati Chowdhury, South Dakota State University.
• Emily Everhart, University of Connecticut.
• Tingting Gu, University of Florida.
• Sheetal Jha, South Dakota State University.
• Ratul Kalita, South Dakota State University.
• Sudheer Kira, Illinois Institute of Technology.
• Xin Luo, Rutgers University.
• Yadwinder Rana, Cornell University.
• LaTaunya Tillman, University of Florida.
• Zirui Ray Xiong, Cornell University.

The 3-A SSI program attracted the largest group of applicants in its history this year, and the records of achievement showed a group of high character and dedication, 3-A SSI said.

The New York-based Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) announced the appointment of Doug Bausch, vice president of sales and marketing for LNK International, as chair of its board of directors. Bausch was elected to a one-year term on April 7 at PLMA’s 2022 Annual Meeting. He joined the Board in 2017 and has served in various capacities, most recently as first vice chair. Bausch succeeds Clay Dockery, who led the association for two years and now serves as ex-officio.

Joining Bausch on the executive committee are Kelly McGolrick, vice president of private label sales development for Lassonde Pappas, who was named first vice chair; and Kristal Sevcik, vice president of business development for AmeriQual Group, second vice chair. Sevcik rejoins the board after completing a three-year term in March 2020, PLMA said.

Other board members appointed on April 7, PLMA said, include:

• Jeanine Antiporek, senior director, sales (West), Refresco North America.
• Anthony Biggers, vice president of private label sales, Simmons Pet Food.
• Julia Buchanan, vice president, marketing and communications, Niagara Bottling.
• Tyler Cook, senior vice president of sales, Shearer's Snacks.
• Daniel David, executive vice president of operations, Global Tissue Group Inc.
• Lauren McNamara, vice president and assistant general manager, plant-based food & beverage, SunOpta.

All were appointed to three-year terms, except Daniel David, who fills an unfilled term for one year, PLMA said.  

System integrators and industry partners continue to feel the pandemic’s impact, so the Chicago-based Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) said it chose a fitting theme for its 2022 Executive Conference: “The Future of Work.”

At the CSIA 2022 Executive Conference, happening June 27-30 in Denver, hundreds of system integration (SI) professionals from around the world will gather for four days of professional development, engaging presentations, tours, networking and more. The event aims to address “the future of work” with its new multi-track approach, CSIA said. The schedule’s three tracks support the event’s forward-thinking theme by addressing current and emerging opportunities to develop and optimize business in 2022 and beyond. For more details and to register, go to the CSIA 2022 Executive Conference website.

Seegrid Corp., a Pittsburgh-based specialist in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for material handling, said it received Frost & Sullivan’s Technology Innovation Leader Award for 2022. The global research and consulting firm recognized Seegrid for leading the North American AMR market for material handling with complete, connected automation solutions that drive operational resiliency for global leaders in logistics, e-commerce and manufacturing. The award is based on Frost & Sullivan’s independent and primary research market analysis, and recognizes Seegrid for its commitment to innovation and creativity, commercialization success and growth potential.

Amcor, a developer and producer of responsible packaging solutions with U.S. headquarters in Buffalo Grove, Ill., said it is the first company to purchase certified circular polyethylene material using ExxonMobil’s Exxtend technology for advanced recycling. Amcor will leverage this new material across its global portfolio, providing customers in the food and health care industries with circular content in a variety of solutions and applications.

IMA Dairy & Food USA, a Leominster, Mass.-based supplier of equipment solutions under the brands Gasti, Hamba, Hassia, Fillshape, Corazza, Erca and Intecma, said it hired materials science engineering specialist Robert Lindsey as its newest project manager. In this role, Lindsey will oversee a variety of the company’s ongoing projects to improve sophisticated packaging processes in the dairy and food sectors.

Prior to joining the company, Lindsey spent more than a decade as an applications engineer with Sulzer Mixpac USA, a manufacturer of cartridges, industrial syringes and other liquid-dispensing solutions, IMA Dairy & Food USA said.

Imbibe, a food and beverage development company and ingredient supplier, announced the plans for expanding its operations into an adjacent building at its Niles, Ill., headquarters. In late February, the food and beverage experts officially broke ground on the gut renovation of a 17,000-square-foot space that will enable it to reconfigure and better utilize its existing property, which currently houses more than 110 Imbibe employees. This latest move comes during a period of notable growth for the company, Imbibe said.

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group, Falmouth, U.K. — part of Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, a FTSE 100 company — said it changed its name to Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions. As the company evolves to meet the needs of the sectors in which it operates, following a successful period of global growth, the name change aligns with a strategic commitment to providing end-to-end fluid-management solutions for customers.

ABB, with U.S. headquarters in Ft. Smith, Ark., said Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL), a Bonn, Germany-based brand in the logistics industry, joined ABB’s Energy Efficiency Movement to reinforce its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. This is an important step in DPDHL’s initiative to lead the logistics industry toward a greener and more sustainable future, with a commitment to invest $7.64 billion by 2030 to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Launched in March 2021 by ABB, the Energy Efficiency Movement is a multi-stakeholder initiative to raise awareness and initiate action to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions to combat climate change. Companies are invited to join the movement and make a public pledge as a way of inspiring others to take action, ABB said.

Eriez, Erie, Pa., said it is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2022. The Eriez story began in 1942 when founder O.F. Merwin installed a permanent magnet in a grain mill. The company, built of a workforce of more than 900 individuals located throughout 12 wholly owned international subsidiaries on six continents, said it now is a world leader in magnetic separation, flotation, metal detection and material handling equipment technology.