Welbilt, Inc. (NYSE: WBT), announced today that Richard N. “Rick” Caron, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, passed away on September 2^nd following a brief non-Covid related illness. Mr. Caron, 65, served as the head of innovation and technology since joining Welbilt’s predecessor company Enodis in 2005.

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Richard N. "Rick" Caron (Photo: Business Wire)

Bill Johnson, Welbilt’s President and Chief Executive Officer, issued the following statement: “The entire Welbilt team is deeply saddened by the passing of Rick Caron. Rick’s contributions to the commercial foodservice equipment industry were immeasurable as he was involved in numerous new technologies and innovations in speed cooking, blended and nitrogenous beverages, fryer oil filtering and connected equipment and kitchens. Rick was constantly sought after by customers, industry experts and other innovators for his insights and vision of the future, and his thoughts on how to make that vision become reality. Rick’s passion and high energy level came through in everything he did, and he distinguished Welbilt as one of the most innovative companies in our industry. Welbilt’s Board of Directors and all Welbilt employees mourn his loss and offer their sincere condolences to Rick’s family.”

About Welbilt, Inc.

Welbilt, Inc. provides the world’s top chefs, premier chain operators and growing independents with industry-leading equipment and solutions. Our innovative products and solutions are powered by our deep knowledge, operator insights, and culinary expertise. Our portfolio of award-winning product brands includes Cleveland™, Convotherm^®, Crem^®, Delfield^®, Frymaster^®, Garland^®, Kolpak^®, Lincoln^®, Manitowoc^® Ice, Merco^®, Merrychef^® and Multiplex^®. These product brands are supported by three service brands: KitchenCare^®, our aftermarket parts and service brand, FitKitchen^®, our fully-integrated kitchen systems brand, and KitchenConnect^®, our cloud-based digital platform brand. Headquartered in the Tampa Bay region of Florida and operating 19 manufacturing facilities throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, we sell through a global network of over 5,000 distributors, dealers, buying groups and manufacturers' representatives in over 100 countries. We have approximately 4,600 employees and generated sales of $1.2 billion in 2020. For more information, visit www.welbilt.com.

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