Category: Press Room

Nelson-Jameson, Inc. Completes Acquisition Of Sitzman Supply, LLC

Strategic Expansion Offers Best-In-Class Solutions
For Food Processors Nationwide

Pictured left to right: Mike Rindy, President; Dawn Sitzman; Brett Sitzman, Senior Advisor – Process Products; Adam Nelson, Chairman of The Board.

Marshfield, WI, April 17, 2023 – Nelson-Jameson, Inc., a leading distributor in the food processing industry, announced the acquisition of Sitzman Supply, LLC, a wholesale provider of process systems products located in Alden, New York. The acquisition is part of a long-term expansion plan that allows Nelson-Jameson to further develop its strategic relationships and offer additional technical sales coverage in the Eastern region.

Mike Rindy, Nelson-Jameson’s President, stated, “Nelson-Jameson is pleased to welcome Sitzman Supply to the family as a part of our national expansion. The synergies will allow us to better serve our customers, and the geographic growth demonstrates our commitment to the Eastern region. This expansion strengthens Nelson-Jameson’s position as an industry leader that delivers supplies quickly, offers technical expertise, and adds additional value for our customers.”

For more than 75 years, Nelson-Jameson, Inc. has been a trusted source of food processing supplies to the food and beverage industry. The Marshfield, Wisconsin headquarters is an innovation center with 100+ specialists ready to support customers with extensive industry knowledge, plant experience, and technical, safety, and regulatory expertise. As a one-stop shop with over 60,000 hand-picked, quality-tested products, Nelson-Jameson consists of five distribution centers, totaling five million cubic feet, and an in-house fleet of trucks to efficiently deliver supplies and professional services to customers nationwide.

Sitzman Supply, LLC, was established in 2003 as a privately-owned company and a wholesale provider of hoses, pumps, valves, and other process systems products. The company is known for its honesty and integrity in supplier and customer relationships, aligning closely with Nelson-Jameson’s “Golden Rule” values. Both teams are keen on collaborating to leverage core competencies and exceed customer expectations.


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Food Processing Distributor Nelson-Jameson Announces Expansion of Senior Leadership

Mat Bartkowiak, Shawn Kitchner, Kara Lineal, Kevin Van Ornum, and Devon Vogel fill key management roles

Marshfield, WI | April 3, 2023

The Nelson-Jameson Family of Companies has announced new leadership positions across marketing, sales and operations as part of a companywide expansion. The 75+-year-old family-owned company, known for providing the food and beverage industry with everything they need to manufacture safe, high-quality products, is implementing new strategies to achieve forward-looking goals. By welcoming new leaders and promoting three internal leaders to new positions, the organization will continue its growth trajectory while better serving customers and supporting employees in their career development.  

Two new hires bring extensive experience to Nelson-Jameson’s management team, while three newly promoted leaders will head growth and expansion efforts across their respective areas:  

Mat Bartkowiak – Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and Development. Mat is a Nelson-Jameson veteran with multiple years of management experience in the company. As Vice President of Corporate Responsibility & Development, he collaborates with customers and other partners to create programs that contribute to growth, education, and service to the food industry. In addition, he works on areas of industry demand in line with company strategy, including ESG, food safety, and environmental stewardship. 

Shawn Kitchner – Vice President of Operations & Logistics. Shawn’s responsibilities include executive-level leadership for the organization’s operational and trucking activities. In addition, he is responsible for organizing day-to-day warehousing, shipping, receiving, inventory control, and trucking operations while developing and implementing strategic growth plans.  

Kara Lineal – Vice President of Marketing. Kara Lineal fills the newly created Vice President of Marketing position. Kara brings 20+ years of experience and leadership roles at various global retailers, marketing top brands. Kara will develop and implement strategic growth plans, manage integrated B2B marketing efforts, oversee brand management, including internal and external communications, and lead E-commerce and digital initiatives to improve customers’ digital experience.  

Kevin Van Ornum – Vice President of Direct Sales. With more than 12 years of experience in various roles at Nelson-Jameson, Kevin brings deep knowledge of the company’s direct product lines to his position as Vice President of Direct Sales. He manages the Product Department’s strategic supplier and customer relationships and initiatives and oversees the packaging, ingredients, and chemical product lines management team.  

Devon Vogel – Vice President of Customer Solutions. Devon is a Nelson-Jameson “lifer” who began her career at the company in 2009 as an intern and worked her way up to higher roles. As Vice President of Customer Solutions, she is responsible for identifying and leading business development strategies for Nelson-Jameson’s product and service offerings to meet growth goals as well as market and customer demand. In addition, Devon works directly with customers on behalf of the company.  

