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The host of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, Bob Tullio, has said it before. He loves hearing about the journey of both operators and suppliers. Robert Liva has a good story.
The owner of GTP – Graphics that Pop, is an animated, entertaining, candid and knowledgeable individual, especially when it comes to marketing and to serving clients in the convenience services industry.
He started out in 1973 fixing pinball machines at the age of 13. When he arrived in Houston Texas in 1976, he went right to work. In the vending business, working for operators, owning a vending company, was a location finder for 10 years as he balanced work and being a single parent. He even sold siding along the way – giving him an opportunity to learn something about selling and marketing. It was an opportunity to try a few things out.
Liva says there is no greater joy in life than giving, period. Along those lines, he has launched a non-profit organization called Path to Unity – A program that he says is designed to empower communities for real change – for positive change. Several hundred thousand dollars are committed to this community improvement effort – but there is a lot more to it than that. Former Dallas Cowboy star Michael Irvin is on board – and Liva said White Bear Coffee deserves a shout out for their early support. To learn more – visit www.pathtounity.com
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From the supplier area (Connection Hub) to the line-up of speakers to the education sessions, NAMA's CTW for 2024 has been reimagined to help operators thrive in today's changing OCS climate.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, the podcast for the convenience services industry, presented in cooperation with NAMA -it’s all about the upcoming CTW – the Coffee Tea and Water event, scheduled for December 11th and 12th in New Orleans.
NAMA's CTW 2024 has been designed specifically for operators and suppliers to collaborate on how to elevate OCS and Pantry offerings and evolve the client relationship, moving beyond trusted service provider to essential business partner.
Podcast host Bob Tullio sat down with two people who were very involved in the planning of the event – Linda Saldana of Seventh Wave Refreshments, the chairperson of Stakeholder Task Force that reimagined the new CTW and Tom Steuber of Associated Services, who also happens to be Chairperson of the NAMA Board of Directors.
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Two things will be clear to you after listening to this podcast. Operators are excited about smart market technology and there is no end to the creative solutions/equipment being offered by smart market developers.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, the podcast for the convenience services industry, host Bob Tullio takes an even deeper dive into the world of smart markets. In part one of this episode, released on September 24th, he talked to Ryan McWhirter of 365 Retail Markets, Elyssa Steiner from Cantaloupe and Yang Yu from Micromart.
In “Smart Markets Part II - Choosing a smart market is a multiple-choice question for operators,” Tullio talks to more smart market developers, creative minds who are driving the smart market movement. Mike Delazzer, founder of Redbox is now with Instant Retail Systems, Detlev Goedbloed of Structural Concepts, Fred Kahn from Kooick and Guy Moshe from Shekel, all share their product features and their vision for the future of smart markets.
Mike Jamison from New Age Vending and Jon Corto from Buffalo Strive give their take on the value of smart markets. Also mentioned in this podcast, Due North and AVS, two companies who play an important role for smart market developers.
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From day one, theft has been a concern for micro market operators. Watching hours of video or taking a time consuming and perfectly executed market inventory are two ways to establish whether theft is occurring, but then what? Proving your case to the client and gaining their support is the difficult next step.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, host Bob Tullio talks to three companies who use advanced technology, including AI, to identify theft as it happens and make it easier for operators to have that difficult conversation about product theft with their customer. The goal is better communication, cooperation, deterrence and in some cases, compensation.
According to the 2023 Automatic Merchandiser State of the Industry Report, there are over 42,000 active micro markets being operated in the US. Since the very first micro market was placed over a decade ago, product theft, aka “shrink” has been an active topic of conversation and an ongoing challenge for just about every operator.
In that same study, operators were asked to identify their average level of micro market theft. While 3% optimistically said they were at a 0% shrink, the vast majority fell into the 3% to 7% range.
