Category: Frontpage Article

WESTON, Fl, August 4, 2026 — The Legacy Companies today announced the appointments of accomplished executives Mark Easterday as Chief Commercial Officer leading the organization’s Commercial Division, Julie Muennich as Chief Operating Officer, and Andrea Blades as Chief Marketing Officer, reflecting the company’s continued commitment to operational excellence, customer success, and long-term growth. All appointments are effective immediately. 

Easterday brings more than 30 years of commercial leadership experience, most recently served as Executive Vice President of Middleby Brands Sales at The Middleby Corporation. As Chief Commercial Officer, he will lead The Legacy Companies’ global commercial organization, overseeing sales, business development, customer engagement, and commercial strategy across the company’s portfolio of leading consumer and commercial brands. 

Muennich brings 23 years of leadership experience with GE Appliances, a Haier company, where she held executive roles spanning sales strategy, commercial operations, customer service, merchandising, e-commerce, and national account leadership. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President of Consumer Division Strategy & Operations at The Legacy Companies. As Chief Operating Officer, she will oversee operations, logistics, and sales administration, enhancing operational excellence and strengthening execution across the company’s portfolio of brands. 

Blades brings more than two decades of executive marketing and growth leadership across Consumer Goods, eCommerce, and technology verticals including Redbarn Pet Products, TDBBS (acquired by Central Garden and Pet), Pliable, Vistaprint and American Express. As Chief Marketing Officer, she will lead The Legacy Companies’ global marketing organization, overseeing consumer and commercial marketing, brand, direct to consumer channels, and creative across the company’s family of brands. 

These appointments are part of the company’s ongoing strategy to build upon its existing leadership foundation while continuing to invest in the talent, capabilities, and operational excellence that support its customers worldwide. They complement an experienced leadership team and a deep bench of tenured professionals who continue to serve the company and its customers every day. Together, Easterday, Muennich, Blades, and the company’s established leadership team will focus on strengthening customer partnerships, enhancing operational execution, elevating its portfolio of brands, expanding market opportunities, and executing a disciplined strategy for rapid growth.

About The Legacy Companies 

 The Legacy Companies is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and commercial appliance products. Through its portfolio of trusted brands, the company delivers innovative solutions for homes, businesses, and institutions around the world. Guided by a commitment to quality, innovation, and customer success, The Legacy Companies partners with customers worldwide to deliver products and solutions that help their businesses thrive. 

Fort Lauderdale, FL — Following a recent ownership change, The Legacy Companies has announced a new executive leadership team and a strategic restructuring designed to strengthen operations and reinforce its commitment to the foodservice industry. The company is re-emerging with a renewed focus on healthy inventory levels, efficient technical support, and a customer-first approach that makes it easier for dealers, distributors, and operators to do business.

Leading the organization as Chief Executive Officer is Steve Moore, a seasoned executive with more than 30 years of experience providing operational, financial, and strategic leadership across multiple industries. Most recently, Moore served as CEO of Nice-Pak Products, a global manufacturer of wet wipes. Prior to that, he led Bankruptcy Management Solutions, a California-based software company, where he successfully executed an operational and financial restructuring.

Joining the executive team as Chief Commercial Officer is David Abi, who brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in industrial manufacturing and global markets. Abi most recently served as President of several divisions at Middleby Corporation, including Southbend, Crown Steam Group, Carter Hoffman, Doyon, Nuvu, and Sveba Dahlen. His career has been defined by operational excellence, commercial innovation, and strategic market expansion.

“David’s appointment marks a significant step forward in our growth journey as we take this company to the next level,” said Moore. “His industry expertise, and customer-first mindset make him the ideal leader to accelerate our growth strategy and capture new market opportunities.”

Abi expressed enthusiasm for his new role, stating, “I am honored to join this talented team and excited to build on the momentum already underway, expanding our reach and creating greater value for our customers and partners.”

The Legacy Companies has been a fixture in the foodservice industry for more than 25 years, with a portfolio of respected commercial equipment brands including Adcraft, Black Diamond, Maxx Cold, Maxx Ice, BevLes, Blakeslee, General, and Legion.

“Our brands are our legacy,” says Alexia Rouquette, Vice President of Marketing. “Each has its own history and place in the industry, and under our new ownership and on this exciting growth trajectory, every brand is now positioned for continued success with a clearly defined go-to-market strategy and focused channel management.”

With a strengthened leadership team and a renewed operational focus, The Legacy Companies is positioning itself for long-term growth while continuing to deliver the performance, value, and reliability its customers expect.