Nelson-Jameson promotes its designation as a golden-rule company and is focused on maintaining a culture of honesty, integrity, and kindness, and a commitment to operating ethically with respect for people, the community, and the environment.  


About Nelson-Jameson   

Nelson-Jameson is a fourth-generation, family-owned distributor to the food and beverage industry. From the company’s roots in dairy production supplies, it grew to offer a broad range of food processing equipment and services that provide customers with everything they need to manufacture safe, high-quality products. Representing over 850 vendors and distributing over 60,000 products, Nelson-Jameson offers everything from standard equipment to custom production solutions and equipment repair.  The company employs more than 260 people in 5 distribution centers across the United States and at its headquarters in the heart of dairy country in Marshfield, Wisconsin. The dairy industry leader also operates NEXT Logistics, offering delivery services out of its Wisconsin, California, Idaho, Pennsylvania, and Texas distribution centers.   

For more than 75 years, Nelson-Jameson has supported food and dairy processors with products and solutions that keep pace with changing consumer tastes, manufacturing processes, and distribution channels. The company continues to be the supplier of choice for customers in all 50 states and international markets.  For more information, please visit: https://nelsonjameson.com   


Contact: Karolyn Raphael 
PR for Nelson-Jameson
karolyn@wingermarketing.com  
(312) 494-0422 

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Acceptance of Shipment Do’s and Don’ts

Inspection of product upon receipt from the carrier is a good practice for any facility, and can prevent questions, claim denial, and problems down the road. Here are a few tips to help everyone have a better experience:

  1. When a carrier calls to set up an appointment, be sure you can accept the freight within 72 hours of the call.
    1. Carriers will often charge storage fees after that time. $25 per day is not uncommon. In some cases, the freight may be returned to the shipper.
    2. Make a realistic appointment. Be sure you can keep that appointment.  In some cases a “re-delivery” charge is assessed if the driver arrives and cannot unload or make contact with anyone.
    3. If the carrier misses their appointment, they will not credit for the missed delivery. In most cases, the driver will arrive later or the next day.
  1. Check the driver’s delivery receipt.
    1. Is this shipment yours?
    2. Is all the required information/documentation present? I.e.: Purchase order, freight terms, number of pieces, cartons, or pallets, etc.

NOTE: If signing for pallets, a pallet may not contain ALL of your products/order. Likewise product contained within may have damage that is not visible.

  1. When receiving freight, inspect for any kind of damage and note the damage on the delivery receipt. Rubber stamping or writing “SUBJECT TO INSPECTION”, “SUBJECT TO COUNT”, Or “RECEIVED”, has no legal bearing. Failure to note damage or shortage at time of receipt greatly reduces the chance of collecting on a freight claim.
    1. Reviewing the packing list with the physical product will need to be done to determine if you are missing anything. If there is product missing or damaged and you have already signed for the pallet(s) – this is considered “Concealed” loss/damage.
    2. This type of loss must be identified and reported immediately to carrier or shipper. As of April 2015, carriers must only give a maximum of 5 days for claimant to report damage after signature is obtained. Once this timeframe has expired, claims are denied immediately.
  1. Be specific in your notation: crushed corner, broken arm, forklift damage through center of boxes, wetness stains, leaking, etc.
    1. Don’t allow the driver to hurry or pressure you into signing their delivery receipt before you have inspected.
    2. Don’t accept driver tallies or counts.
    3. Don’t make notations that relate to your opinion of the cause of damage.
  1. Look for torn or disturbed shrink wrap or boxes with the arrows pointing down instead of up. These could all be signs that your shipment sustained damage in transit and was restacked later.
    1. If you suspect damage, open the carton or crate and inspect it in the driver’s presence.
    2. Make notation of inspection including the specific items, damage sustained, and quantity of said items on the delivery receipt. Include driver’s name if possible.
    3. Take a picture or several pictures of the damage. Be sure to include any signage on the pallet/product. I.e.: Do not double stack, Fragile, This Side Up, Etc. Take a picture of the signed Delivery Receipt or Bill of Lading document with the damage/loss noted. In the case of electronic signatures, Electronic signature software DOES allow for comments to be made regarding condition of product. Take a picture of the notation on the scanner.
  1. Keep all packing materials in the condition upon arrival. DO NOT DISPOSE OF OR DESTROY THE PACKAGING.
    1. This will be needed as often inspections are conducted by the carrier.
    2. Without all the packaging, the carrier might determine the cause of damage was insufficient packaging and the claim will be denied.
  1. If the item being received has been damaged to the point where it cannot be used, then refuse to accept the delivery from the carrier and contact the shipper immediately. Again, be sure to notate on the delivery receipt the reason for refusal. Be specific.
    1. Refusal of a shipment without just cause will result in return charges being assessed.
    2. These charges may be passed onto the customer without specific cause noted on the delivery receipt.
    3. Before refusing, contact your shipper to identify any consequences of refusal.
  1. If an inspector from the carrier arrives to assess the damage, be sure there is a representative from your company present for the inspection.
    1. Generally inspection reports must have a signature of agreement from the recipient.
    2. Be sure you agree with all the facts in the report before signing.
  1. If an inspector wants to remove the damage product without an inspection report being filed or signed, you have the right to refuse, however carriers often give one chance to inspect and if denied, the claim is subsequently denied.
    1. Ask the inspector for a copy of the report when finished and contact the shipper to determine your role and what has been arranged.
  1. Using collect accounts often leaves the sole responsibility of a claim on the recipient. Be sure you understand all the consequences of shipping via collect.