One might conclude from the report that the shrink situation isn’t that bad and generally speaking, operators have it under control. Those three companies that are using advanced technology to monitor security and catch thieves in micro markets would beg to differ. Panoptyc, ProWatch Solutions and Theft Detective have all experienced different journeys on their way to catching a thief. Today, they can offer hard evidence that theft is an inherent issue in micro markets and unless strong deterrents are in place, along with effective communication – shrink happens in a big way.
While this podcast takes a deeper dive into the issue of micro market theft and efforts to deter it, many of the interviews were also conducted for the Automatic Merchandiser article that Tullio wrote for the magazine’s upcoming November, “Protecting your investment - A technology driven approach to mitigating micro market theft.”
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From all indications, smart markets are a game changer. Driven by AI, featuring the security benefits of vending and the product merchandising power of a micro market, it is no wonder that smart markets are emerging as the next big thing.
In the first part of a two-part episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, Tullio takes a deeper dive. He speaks with many of the entrants into the smart market space, big and small. Each is beginning to find their niche in what is almost certain to become a massive opportunity for everyone involved.
You can't tell the players without a scorecard. This podcast is your scorecard for the micro market game.
Part one features Evan Jarecki from Gimme, Ryan McWhirter of 365 Retail Markets, Elyssa Steiner of Cantaloupe, Yang Yu of Micromart, and Arthur Siller from Evergreen Refreshments.
Part two of this podcast on smart markets will be available on Tuesday, October 15. Part two will include interviews with other smart market providers, including Mike DeLazzer, founder of Redbox, now with Instant Retail Systems, Detlev Goedbloed of Structural Concepts, Fred Kahn at Kooick, Guy Moshe at Shekel and more.
Editor's Note: Many of the interviews in this podcast (which offers a timely post-season baseball theme) were conducted by host Bob Tullio for an article that appeared in Automatic Merchandiser Magazine’s August edition.
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Over the years, there was always talk among operators about somehow using the front of a vending machine for advertising. Or maybe the little screen on a bean to cup brewer would work. Or – how about a monitor in a micro market? Ten years ago, it was just talk and it seemed like science fiction.
Today, advertising in micro markets and on other payment devices is a reality – and a nice profit center for operators. Leave it to the folks at 365 Retail Markets to deliver with an entity they call Advana.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, the podcast for the convenience services industry, host Bob Tullio looks at the explosive growth of micro market advertising. For Tullio, this podcast really belongs in the file that’s entitled - “I can’t believe this wasn’t available when I was operator.”
As Jacob McNulty from 365 put it, every operator starts out by pressing the easy button – allow advertising and watch the checks come in. It can get even better than that as revenue multiplies with more screens and supplier support.
While 365 Retail Markets is the advertising frontrunner with Advana – in this episode, Elyssa Steiner talks about the advertising program that Cantaloupe has brought to the table for their customers, leveraging the vast number of screens and devices in their network.
Either way – it’s a win for operators. In the podcast, Tullio asked McNulty, “Doesn’t this seem like a no brainer?” Allow advertising. Cash checks. He agreed.
That’s why Tullio calls it, “easy money.”
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As co-owner of Quality Vending & Coffee, Dean Prather is a hard-working operator with 34 years in the business. His invention, Q-Tote, is having an impact on the micro market industry. Dave Marler of Lightspeed calls it a “game changer.” Beyond his work, he is driven by giving back in several directions.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, the podcast for the convenience services industry, Dean Prather talks to host Bob Tullio about the three things he is invested in – his employees, his customers and the community. It is Dean Prather – Part II.
Prather talks about his take on the coffee service industry and the fact that today, it is looking more and more like pantry service. He discusses his enthusiasm for one piece of equipment that he believes is the next big thing – a departure from his usually conservative approach to business.
Suppliers are critical to success and Prather identifies the key partners who have elevated his company. He explains the thought process behind Q-Tote and how the product, while not a perfect fit for every operator, is taking off.
Of course, he has his own recipe for the secret sauce that is perfectly in line with his approach to doing business.
