Commercial Equipment & Machinery

Vollrath Taps Fred Fritchen to Lead National Accounts

Fritchen takes charge of the manufacturer's national account strategy and strategic sales team, with a brief to deepen key customer relationships.

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Ananya Krishnan
Specialty Print Systems Editor
November 4, 2026
5 min read
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A concept illustration of an empty desk and a connected-sphere model, standing in for the appointment of a new national accounts director who will lead customer relationships.
A calm office desk with an empty chair, a closed laptop and a small model of connected spheres, a scene built to suggest a leadership change in national account sales.

The Vollrath Co. has named Fred Fritchen its director of national accounts, placing him in charge of the manufacturer's strategic sales team.

Vollrath said Fritchen brings extensive experience in the foodservice industry to the job. That background includes building customer partnerships, leading strategic growth initiatives and helping organizations create value for major national account customers and channel partners.

In the role, Fritchen will lead the strategic sales team and oversee Vollrath's national account strategy. The company said his focus will be on strengthening key customer relationships, identifying opportunities for growth and aligning strategic sales efforts with the needs of Vollrath's customers.

Larry Deutsch, senior director of sales, said in the release that Fritchen brings a strong combination of foodservice experience, strategic account leadership and a proven ability to build lasting customer relationships. Deutsch added that Fritchen's experience and leadership would be valuable as Vollrath continues strengthening strategic customer partnerships and identifying growth opportunities.

The company's announcement framed the appointment around the same two priorities it attached to the position: closer ties with strategic customers and a search for growth. Both the role's responsibilities and Deutsch's comments return to those themes.

Vollrath also noted that Andrew Cronau recently joined the manufacturer. Cronau took part in FER's How To Spec Live in September.

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Ananya Krishnan

Ananya Krishnan covers specialty and industrial printers, including DTF, UV flatbed, wide-format, and label systems used in production print environments. Her reporting compares adhesion and curing test results, effective print width, throughput, and changeover time under stated substrate, ink, and curing conditions, with reference to ICC color management and measured color difference. She helps print shop owners, prepress and workflow managers, and capital equipment buyers ask for comparable test evidence, plan media handling, and choose a specialty print configuration without treating supplier specifications as proven shop performance.