Professional experience in operations and equipment, sales focus on relationships and solutions 

April 8, 2026—Frontline International, maker of smart management solutions for foodservice kitchens’ fats, oils, and grease, is pleased to announce the hiring of Joshua Smith as its new sales manager. Working closely with leadership, Smith will be responsible for analyzing market trends, establishing sales goals and strategies, educating new customers and the sales team, and building strong customer relationships.

Smith has spent his entire career in the foodservice industry, first in restaurant operations before moving into the equipment side of the business. “It enables me to see the whole picture,” said Smith. “I have firsthand experience with the pain points inside restaurants and also understand how to use product technology to solve those problems.”

Over the course of his career, Smith has developed deep experience in fryer-focused equipment sales and a strong understanding of the operational challenges surrounding fryer management. That includes safety concerns, labor demands, cleanup inefficiencies, and the high cost of failing to maximize oil life. For Smith, joining Frontline represents a natural next step: an opportunity to bring customers a solution that addresses those issues more completely and strategically than traditional fryer equipment alone.

Smith’s sales philosophy emphasizes the importance of building relationships with customers, gaining a true understanding of their operations, and determining how Frontline’s FOG handling equipment fits their needs and helps their bottom line. “At Frontline, we engineer equipment and technology that no one else is doing,” said Smith. “It enables us to help customers in ways that literally no one else can.”

Prior to joining Frontline, Smith served as sales manager for a multi-state foodservice equipment distributor and service provider. “We’re excited about the energy, enthusiasm, and well-rounded industry knowledge that Josh brings to this position,” said Giovanni Brienza, president of Frontline International. “He’s the right person to spread our message and reach, growing our business while making sure legacy customers are well taken care of.” 

As Frontline International continues to innovate and evolve, Smith’s passion for solving real-world foodservice challenges will help carry that mission forward.

Designed to work with any commercial fryer, uses paper or stainless steel filters

When a foodservice kitchen’s fryer doesn’t come with built-in filtration, Frontline International’s Filtration Machine can fill the gap. It extends oil life by up to 50%, which helps reduce costs, and helps standardize the taste and quality of food. Food consistency is crucial to the customer experience and building brand loyalty. An investment in properly filtered oil is an investment in overall profitability.

The powerful and easy to use Filtration Machine is designed to operate with any commercial fryer. This flexible, standalone system holds 75 pounds of oil and pumps full in just two minutes. It is made of 100% stainless steel and rolls on smooth, heavy-duty casters outfitted with swivel-front brakes.

Because filtration procedures vary depending on store volume and the types of food that are being fried, the Filtration Machine is highly adaptable to individual applications. Establishments will need to filter oil less often when frying french fries because they produce fewer fall-off food particles to contaminate the oil. Conversely, breaded and battered products require more filtration because they produce more fall-off particles, degrading the oil faster.

Since proper filtration is so important, the Filtration Machine easily switches between different types of filter media—disposable paper filter element or reusable stainless steel—according to the kitchen’s needs and oil usage. Frontline International’s representatives can advise which filter is recommended for a specific operation, based on the type of food fried and the frequency of frying.

The machine also helps give used cooking oil (UCO) a final scrub before it is transported to a containment tank awaiting pickup by a renderer. Filtered UCO commands higher rebates in the recycling market. 

Fully customizable fresh and used oil solutions for cleaner, more profitable facilities

Does maintaining a clean, safe, healthy facility have to become more difficult when cooking oil is involved? Absolutely not. OilCare® is the only fully customizable solution that has an answer for every cooking oil pain point, while helping with profitability, consistent food quality, and efficient disposal. OilCare, a turnkey oil management service and sister company to Frontline International^®, helps facilities with foodservice components optimize their operations, manage expenses, and ensure compliance, all with the flexibility of choosing all or only the services they need.

OilCare builds a suite of cooking oil related services around Smart Oil Management^® equipment from Frontline International. Services offered include fresh oil delivery, used cooking oil collections, high-value rebates for used oil, and data management and analytics that inform smarter decision-making. 

With Frontline International cooking oil management equipment at the center of every service, clean, efficient, and safe oil handling is built in. The result is cleaner facilities and cleaner exterior areas—from parking lots and loading zones to dumpster pads. And with end-to-end automation, employees spend far less time around hot oil and greasy conditions, reducing slip and burn risk.

OilCare handles all things fats, oils, and grease for facility managers. Always get the best price for fresh, jug-in-box oil—higher-quality and better-tasting than bulk—with no unlimited contracts. Used oil services include free pickup by national recyclers and full rebate money each month. Data collection options that are right-sized to each business, from small standalone kitchens to high-volume enterprises and multi-units.

It’s a complete bundle of oil management services, fully customizable to user preference and need.

OilCare will be featured at the Restaurant Facility Management Association (RFMA) Conference, held March 15–17 in Denver, Colo. Stop by in booth 407 for more information.