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Since the NAMA Show in May, while some operators are discouraged and turning away from coffee service, Bob Tullio has been beating the same drum, urging coffee service operators to ramp up their sales efforts.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, the podcast for the convenience services industry, Tullio looks at the upside and downside of the reality that OCS will never be the same – although, it’s hard to say “never” about anything in today’s world.
What really sparked this whole premise – that now is the time to ramp up the OCS sales effort, is some of the conversations Tullio had with OCS operators over the past several months. While there is plenty of frustration out there, selling OCS opens a tremendous amount of opportunity for operators because of one reason:
Selling OCS is the easiest way to get in front of a decision maker.
Jennifer Fox of Fox Vending, Jon Fishman, Tullio’s former business partner, Orrin Huebner, business consultant, Linda Saldana of Seventh Wave Refreshments, Kim Lenz from Associated Services and veteran operator, now retired, Tom Konop, all contributed to the content of this podcast.
In this conversation with Tullio and his panel of industry leaders, the message is clear:
Face to face on site engagement is key. Get in the door. Get in front of prospects. Double down on OCS selling. Take the road less travelled and enjoy the expanded opportunity that comes with being a committed OCS operator in this new office refreshment landscape.
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In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, the podcast for the convenience services industry, host Bob Tullio sat down with Holiday House co-founders Butch and Lynn Winkler, partners for 48 in marriage and business, Barbara Russell, the vice president of sales and marketing for the company. You won’t believe what Barbara’s role was the first time she worked for Butch and Lynn.
This is a story of hard-working people who have evolved within an industry — in this case, the coffee service business. Butch and Lynn started as operators from 1981 to 1991, when they sold the company and launched Holiday House, selling a few plumbing parts.
Today, their massive catalog has products that serve 3900 operators and is growing. They are also the driving force behind the Holiday House Technician Training and Trade Show. Barbara Russell is the brainchild and quarterback of the event, which will take place from September 30 to October 2 at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine, Calif.
It's a great story. Butch and Lynn share their journey, looking back and looking forward.
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Dean Prather's story at Quality Vending & Coffee in Kansas City, might remind you of Jon Holden's story at All Star Services in Michigan. Proof that son-in-laws can be a great hire!
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, Prather takes host Bob Tullio on a company tour of Quality Vending & Coffee, a company that has served the greater Kansas City metro area for decades. He also shares the company journey and his own personal route to becoming a prominent figure in the convenience services business. As it turns out – he has emerged as an inventor and his product is having a positive impact with operators around the country.
This is part one of a two-part episode, because once Dean Prather gets going in an interview, he has some excellent insights to offer. Part two will be released on Tuesday, September 3rd.
Like so many great companies - Quality Vending and Coffee was started in a garage. In 1991, Don Miceli and his late wife Jo Beth launched the company, a bold move following Don’s 30 years in the business working for Interstate United and another local independent operator. Don and Jo Beth decided it was time to do their own thing and they brought in their son Carl as well.
Less than a year into their new venture and with a growing list of accounts, Don reached out to his son-in-law, Dean Prather, about joining their team. Over 30 years later – Prather, now a co-owner, knows he made the right choice.
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More than ever before, technology is being associated with vending and micro markets. For many, it seems to have all happened overnight, right after the pandemic. In reality, pioneers like Evan Jarecki have been at it for a decade.
Today’s episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, the podcast for the convenience services industry, focuses on a company and industry leader who offers a classic entrepreneurial story. Host Bob Tullio talked to Evan Jarecki, CEO and co-founder of Georgia based Gimme Vending, a leading software company that builds management, delivery, and invoicing tools for micro markets and vending operators.
Gimme was built around three core values.
Empathy – caring deeply about their customers and how their teams operate.
Determination – not stopping until the job is done and being passionate about quality.
And Problem-Solving - embracing challenges and working with partners to find solutions.
