Foodservice industry entrepreneur and Randell Manufacturing founder Paul DeLorenzo passed away June 7 at the age of 87.

Born in Lorenzago, Italy, DeLorenzo moved to Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 18—where he began his investment in the foodservice industry as founder of The Delfield Company in 1953 at the age of 25. He went on to open Randell Manufacturing in 1975 with brothers Omero and Bruno and long-time business partner Lou Rastelli. Randell was later sold to Dover in 1986 and is now a product line within Unified Brands, a Dover company.

"Paul was a private man and relatively unknown to most in our industry,” says Art DeLorenzo, nephew of Paul and product line director for Randell/Unified Brands, “yet to those who knew him he was a mechanical genius, an entrepreneur, and a giver. Most people are unaware that between his Delfield days and the starting of Randell, Paul returned to his beloved village in Italy to create a company which built all the machinery he used to outfit the Randell facility, including the industry's first (known) automated turret punch system. Paul also worked with close friend Michael Illitch, founder of Little Caesars, to design and manufacture what is believed to have been one of the first conveyor pizza ovens in the industry (the Pizza Pride). I will forever be in his debt for providing me the opportunity to be part of this wonderful industry. He will be missed by many people who found a career in the foodservice industry because of Paul.”

A private burial with family members was held in Lorenzago, Italy, where he was laid to rest aside his wife Bice and father Orindo DeLorenzo.