Associations

Sponsored by the National Confectioners Association, the 2014 Sweets & Snacks Expo hosted a sold out show at Chicago’s McCormick Place to an audience of more than 16,000 qualified industry professionals. The Expo, held May 20–22, is being touted as the confectionery and snack industry’s most successful, world-class event.

Washington, D.C. -- The average person will spend $113.80 on neckties, tools, electronics and other special gifts for Father’s Day, slightly down from $119.84 last year, according to NRF’s 2014 Father’s Day Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Total spending for the holiday is expected to reach $12.5 billion.

New York -- The Seattle City Council on Monday unanimously voted to raise the minimum wage in the city to $15 an hour, making it the highest municipal minimum wage in the country. The measure, which takes effect on April 1, 2015, will be phased in over the next three to seven years depending on the size of the business, with a slower process for small businesses.

Energizer Household Products’ Lou Martire, VP trade development, was honored Saturday evening with the 2014 GMDC Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to the industry.

“This award was developed to really honor and acknowledge people who make a real difference in our industry,” said Bill Anderson, GMDC chairman and group VP at H-E-B. “They’re just very, very special people.”

Thought-provoking presentations and forward-looking exchanges dominated the annual gathering of the Global Retail Marketing Association’s (GMRA) Executive Leadership Forum at the Don Cesar resort on St. Petersburg Beach, Fla.
 

Charlottesville, Va. — Firehouse Subs has signed a 2,264-sq.-ft. lease for its first location in Charlottesville, Virginia — at 100 Shoppers World Court.

Divaris Real Estate’s Richmond, Virginia, office represented Firehouse Subs in the transaction. Divaris (www.divaris.com) has represented Firehouse in the site selection and lease negotiations for the majority of its Hampton Roads sites and for several locations in the greater Richmond area.

Philadelphia — Brandywine Realty Trust, Amtrak and Drexel University have selected Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP in association with Parsons Brinckerhoff, OLIN, and HR&A Advisors to develop a comprehensive master plan for the area around Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station.

Planning will begin immediately. The goal is to develop a vision that locates the station at the epicenter of a dynamic, urban neighborhood that provides opportunities for community development, economic development and improved transportation connections.

The Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) received a $450,000 grant from Sam’s Club to support women veteran entrepreneurs through its business management training program V-WISE, Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship.