The 2018 Rhode Island Food Dealers Association (RIFDA) Annual Meeting & Holiday Gala was held this year at the Newport Marriott in Newport, Rhode Island, on Nov. 17.
According to the association, the evening was “very well received and very well attended.” The event brought RIFDA members together in a festive holiday environment.
“The location was wonderful, the food was great, and the grand raffle and door prizes continue to get bigger and better each year,” RIFDA said in a statement. “The music by Andre Arsenault was also very entertaining throughout the cocktail reception and the dinner.”
RIFDA thanked its members for their support throughout the year that made the event possible.
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See photos from the event here:
https://www.theshelbyreport.com/envira/2018-rifda-annual-meeting-holiday-gala-newport-rhode-island-nov-17/
The evening’s schedule started with a cocktail hour and entertainment, followed by the annual meeting. Steve Arthurs, RIFDA president, gave an overview of the association’s activities and goals.
At the end of the annual meeting, scholarship awards were distributed to the winning applicants. This year, RIFDA awarded five $1,000 scholarships to Steven Amaral (Stop & Shop), Constantine Coclin (Coclin Associates), Samantha Falkowski (Dave’s Marketplace), Natalie Harris (Polar Beverages) and Matthew Skirzenski (Clements’ Marketplace).
Also at the event, RIFDA installed its newly appointed officers and board of directors. Brian Pacheco of Clements’ Marketplace fulfilled his term as acting chairman, and Scott Danis of Stop & Shop was inducted as the 2019 chairman of the board.
Following the induction, David Dulude of Imperial Distributors was recognized for his dedication and commitment over the past forty years in the industry and as a member of RIFDA’s board of directors. He will be retiring at the end of the year.
The evening closed with a centerpiece drawing, door prize raffle and grand prize raffle. The grand prize raffle consisted of five packages full of prizes: a weekend in Newport, a weekend in Cape Cod, a family package, a sports package and a golf package. Each package was valued around $1,000. There were 30 door prizes, and almost everyone in attendance won something.
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