Church’s Texas Chicken hired Will Cash for the brand’s Vice President, Purchasing role. Cash will implement his extensive procurement and supply chain expertise starting this week as he takes on this new role with the brand.

“Amid current supply chain challenges and the overall pace of innovation in the QSR industry, it’s an exciting time to join this company and make an impact on the business,” said Cash.

92% of operators say food costs are a significant challenge, according to a NRA Survey

Cash will oversee the company’s purchasing function, leading the organization’s ability to efficiently source ingredients, equipment, and raw materials that are needed to support its growing operations. He will report to Randy Lawrence, Senior Vice President, Supply and QA.

Previously Cash held Procurement and Supply Chain leadership roles at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation, flyExclusive, and Pinkbox Doughnuts.

Equally AI, a tech provider of web accessibility solutions, announced the launch of Flowy. Powered by ChatGPT, Flowy is a game changer for innovative developers looking to build web products that are accessible and for website owners globally to improve web accessibility for all in the content they serve online.

“At Equally AI, we believe that accessibility should be a fundamental part of every web product," said Ran Ronen, Co-founder and CEO, Equally AI. "With Flowy, we've automated the process of accessibility compliance, making it super-fast, scalable, and cost-effective. Developers can now create truly innovative products without worrying about the technicalities of accessibility.”

One of the key features of Flowy is its recommendation engine, which provides developers with suggested code fixes to easily address accessibility issues. This helps developers ensure the quality of their product at every stage of the development process with minimal effort. Ultimately this empowers website owners from global brands to SMBs to improve web accessibility for all.

Accessibility headaches end with Flowy, the all-in-one platform that helps developers ensure the accessibility of their web products. With proprietary technology and features like providing recommendations, guides, explanations, and creative solutions for implementing necessary changes, Flowy streamlines the entire accessibility testing process. Developers can easily scan and categorize accessibility issues, prioritize and address them, and access regular monitoring and compliance reporting to ensure that their products are compliant 24/7 and avoid legal risks for not providing web accessibility for all. Flowy saves developers time, energy, and money while helping them build innovative, accessible products that will empower how websites will operate in better accessible ways for all users.

“We are excited to see what developers will create with Flowy," said Dani Zeevi, Chairman of the Board, Equally AI. "With this cutting-edge technology, the possibilities are endless. We can't wait to see the impact Flowy will have on the industry and the lives of people with disabilities.”

The AHLA Foundation today announced a $500,000 donation from IHG Hotels & Resorts to support the No Room for Trafficking (NRFT) Survivor Fund as part of the hotel industry’s longstanding, united commitment to combat human trafficking.

With this donation, the Survivor Fund will build upon the industry’s ongoing commitment and work to end human trafficking and support the economic stability of human trafficking survivors. By funding community-based organizations, the NRFT Survivor Fund supports survivors’ immediate needs and long-term stability that will empower and equip survivors and their families to help prevent revictimization, including but not limited to emergency housing and career development support.

“IHG Hotels & Resorts is committed to eradicating human trafficking, and this support of the NRFT Survivor Fund underscores our long-standing effort to condemn this exploitation and help survivors,” said Elie Maalouf, CEO, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts. “The fund will play a crucial role in providing survivors with the support they need for future stability and success. Recognizing that our industry has a unique opportunity to fight human trafficking collectively, we proudly join our peers and AHLA Foundation in continuing to make impactful change.”

“With every donation we are able to further honor our mission to combatting human trafficking and supporting survivors,” said Anna Blue, president of the AHLA Foundation. “I am proud of our industry’s united efforts against human trafficking and extremely grateful for the generous donation by IHG Hotels & Resorts. These continued partnerships and investments are the very reason why NRFT and our Survivor Fund will continue to positively impact lives.”

Since its inception, the NRFT Survivor Fund has raised $2.5 million with contributions from Extended Stay America, G6 Hospitality, Hilton Global Foundation, Hyatt Hotels Foundation and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. The No Room for Trafficking program continues to build upon the hotel and lodging industry’s longstanding commitment to combat human trafficking by uniting the industry around collective anti-trafficking efforts that meet the needs of today’s hospitality employers, employees, and the communities they serve.

Learn more about NRFT here.

ROOMNET, a provider of hotel technology solutions, announced the launch of its new innovation lab in Oxfordshire, England. The lab is dedicated to testing and integrating cutting-edge technology that will shape the hotels of the future.

Darren King, CEO of ROOMNET commented “There are many diverse technologies used in a hotel and all too often the decisions are made in isolation, without always considering or understanding the impact and compatibility with the other platforms being installed. A hotel doesn’t really know how solution A works with solution B,C,D,E etc until installation has been completed, when frankly it’s too late to turn back! Consequently, it’s rare that any hotel will ever experience 100% or even 75% of what it might have anticipated.”