Those core values have served the company well during what has been a very eventful 10-year ride. Jarecki shares his journey - the pivots, the milestones, the progress and how his product has evolved over the last decade. It’s a great listen - 15 minutes well spent - for operators, suppliers and entrepreneurs.
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There are plenty of reasons why the Atlantic Coast Exposition — often known as ACE — has emerged as more than just a regional event. It attracts attendees from beyond their core states of North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina.
In partnership with the Atlantic Coast Exposition, today’s episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast provides a preview of the upcoming “ACE in Space” event. Planned for October 10-12 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., ACE is where operators and suppliers from across the United States gather to attend educational sessions and see and show new products and equipment.
Podcast host Bob Tullio talked to Carl Moser, an industry veteran and currently a district manager for Canteen running the Forest City Branch attached to Canteen's Charlotte facility. Moser also is the chairperson of the 2024 Atlantic Coast Exposition, where the vending, office coffee, micro market and food service industry meets on the East Coast.
According to Moser, the show will offer quite a bit of fun, education and training as well as a compelling guest speaker — Astronaut Steve Smith — in its package of unparalleled networking opportunities. Listen to the podcast to get the inside scoop on what to expect at “ACE in Space.”
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Every now and again, Bob Tullio, the host of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, steps out of the convenience services industry and talks to people who sell something else for a living to see if he can learn anything new about sales.
In this episode, Tullio talks to Angel Salvador, a Beverly Hills real estate professional who has hit some real-estate home runs with the Hollywood crowd, and Jerry Bolin, an agent himself and a long-time real estate coach who has mentored some top industry producers.
Let’s face it: If you are in sales, chances are, at some point, you said to yourself, “If this coffee service and vending thing or whatever you’re selling, doesn’t work out, I can always go sell real estate. That has to be like printing money, right? It’s easy.”
Well, as Bolin points out, just because they send you a real estate license in the mail, there’s no guarantee that the checks will follow.
Angel’s story is one of perseverance and determination. He and Jerry have learned a few lessons along the way and are happy to share along with some “real estate war stories.” There is one thing he learns every time he takes a journey outside the industry, Tullio notes. “The challenges we face in the convenience services business are not ours alone, and there is always something new to learn.”
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As an operator, Orrin Huebner has worked for an independent company, started and sold two of his own, and managed a large branch for an industry giant. This wealth of experience has made him a sought-after consultant.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, the podcast for the convenience services industry, host Bob Tullio sits down with another industry legend, Orrin Huebner, for a candid conversation about the state of the industry and what it takes for operators to succeed in today’s business climate.
As he puts it, after 50 years in the business (he started in high school) there was plenty left in the tank and plenty to give, so in 2022, he became an industry consultant and he has been busy, working with operators of all sizes and helping suppliers to find their way in the industry.
Huebner talks about sales, training, managing people, account retention, the importance of giving back, how to increase profitability, some lessons he has learned along the way and the one important bit of advice he dispenses that seems to truly connect with operator clients who seek his help…
“Always run your business like it’s for sale.”
This podcast is a conversation that every operator and every entrepreneur will enjoy and benefit from.
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1974 was quite a year. United States President Richard Nixon resigned following the Watergate scandal, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fought for the heavyweight title, disco was becoming very popular, and a young man named Joe Webster started Newco Enterprises, a game changing event for many OCS operators.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, the podcast for the convenience services industry, host Bob Tullio sits down with Joe Webster, an OCS pioneer and industry legend. Webster tells us about the twists and turns of his journey, which ultimately led to quite a successful company and career.
One of the keys to his success – always keeping “the golden rule” in mind when it comes to customers and employees. Webster shares some advice for operators, discusses the state of the industry and what he sees for the future of OCS.
In 2013, Webster was honored as a NAMA Coffee Legend, awarded each year to recognize an individual who is passionate about coffee and willing to share that passion to educate and help others succeed.
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Jon Holden loves being an operator. He is grateful for the people he works with, the clients he serves and the job that he gets to perform every day.
