International expansion and global rollout of signature products has necessitated promotions and hiring additional staff at Kitchen Brains^®, the new entity which combines respective technologies and core competencies of SCK^® Direct, Inc. and Food Automation - Service Techniques, Inc. (FAST.) and connects its innovative cooking timers and process controllers with all components of food preparation--refrigeration, cooking, rethermalization, baking, and holding--into a seamless environment managed and accessible, even remotely, from anywhere.

Promotion:

Reza Khani, Senior Vice President and General Manager
rkhani@kitchenbrains.com

Khani has been promoted to General Manager and Senior Vice President. In addition to his Operations and Engineering responsibilities, Khani is now in charge of Kitchen Brains’ Domestic sales force as well as the associated sales and marketing functions. Khani, an accomplished leader in industrial automation and engineering, brings with him over 30 years of combined technology development, new product introduction and operations leadership experience in a variety of executive positions.

Prior to joining Kitchen Brains, he served as Executive Vice President of Operations of Petra Solar that develops and manufactures a smart grid and energy solutions for utility industry. Before joining Petra Solar, he held various leadership and engineering positions at FAST, Inc., PhotonEx Corp., Schneider Electric, Modicon, EMC Corp., and GCA Corp.

He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts and a MBA from Southern New Hampshire University.

New hires:

Chris Barlow, Southeast Retail Sales Director
cbarlow@kitchenbrains.com

Since 1981, Barlow has worked for many of the top tier companies in the Foodservice Industry. He has held various sales and management positions at companies including Hobart, Frymaster, Blodgett/Middleby, FAST and Unified Brands. His management experience includes Technical Service, Branch Operations, Regional Management for Operations and Sales, as well as managing the sales organization for a $90M company.

He is a graduate of the University of Houston holding a B. S. degree from the Conrad Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management.

Nicole Sokol, Northeast Regional Sales Manager
nsokol@kitchenbrains.com

Previously at NCR, Sokol was responsible for introducing new solutions to YUM! Brands and selling approved products into the franchisee organizations. As Regional Sales Manager, she is responsible for managing hospitality, grocery and convenience retail accounts.

Bill Slavik, OEM Sales Director
bslavik@kitchenbrains.com

Slavik brings over 20 years of electronic controls experience, most recently Director of OEM at Generac Power Systems supporting engine and small generator sales in OEM markets. Slavik previously sold custom electronic controls to companies like Winnebago, Navistar, and Cummins and custom and semi-custom controls to manufacturers of commercial appliances.

Brieanne Gahlinger, Director, QPM Support & Market Development
bgahlinger@kitchenbrains.com

Gahlinger is an Industrial Engineer with a proven record of increasing productivity, quality and profitability through data analysis and process design; significantly improving operations and providing efficient resolution of production issues. Prior to joining Kitchen Brains®, Gahlinger spent 4 years with KFC International on Ops Design.

About Kitchen Brains^®

An entity formed by the fusion of SCK^® Direct, Inc. and (FAST.), Kitchen Brains^® was named "One of the Seven Trends You Won’t Want to Run Your Restaurant Without" by QSR Magazine. The industry giants’ history and legacy of innovation and commitment to harnessing the power of information is at the forefront of the Kitchen Brains^® groundbreaking, interconnected kitchen technology. In supplying streamlined, synergistic, state-of-the-art timers and process control products, Kitchen Brains^® has emerged as a global leader in the development and deployment of end-to-end ERP solutions for the food service industry.

For more information, visit www.kitchenbrains.com. Please advise if you would like to speak to Christian Koether directly.