The lab has been set up with a fully redundant Juniper Network as the core foundation for supporting the various technologies that will be imposed upon it. Lots of space, data & power has been provided to accept all kinds of systems – GRMS, BMS, PMS, POS, Energy management, IoT etc.

"We are excited to introduce this new testing & development facility, which will allow us to stay at the forefront of the rapidly-evolving hotel technology industry," said Darren King CEO of ROOMNET. "Our team of experts will be working tirelessly to identify and evaluate the latest trends and advancements in the industry, with a focus on identifying solutions that will have the greatest positive impact on the guest experience and provide efficiency gains for the hotel.”

ROOMNET is well known for innovating in the TV & WiFi space and is committed to providing innovative technology that enhances the guest experience, whilst also improving the efficiency of hotel operations. This new innovation lab in Oxfordshire, England is the latest step in that ongoing commitment.

The ROOMNET innovation lab is now open for collaboration and partnerships with hotels and/or hotel technology companies that are interested in creating hotels of the future.

Interplay Learning, a provider of online and virtual reality training for the essential skilled trades announced the release of its highly anticipated Hospitality catalog which helps hotel brands and hospitality management companies save time and money by streamlining operations and empowering them to deliver an exceptional guest experience across all properties.

With a growing catalog of expert-led training and hands-on 3D simulations in HVAC, plumbing, facilities maintenance, electrical, and workplace safety, Interplay Learning's Hospitality training gives building engineering leaders the flexibility to deliver a hands-on experience for skills training - anytime, anywhere, on any device including VR. With Interplay, teams can practice in a safe, risk-free environment and gain the critical knowledge necessary to get the job done right the first time.

Interplay's Hospitality catalog is packed with instructional courses and hands-on simulations that walk through scenarios for Custom Air Handling Unit Preventive & Service Maintenance, Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner (PTAC) Maintenance, Plumbing Fixtures Installation as well as safety courses like Ladder and Fall Safety and Fire Prevention and Safety. What's more, Interplay applies the science behind how people learn best, equipping building engineers with both the knowledge and cognitive skills they need to become masters in preventive and seasonal maintenance.

"The skilled labor shortage is a problem that will only continue to grow - especially when it comes to hotel and facilities maintenance," said Doug Donovan, CEO of Interplay Learning. "When it comes to recruiting and retaining talent, Interplay's Hospitality catalog gives hotel brands and management companies a competitive edge - offering greater flexibility to build and upskill a high-performing team of building engineers. Our solution is comprehensive, scalable, and can be customized to fit the needs of an entire hotel maintenance team, helping managers save time and money by streamlining their training operations."

Interplay makes it easy for hotel brands and management companies to administer and manage their training program through one simple platform, giving them the resources they need to gain a clear understanding of the field-readiness of their staff. Managers are also able to utilize curated learning paths so building engineers are learning the right skills, in the right order, ultimately creating a career laddering program designed to improve engagement and reduce turnover. By offering a one-stop-shop for effective, efficient, and affordable skilled trades training, managers will be able to attract and retain the next generation of hotel building engineers.

Relay Robotics, Inc. a supplier of service robots to the hospitality, healthcare, and real estate industries, announced the addition of three key executives to its Product team. Matt Townsend joins as Vice President, Software Engineering; Eric Nguyen joins as Vice President, Product Management; and Jason Hu joins as Senior Designer.

"We're excited to add Matt, Eric, and Jason to our Product team just as we're experiencing rapid growth and interest from some of the largest customers in hospitality, healthcare and corporate locations," said Michael O'Donnell, Relay Robotics Chairman & CEO. "Their 50 plus years of collective experience designing and building award-winning software and hardware products will enhance our strong team and bring new levels of innovation and speed to market."

Before Relay, Matt Townsend held senior roles at Aspiration (VP, Engineering), Kollective Technology (VP, Engineering), Amazon (Software Development Manager, Amazon Lab126), Visual Concepts (Senior Lead Software Engineer) and Motorola (Software Engineer, Intern).

“Matt’s proven ability to grow and manage world-class engineering teams will help us meet the next set of challenges as we scale the business,” said Steve Cousins, Relay Robotics Founder & Chief Technology Officer.

Eric Nguyen brings 25 years of product management and operations experience from senior positions at Kollective Technology (Chief Product Officer), Jama Software (Vice President of Marketing and Sales Development), and Admax Network (Director of Products and Operations).

“Eric’s extensive experience designing and building award-winning software and hardware products will enhance our team and push us to new levels of innovation and customer satisfaction,” said O’Donnell.

Jason Hu brings years of industrial design and user experience work to bear on the unique challenges of fielding robots that work directly with the general public. At the Academy of Art in San Francisco he studied, among other things, Human Robot Interaction design, and has been working with Relay Robotics for years as a consultant.

“We are extremely happy to have Jason full-time on the team as we enter this new phase of Relay Robotics history. He has the background we need to continue Relay’s leadership in designing robots that continually delight people and support our clients in the service industry,” said Cousins.