Milling & Baking News - March 28, 2006 - 9

B U S I N E S S

Ron Turano elected A.B.A. chairman; Ken
Klosterman to first vice-chair
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. - At the American
Bakers Association annual board of governors
meeting March 22, Ron Turano, president of
Turano Baking Co., Berwyn, Ill., was installed
as the new chairman of the A.B.A. Mr. Turano
succeeds as chairman Gary Prince, president
of Weston Foods, Inc., Horsham, Pa., who
completed a two-year term.
Other officers elected at the meeting were
first vice-chairman Ken Klosterman, Klosterman Baking Co., Cincinnati; second vicechairman William Nictakis, Sara Lee Food and
Beverage, Downers Grove, Ill.; treasurer Albert
Lepage, Lepage Bakeries, Inc., Auburn, Maine;
and immediate past chairman, Mr. Prince.
The nominating committee was headed
by George Deese, chairman, president and
chief executive officer of Flowers Foods, Inc.,
Thomasville, Ga. The board of governors
meeting was held as part of the A.B.A. annual
convention March 22-25 at The Phoenician in
Scottsdale. MBN

Changing of the guard, times two: At the board of governors meeting of the American Bakers Association was Ron Turano, left, newly-elected A.B.A. chairman. Mr.
Turano, who is president of Turano Baking Co., Berwyn, Ill., is standing beside
Gary Prince, who he is succeeding as chairman. At right is Robb MacKie, A.B.A.'s
new president and chief executive officer. He is standing beside Paul Abenante,
who retired in January from the top executive post at the A.B.A.

Cereality alleges trademark infringement,
unfair competition against Cerealicious
CHICAGO - Cereality Cereal Bar & Cafe
has filed a federal lawsuit in the United
States District Court, Southern District of Ohio - Eastern Division, against
Cereals, L.L.C.
The lawsuit alleges that Cereals, doing
business as Cerealicious, has infringed
on the trademarks of Cereality. The suit
accuses Cereals of unfair competitive activities in the launching, promotion and
franchising of Cerealicious.
While the first Cerealicious restaurant
had been slated for a January opening at
1896 N. High St. in Columbus, Ohio, local
newspapers quoted co-owner Jeff Coyle
as stating that contractor delays and inspections had pushed the date back. As
of early last week, the first Cerealicious

restaurant had not yet opened.
In addition to The Ohio State University
campus, Cerealicious was said to be planning an opening in Cleveland as well.
Cereality, which opened its prototype
restaurant in the fall of 2003, is a branded
restaurant concept for eating ready-to-eat
and hot cereal. In addition to the prototype, opened on the campus of Arizona
State University, the company is operating
cafes in Chicago and Philadelphia, as well
as one on the Pennsylvania turnpike.
Customers are offered a choice of nearly three dozen breakfast cereals, which
may be blended and covered with a similarly large number of toppings choices.
Asserting that customers "should not
settle for imitations," Cereality chief

Tim Hortons prices i.p.o. at $23.16 per share
OAKVILLE, ONT. - Tim Hortons on March 23 announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 29 million shares of common stock at C$27 ($23.16). Trading began March
24 on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange. The N.Y.S.E. price
per share was $30.10 about midday on March 24.
The Toronto Stock Exchange conditionally has approved the listing of the company's common stock under the symbol "THI." The N.Y.S.E. has approved the listing of
the stock under the symbol "THI." The underwriters, in consultation with the management, have targeted about 60% of the share allocation to Canadian investors.
Following the offer, Wendy's International Inc. still will own 82% to 85% of Tim Hortons.
Underwriters will have the option to purchase up to 4.35 million more shares of common
stock at the i.p.o. price less the underwriting discount to cover over-allotments, if any.
Wendy's has said it intends to spin off the remaining portion of Tim Hortons, a
move which is expected to happen by Dec. 31. MBN

bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

executive officer David Roth said the
lawsuit was filed only after repeated
requests were made of Cereals L.L.C. to
"stop their actions."
In a statement accompanying the announcement of the lawsuit, Mr. Roth continued, "As we go about diligently and
responsibly creating those opportunities
and ensuring that the true 'Always Saturday Morning' experience is delivered
one bowl at a time to our customers, others have recognized the demand and in
their haste to profit, are taking short cuts
that are just bad business. We take it as
a compliment that others understand the
potency of our concept and are trying to
recreate the Cereality experience with
their own business ventures.
"But these competitors must comply
with laws that protect Cereality's trademarks and intellectual property, as well as
the laws that protect all parties involved
in the franchise process. As the category
leader, Cereality has invested millions of
dollars in developing a unique business
model that has proven and quantifiable
results. We've built an unrivaled management team, hired the best advertising and public relations firms and established a brand that is already recognized
worldwide. We also created a robust
franchise system that will give our franchise partners an opportunity to be a part
of Cereality's success. This is a system
that will deliver the highest standards of
quality for our customers. In that spirit,
we are firmly committed to preventing the category we created from being
denigrated by others." MBN
Milling & Baking News, March 28, 2006 / 9

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Milling & Baking News - March 28, 2006

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