In this episode Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation – the podcast for the convenience services industry, host Bob Tullio talks to Jon Holden of All Star Services in Michigan, in a podcast that is both entertaining and inspirational.
Tullio and Holden talk about his journey from the La Cross field to Coca-Cola to All Star Services, where he is clearly a driving force in business development and customer service. Holden is personally inspired by many things - his family, the industry, products that come from Michigan and the business he works for, which is a strong, family-owned operation.
Holden shares his view of the competition, his philosophy of customer service and his approach to sales. He names the suppliers that have helped drive success at All Star Services. He explains why his support of local products makes sense on many levels. Best of all, his description of his three little boys is worth the price of admission.
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There is growing interest in the convenience services industry by newcomers – entrepreneurs who aspire to be operators. These newbies were seeking solutions at the 2024 NAMA Show while experienced operators found plenty of things to be impressed about.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation Podcast, host Bob Tullio explores the new operator phenomenon, talking to some new arrivals and industry veterans. As promised in the last episode, he offers up five more observations regarding the 2024 NAMA Show in Dallas and supports those observations with multiple operator interviews.
In addition to the new operator discussion, the podcast looks at the excitement surrounding the industry, technology and products that impressed operators, the one clearly hot trend in micro market technology and why OCS is still a critically important channel for operators.
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Just about everyone who attended the event agreed that the 2024 NAMA Show in Dallas was the biggest gathering our industry has seen in a long time, if not the biggest ever. Beyond the expansive convention floor and large crowds, there was an unmistakable vibe – a clear change of direction, pointing to positive days ahead.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, podcast host Bob Tullio takes listeners right to the convention floor, with multiple operator interviews (for some, their first NAMA Show) pertaining to the show vibe and the specific objectives that brought them to Dallas.
The episode features Dan Welch, Natalie Prince, Chip English, Dean Prather, Jerry Schreiner, Craig Lane, Anthony Cuccolo, Jim Evans, Joe Macchiarella, Kim Miros, Andy Owen, Rick Pavlic, Gaynell Malone and many more mentions – people and products.
Tullio also makes some observations of his own – five in this episode and five in the next and he urges listeners to weigh in with NAMA Show observations of their own by emailing him at [email protected].
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With the NAMA Show landing in Dallas, Texas this year, Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation Podcast host Bob Tullio thought this would be a good time to explore the journey of a Dallas operator, Louis Baresh of Executive Refreshment.
Tullio says the first time he met Louis Baresh, he knew Baresh was on his way to being a bright star in the industry. In 2022, Baresh was recognized as one of Automatic Merchandiser’s 40 under 40 award winners.
He is busy man - running a business along with his Dad, Lou, an industry legend in his own right, chasing an MBA at SMU – moving his company into a new facility and competing with the biggest operators – in a booming Dallas market.
So why does Louis have a big smile on his face? He says he is feeling blessed to be working so closely with his Dad and his Mom – who both have a role at the company - and he’s feeling lucky these days – ready to go “all in” on the success of Executive Refreshments and the convenience services business…
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Fixturelite, based in Phoenix, Arizona, has been the industry’s leading supplier of micro market retail displays, equipment and design tools for ten years. But they didn’t start out that way. Steve Orlando and Troy Geis were successful operators who discovered the micro market business early on and realized that this new solution was going to be big.
Orlando and Geis kept hearing from industry experts and micro market pioneers that micro markets should be considered unattended retail, with an emphasis on retail - not just vending on a shelf. What they did not see were display racks and fixtures reflecting that idea. So – they started building their own. Fixturelite was born.
In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation – presented in partnership with Fixturelite - host Bob Tullio sits down with company co-founder Steve Orlando to talk about the Fixturelite journey, their products, some impressive company milestones (most notably, 10,000 markets delivered in 10 years), key strategic partnerships, their explosive growth, and the company’s plans to continue developing innovative solutions for micro market operators.
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