Kevin Kochman, KCL co-founder and president, is sad to announce the passing of his father Ronald (Ron) Kochman. “Ron was a visionary who used technology to help make his foodservice design and consulting firm more productive. He and I founded KCL to help others do the same.”
Kevin and Ron saw the potential for AutoCAD to enhance the foodservice industry. In 1985, the pair founded Kochman Consultants, Ltd. (KCL) to deliver computer aided design (CAD) to the foodservice industry. They built their brand on the promise of helping designers, dealers, consultants, and architects save time and money.
A passion for customer service
In addition to training industry professionals on computer basics like how to use a mouse, one of their early decisions was to standardize their symbol library on 5.25” floppy disks. The Kochman duo also worked with industry leaders to set CAD-based design standards.
Serving two audiences, manufacturers and designers, was not simple but Ron’s solid reputation as a food facilities consultant and passion for customer service attracted people to his unique symbol libraries and other newfangled tech products.
“If you met Ron in person, you know his passion for and knowledge of the foodservice industry,” said Kevin. “He was sad to miss the 2019 NAFEM Show, and now the industry will miss him.”
Ron is survived by his wife Judy, children Kevin (Eve), Kim (Brad) and many dear grandchildren and nephews.
Donations in Ron’s honor may be made to the Greater Chicago Food Depository (https://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/) or the Illinois Holocaust Museum (https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/).
About KCL
Now based in Orlando, Florida with offices in Chicago and Venice, KCL is the industry leader in foodservice design technologies. Their innovative design and sales software provides access to an ever-expanding library of CAD blocks and Revit families from more than 220 manufacturers, in addition to offering exclusive time-saving features. Since launching the world’s first collection of foodservice design symbols from multiple manufacturers in 1985, KCL has continued to release best-in-class technology for Revit, cloud services, and mobile applications. In 2019, KCL introduced KCL NapkinSketch, the first and only tool that allows sales reps to create detailed foodservice designs with floor plans, elevations and 3D without a CAD or Revit program.
KCL’s two-week free trial makes it easy to learn about their tech-forward tools and experience their old-fashioned approach to customer service.
