Follett Corporation Acquired by Middleby Corporation

Follett Corporation has been acquired by The Middleby Corporation, a $2 billion global leader in the foodservice equipment industry, and is now called Follett LLC, an independent operating company of Middleby.  Headquartered in Easton, PA, Follett is a leading manufacturer of ice machines, ice and water dispensing equipment, ice storage and transport products, and medical-grade refrigeration products for the foodservice and healthcare industries.

“We are excited to be part of the Middleby family,” said Steve Follett, President and CEO of Follett LLC. “Follett has been experiencing significant growth, adding over 150 jobs in the Lehigh Valley and over 185 jobs worldwide since 2011. As our board of directors considered our strategic direction, we concluded that a partnership with The Middleby Corporation was in the best interest of our employees and shareholders. Middleby owns many of the premier brands in commercial foodservice equipment and allows their acquired companies to operate in a largely autonomous manner. This creates continued growth opportunities for our employees at our operations in the Lehigh Valley, Gdansk, Poland, and in field sales locations.” 

“Follett is a highly-respected, industry-leading brand in foodservice and healthcare markets with a long-standing reputation for offering innovative, value-added products,” said Selim Bassoul, CEO of Middleby. “Their products complement existing Middleby brands in a number of domestic and international market niches.”

ABOUT THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
The Middleby Corporation is a global leader in the foodservice equipment industry. The company develops, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of equipment used in the commercial foodservice, food processing, and residential kitchen equipment industries. The company's leading equipment brands serving the commercial foodservice industry include Anets®, Beech®, Blodgett®, Blodgett Combi®, Blodgett Range®, Bloomfield®, Britannia®, Carter-Hoffmann®, Celfrost®, Concordia®, CookTek®, CTX®, Desmon®, Doyon®, Eswood®, Follett®, FriFri®, Giga®, Goldstein®, Holman®, Houno®, IMC®, Induc®, Jade®, Lang®, Lincat®, MagiKitch'n®, Market Forge®, Marsal®, Middleby Marshall®, MPC©, Nieco®, Nu-Vu®, PerfectFry®, Pitco Frialator®, Southbend®, Star®, Toastmaster®, TurboChef®, Wells® and Wunder-Bar®. The company’s leading equipment brands serving the food processing industry include Alkar®, Armor Inox®, Auto-Bake®, Baker Thermal Solutions®, Cozzini®, Danfotech®, Drake®, Maurer-Atmos®, MP Equipment®, RapidPak®, Spooner Vicars®, Stewart Systems® and Thurne®. The company’s leading equipment brands serving the residential kitchen industry include AGA®, AGA Cookshop®, Brigade®, Divertimenti®, Falcon®, Fired Earth®, Grange®, Heartland®, La Cornue®, Leisure Sinks®, Lynx®, Marvel®, Mercury®, Rangemaster®, Rayburn®, Redfyre®, Sedona®, Stanley®, Turbochef®, U-Line® and Viking®. 

The Middleby Corporation was named a Fortune Magazine’s Fastest Growing Company in 2014 and 2015. For more information about The Middleby Corporation and the company brands, please visit www.middleby.com.