Longtime Thermo-Kool Owner Randolph W. McLaughlin Remembered

It is with heavy hearts that FEDA shares news of the passing of Randolph W. McLaughlin, the longtime owner of Thermo-Kool/Mid-South Industries. McLaughlin, 88, passed away Aug. 17 at his home in St. George Island, Florida.

McLaughlin had a wide-ranging career before becoming part of the foodservice equipment and supplies industry. He graduated from the University of Florida College of Engineering in 1959 and spent time as a butcher for The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., a shipfitter’s apprentice, an engineer for Procter & Gamble, and a police and investigative reporter for The Florida Times Union Journal in Jacksonville. He was also an ROTC candidate who was commissioned as an officer with the U.S. Air Force Reserve and was involved in the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis.

In 1970, McLaughlin visited Thermo-Kool to evaluate the manufacturer of walk-in coolers, freezers, and cold storage systems for the Standard International conglomerate. Instead, he purchased the company for himself, kicking off a period of coast-to-coast expansion. McLaughlin owned two patents that were integral to Thermo-Kool’s success and developed its command-and-control system. The company is now owned by his older son, Rand McLaughlin.

McLaughlin served seven years on the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) Board of Directors. He received Mississippi’s Small Business of the Year honor in 1985 and served on the White House Conference on Small Businesses in 1986.

In accordance with his wishes, there will be no funeral or memorial service. Those wishing to honor McLaughlin’s memory are encouraged to donate to a local animal rescue organization.