For more information, visit https://oilcareii.com/.

Generous capacity mobile collection tank accepts multitude of fats, oils, and grease

Getting lost in the FOG? When your foodservice operation generates all of the “Big 3” – fats, oils, and grease – a one-size-fits-all collection solution can seem out of reach. No more. Frontline International’s FOG Machine is the only equipment you need. It collects FOG waste generated by a wide range of cooking apparatus including cooking oil fryers, combi ovens, convection ovens, and other commercial ovens.

This is the answer that large, decentralized foodservice operations have been looking for. Supercenters, malls, sports stadiums with concession stands, conference centers, airports, casinos, colleges and universities, and more can all benefit. It comes from Frontline International, a world leader in the creation of smart cooking oil management solutions for foodservice.

The key is the FOG Machine’s integral heated core, which prevents coagulation. Highly transportable on heavy-duty casters, the FOG Machine easily travels to multiple locations within your footprint. Its generously sized tank (74 gallons or 47 gallons) can accept many deposits from FOG-generating sources before it needs emptied. Collection options include pouring spent grease into the tank or using the unit’s integral pump and wand to draw it in.

This safe, temporary tank acts as an oversized caddy system. Once oil is locked inside, it can be safely transported to a centrally located permanent UCO containment tank. FOG is transferred out of the FOG Machine and into the permanent tank via safe, secure hose connection. This collection method helps eliminate the risk of burns and slips and falls, while also helping to keep kitchens, floors, and other areas cleaner and grease-free.

Operations-focused role strengthens nationwide customer support

Frontline International, which engineers and manufactures innovative solutions for FOG (fats, oils, and grease) management in foodservice kitchens, is pleased to announce Roman Bartoletta as service provider manager. In this role, Roman oversees Frontline’s network of third-party service providers responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing the company’s smart cooking oil management systems in restaurants and commercial kitchens across North America and beyond.

As service provider manager, Roman serves as the central coordinator between service providers, internal teams, and customers—helping ensure timely, high-quality service on every job. Responsibilities include coordinating field visits for installations, emergency repairs, and preventative maintenance; tracking service activity in Frontline’s portals; and working closely with customer service, shipping, and production teams to support successful job completion and equipment uptime.

“Keeping our systems running at peak performance is critical for our customers’ safety, savings, and sustainability,” said Roman. “My focus is on building a dependable, responsive service provider network so that every service call is handled quickly, professionally, and with clear communication from start to finish. When service feels seamless, our customers can stay focused on their guests and their business.”

Roman brings hands-on experience working with vendors and field service operations, including coordinating technicians across multiple regions and managing service tickets through ERP, CRM, and other digital platforms. His background includes monitoring key performance indicators, analyzing service data, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to improve response times, documentation accuracy, and overall customer satisfaction.

“Roman plays a key role in how we deliver on our promise after the equipment is installed,” said Giovanni Brienza, president of Frontline International. “His ability to manage providers, track performance, and keep jobs moving helps ensure our customers receive the level of service they expect from Frontline. As we continue to expand our footprint, his leadership in this area will be essential to our growth.”

30-year veteran brings process and efficiency acumen for fast, high-satisfaction resolutions

Frontline International, which engineers and manufactures innovative solutions for FOG (fats, oils, and grease) management in foodservice kitchens, is pleased to announce that Valerie Moreland has joined the company as customer care manager. Moreland will lead Frontline’s customer care team, helping to ensure a consistent, high-quality customer experience by developing standards and procedures, coaching team members, and analyzing customer feedback and support metrics to identify trends and drive improvements.

It’s all about advancing a customer care department that responds quickly to customer needs with on-target resolutions. “I look forward to identifying opportunities to streamline processes so we operate in the most efficient way possible,” said Moreland. “Customers are the most important part of any organization, and it’s my goal to always make Frontline customers feel well-informed and highly valued.” 

Moreland is an experienced operations executive accustomed to leading diverse professional teams to new levels of success in fast-paced environments. She has an impressive track record of more than 30 years of hands-on strategic planning, business unit development, project and product management, and customer retention. 

“Valerie’s proven ability to successfully analyze organizational performance and identify potential opportunities will serve our customers well,” said Giovanni Brienza, president of Frontline International. “Our diverse global customer base has high expectations and high standards. Through Valerie’s leadership, I know our customer care team will deliver.” 

Prior to joining Frontline, Moreland was customer service manager for GBS Corp. Past accomplishments include spearheading the start-up and development of Arthur Middleton Capital Holdings’ business units consisting of customer service, inbound/outbound sales, training, recruiting, QA, order processing, order retention, and revenue recovery.

For more information, visit www.frontlineii.com.

Frontline International, a leading maker of smart solutions for management of fats, oils, and grease in restaurants and commercial kitchens, has promoted Zack Palazzo to vice president of sales and finance. Palazzo has been with the company for more than a decade, previously serving as director of sales and finance.