A complete list of The Legacy Companies’ new C-Suite:

• Steve Moore – Chief Executive Officer
• Ed Pitlik – Chief Financial Officer
• Mike Nerdig – Chief Commercial Officer, Consumer Division
• David Abi – Chief Commercial Officer, Commercial Division
• Matt Gleitz – SVP of Operations
• Amber Galford – Chief Human Resources Officer

About The Legacy Companies

The Legacy Companies is a leading designer, importer, and manufacturer of consumer appliances and commercial foodservice equipment, serving both retail and professional markets. With a diverse portfolio of trusted brands spanning kitchen electrics, beverage appliances, and back-of-house equipment, the company delivers innovative, value-driven solutions that meet the evolving needs of home consumers and foodservice operators alike. Backed by decades of industry expertise and a strong global sourcing network, The Legacy Companies is committed to performance, reliability, and long-term partnerships across every channel it serves.

Please contact Alexia Rouquette, VP of Marketing, with any follow up questions you may have:
ARouquette@TheLegacyCompanies.com
561.945.6755

The Revolving Credit Facility is provided by PNC

C-Suite Changes

• Steve Moore joins as Chief Executive Officer
• Ed Pitlik joins as Chief Financial Officer
• Mike Nerdig joins as Chief Commercial Officer, Consumer Division
• David Abi joins as Chief Commercial Officer, Commercial Division
• Matt Gleitz promoted to SVP of Operations
• Amber Galford joins as Chief Human Resources Officer

WESTON, FL, MARCH __ 2026 – The Legacy Companies, LLC (“Legacy”), backed by entities managed by TCW Private Credit Group (“TCW”) and J.P. Morgan Asset Management (“JPMAM”), announced that it has acquired, via asset purchase, certain of the business and operations of Greenfield World Trade, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries (“Greenfield”), which collectively design, source, manufacture and distribute branded consumer products and commercial foodservice equipment. Legacy’s revolving credit facility is provided by PNC Bank.

Legacy intends to continue manufacturing and distributing the same high-quality, well-established brands previously supported by Greenfield, including Avanti, West Bend, Omega, Chef’s Choice, Maxx Ice, Maxx Cold, and Admiral Craft.

Steve Moore has joined Legacy as Chief Executive Officer, most recently having served as CEO of Nice-Pak Products, Inc. and BMS, Inc., along with other senior leadership roles across a range of businesses. Mr. Moore brings a proven track record of developing and executing strategies that drive sustainable, long-term growth.

“We are very excited about the opportunity that fresh ownership brings to Legacy,” said Mr. Moore. “TCW and JPMAM have a deep understanding of both the business and the industry, and we believe they are ideal partners to help revitalize and grow the company.”

Mr. Moore added, “I am equally excited to announce that Legacy has assembled an entirely new senior executive team. This exceptionally talented group will play a critical role as we work together to drive growth and build long-term value for the business.”

Legacy has assembled a highly experienced senior executive team to support the next phase of growth:

• David Abi – Chief Commercial Officer, Commercial Division.
  Mr. Abi brings more than 25 years of experience in industrial manufacturing and global markets, with a proven history of driving profitable growth, building high-performance teams, and strengthening customer relationships. Most recently, he served as President of multiple divisions at Middleby Corporation.
• Mike Nerdig – Chief Consumer Officer, Consumer Division.
  Mr. Nerdig brings more than two decades of experience in the major appliance industry at GE Appliances, where he developed deep expertise in sales leadership, customer relationship management, and merchandising new product launches to drive growth. Over the past six years, he led GE Appliances’ largest retail sales division. His business acumen, passion for talent development, and competitive drive will be a tremendous asset to Legacy.
• Ed Pitlik – Chief Financial Officer.
  Mr. Pitlik has more than 30 years of experience in the consumer goods sector, including extensive work with private equity-backed companies. Most recently, he served at Nice-Pak Products, Inc. He brings significant expertise in building high-impact finance teams, driving profitable growth, and leading successful business restructurings.
• Matt Gleitz – Senior Vice President of Operations.
  Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Moore said, “It has been a pleasure to work with Matt over the past few months. He has demonstrated a strong ability to manage complex situations and provide confidence-inspiring leadership. His appointment to this role is well deserved.”
• Amber Galford – Chief Human Resources Officer,
  bringing more than two decades of human resources leadership experience across the manufacturing and service sectors. Ms. Galford is particularly skilled in aligning human capital strategies with business objectives and fostering high-performance cultures.

About Legacy

Legacy is a leading consumer products and foodservice equipment company that designs, manufactures, distributes, and markets a diverse portfolio of products nationally and internationally. Legacy’s world-class brands include AdCraft®, Avanti®, Back to Basics®, Bevles®, Black Diamond®, Blakeslee®, Brama®, Chef’sChoice®, EdgeCraft®, Excalibur®, General®, Greenfield World Trade®, Lunar Ice®, Maxx Cold®, Maxx Ice®, Maxx Scientific®, Omega®, Vinotemp®, Vinturi®, West Bend®, Yonanas®, and Zeroll®. Legacy is headquartered in Weston, Florida.