Become a “Preventive Controls Qualified Individual” Today!

In Nelson-Jameson’s continued commitment to provide industry professionals with the latest in food science and food safety education, we’ve partnered with Cherney Microbiological Services to offer a brand new course offering!  The upcoming “FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food” is a class that will be of special interest to those in plant operations, and will focus on Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliance.  As an added bonus, Nelson-Jameson customers will receive a 5% discount, simply by mentioning “Nelson Jameson” when registering!

Image courtesy Cherney Microbiological Services.

Continuing Food Safety Education through FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food course

The Food Safety Modernization Act is the most extensive change to food safety laws in 70 years, shifting the industry perspective from a reactive to a proactive approach when addressing and preventing food contamination. The new regulations require specified activities to be completed by a “Preventive Controls Qualified Individual” who has “successfully completed training in the development and application of risk-based preventive controls.” The FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food course helps support both compliance with FSMA and provides FDA-recognized training for your designated Preventive Controls Qualified Individual. This standardized course was developed by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) in partnership with the FDA, and the lead instructors and course content and materials are FSPCA-approved.

The FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food course is a great fit for quality directors, managers, supervisors and practitioners who will be responsible for managing his or her company’s Food Safety Plan under FSMA.  This course will be held March 29th-31st, 2016, at Cherney Microbiological Services in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The cost is $800, but be sure to mention “Nelson Jameson” while registering to receive a 5% discount!  To register, please click HERE.


Nelson-Jameson Team Member Wins Scholarship

178f7b62-142f-4f5b-a385-9b8dffe132b2At Nelson-Jameson, we like to remain involved and in-the-know. We offer continued training for our employees, attend and exhibit at many trade shows, and are involved in networking, educational and philanthropic organizations that range from community-minded to industry-oriented. One of these trade associations to which Nelson-Jameson belongs is FISA, the Food Industry Suppliers Association.

FISA is trade group dedicated to promoting distribution in high purity industries, such as food and beverage, dairy, pharmaceutical, personal care and biotechnology. Its members are comprised of distributors and manufacturers who go to market through distribution. Nelson-Jameson has been involved with FISA since its inception more than 50 years ago, and we’ve found tremendous value in the networking and educational opportunities provided by FISA.

One of these opportunities involves the University of Innovative Distribution, a concentrated educational program focused on the unique needs of the wholesale distribution industry. Sponsored by FISA and other leading industrial trade organizations and in cooperation with Purdue University, UID provides a world-renowned educational experience to wholesale distribution professionals. FISA provides two annual scholarships to UID that are open to employees of member organizations, and we are proud to announce that a Nelson-Jameson team member has once again been awarded one of these scholarships.

Devon Nov15

Congratulations go to Devon Vogel, our Inventory Solutions Supply Chain Manager/MRO Product Manager, who will be attending UID this March via scholarship. Devon hopes “to use the information gained (at UID) to become a more efficient and innovative category manager, as well as (to become) a positive female role model for other women who are interested in going into the industry.” She’d like to use her educational experience to “contribute to (Nelson-Jameson)…and to providing solutions in the (overall) supply chain.” We couldn’t be prouder of Devon, and are excited to learn from her educational and developmental experiences at UID!

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