IBIZ WATCH 2000-05-22

GlobalFoodExchange.com, Atlanta, has launched a business-to-business marketplace for dairy. "The $70 billion-a-year U.S. dairy industry is highly fragmented" and stands to benefit from an Internet trading exchange, said Amy Loy, director of government affairs... FreeMarkets, a business-to-business marketplace, has signed an agreement with Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, under which Anheuser-Busch will use FreeMarkets to purchase yet-to-be-determined goods and services for its U.S. operations. "We are pleased that Anheuser-Busch has chosen to use our B2B e-marketplace," said Dave McCormick, vice president for public sector, consumer and packaged goods business at FreeMarkets. "We look forward to working with them to deliver results that will benefit their organization and its customers."... Nine major seafood companies, representing about $3.5 billion in annual revenue, have formed SeafoodAlliance.com, Halifax, Nova Scotia, to explore opportunities in business-to-business electronic commerce. In the early stages of its work, SeafoodAlliance.com will focus on the potential of a "vertical portal" to facilitate competition, reduce transaction costs and provide greater benefits to customers and shareholders in the seafood industry. "Given the industry representation in SeafoodAlliance.com, the portal should be, quite literally, where the world's seafood business does business," said Henry Demone, chair of SeafoodAlliance.com, and president and chief executive officer, High Liner Foods, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia... Fishmonger.com, Kirkland, Wash., has reported the completion of its first on-line auction, with more than 12,000 pounds of black tiger shrimp from Thailand traded from a major international seafood producer to a large East Coast supermarket chain... Pallet Management Systems, Boca Raton, Fla., has launched PalletNet, a logistics and information system to manage the flow of pallets and other shipping platforms. "By coupling PalletNet with the Internet, we are creating value for the customer through lower costs and improved efficiencies," said Dave Shumate, executive vice president of Pallet Management Systems... IBM, Armonk, N.Y., and CommercialWare, Natick, Mass., have entered into a strategic alliance to provide e-business solutions to the on-line retail industry. The package includes software components, hardware components, implementation, maintenance, support services and training... The eCommerce Division of the Vista Technology Group Ltd., St. Charles, Ill., has unveiled its second business-to-business module for the consumer packaged goods industry, called the "Perfect Payment Module," which follows the company's "Perfect Invoice Module. ... ProduceOnline.com, Pasadena, Calif., has appointed Jim McErlean vice president of sales-Eastern zone, responsible for staff supervision, sales management and support for the integration of the company's eastern U.S. trade consumers into the on-line transaction site. Most recently, McErlean was the Midwest region business manager for Fresh Express Farms, Salinas, Calif., and has also held divisional and regional sales manager positions at Pet Incorporated, Dole Packaged Goods and Lever Brothers. In his new position with ProduceOnline.com, he will report directly to chief executive officer Leonard Batti... With its Web site set to launch in the second quarter of 2000, SellMeat.com, Liberty, Mo., an on-line marketplace for meat and poultry, has named Wayne Rice its chief executive officer. Rice had served as chairman of the advisory committee during the business-to-business e-commerce company's formation. Rice, a 35-year veteran of the meat processing industry, previously worked for three of the top meat companies in the U.S., including a four-year term as president of Farmland Foods, Kansas City, Mo. He has also served as vice president of Cargill Food's Excel Pork division; as president of the Kansas City Steak Company, and is a former executive committee member of the American Meat Institute, Reston, Va.... Blue Martini Software, San Mateo, Calif., has named Young & Rubicam's San Francisco office as its advertising agency of record... In preparation for the launch of its business-to-business Internet marketplace for the food industry, American Multi Media Group, Auburn, Calif., is changing its name to foodconnex worldwide. Through a vertical application, the foodconnex.net site will provide a single stop for companies involved in the food industry.