A Purdue University graduate with a degree in industrial technology, he earned his MBA from Kent State University. In his new role, Palazzo will continue to lead sales efforts while taking on increased responsibility for the company’s financial health. He will focus on driving business growth, supporting customers, and developing strategies for long-term success.

Palazzo has deep experience overseeing a range of initiatives focused on developing Frontline’s customer base, growing sales, and enhancing tools and training for the company’s sales force. He also has a unique understanding of how critical technologies are the backbone of today’s foodservice kitchen. 

“Technology is always evolving and Frontline’s success is rooted in using new technology in creative ways to make foodservice kitchens run safely and more efficiently,” said Palazzo. “Our goal is a streamlined experience that improves food quality and consistency. This new role enables me to further our message of enhancing safety, savings, and sustainability, ingrain it within our sales force, and leverage it for market gains.”

“Zack is key member of our leadership team and we look forward to the additional value he will bring to our organization and customers in this new role,” said Giovanni Brienza, president. “His broad understanding of our product, business, and customers gives him acute insight into our value proposition, how to best communicate it, and how it translates into growth. We’re looking forward to even greater successes as he serves in this new role.”“As we continue to grow worldwide, a strong and innovative sales department is vital to expand our reach into new territories,” said John Palazzo, founder and CEO. “Zack’s knowledge of our industry and products well-positions us for this continued growth.” 

Helps prevent spills, promotes safer operation

Frontline International pioneered safe, clean, and sustainable FOG-handling systems for foodservice kitchens—from efficient fresh oil filling to high-quality UCO collection to industry-leading data management and automation. Among the company’s many value-adds are thoughtful, innovative details like overflow protection and shut-off valves for most used oil handling equipment. Only Frontline has them.

The safety feature is available on Frontline used oil containment tanks and used oil collection caddies, representing a dozen individual products. Integral level indicators read the amount of used oil in a particular vessel as it fills. As predetermined thresholds are fulfilled, programmed automated warnings are sent to users. If ignored, or when maximum capacity is reached, the shut-off valve engages. 

Frontline’s storied engineering department solves real-world kitchen problems in unique ways. Overflow protection prevents spills and helps ensure safe operation. 

As Frontline founder and CEO John Palazzo says, “Our mission at Frontline International was to design systems engineered to clean up one of the nastiest areas of the kitchen. We want to help prevent burns, slips, and falls and otherwise keep kitchens cleaner, safer, and more sanitary.” Overflow protection is a natural extension of that mission.

Cooking oil unleashed from its containment can quickly become a hazard, both as a slip and fall risk and in attracting pests that create unhygienic conditions—not to mention the potential for burns. The highest standards of safe handling help reduce or eliminate these risks. Only Frontline tanks and caddies have the added safeguard of overflow protection to help prevent overfilling. 

For more information, visit www.frontlineii.com.

There’s a science and an art to proper storage of used fats, oils, and greases, something Frontline International has perfected in its more than two decades of designing, engineering, and manufacturing solutions for safe, efficient FOG handling. Despite vast improvements in cooking oil handling and storage, misconceptions persist about the UL 142 standard for storing above-ground flammable liquids that governs proper storage of used FOG. 

It is often misunderstood, not just by the restaurant industry, but sometimes by local inspectors, that the UL standard requires tanks with double-wall containment for the storage of used cooking oil. This is not the case. 

What UL 142, titled Standard for Steel Aboveground Tanks for Flammable and Combustible Liquids, actually does is provide construction and testing requirements for steel tanks intended for aboveground storage of non-corrosive, stable flammable, and combustible liquids. The standard covers various tank configurations, including single-wall, double-wall, and diked designs.

So, while UL 142 specifies construction criteria for these different tank types, it does not mandate the use of double-wall containment tanks. 

The selection between single-wall and double-wall tanks depends on factors such as local regulations, environmental considerations, and specific-use cases. For instance, certain jurisdictions or applications may require double-wall tanks to prevent spills or leaks, especially when storing used cooking oil near waterways. However, these requirements are determined by local codes and regulations, not by the UL 142 standard itself. Therefore, while UL 142 outlines the standards for constructing double-wall tanks, it does not impose a blanket requirement for their use in storing used cooking oil or other flammable liquids.

All Frontline International used FOG tanks comply with both the UL 142 standard and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommendations for storing above-ground flammable liquids. Frontline manufactures containment tanks made of stainless steel, never non-compliant plastics, to safely and securely store used FOG until it can be collected by a recycler. They can be placed virtually anywhere, indoors or outside. 

When local regulations do impose stricter requirements, Frontline manufactures double-wall tanks available in 160-gallon and 315-gallon capacities. The “tank within a tank” construction includes 115% secondary containment. A heavy-gauge stainless steel exterior is insulated to withstand extreme temperatures.