Vending & OCS Nation Podcast

New operators, new technology, new products and a new attitude. NAMA Show 2024 - Part 2

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.

Operator interviews - Did you feel the vibe at the 2024 NAMA Show?

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 bob@tulliob2b.com.

Louis Baresh is feeling lucky, betting on the success of his company and convenience services

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…

After 10 years and 10,000 markets, Steve Orlando and his team are still developing innovative solutions

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.

An exclusive, sneak preview of the 2024 NAMA Show in Dallas

The 2024 NAMA Show in Dallas is just a few weeks away and from all indications, it will be one of the biggest gatherings the convenience services industry has ever seen. 

On this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation Podcast, in partnership with NAMA, it’s all about the NAMA Show in Dallas – May 7^th through May 9^th. 

Podcast host Bob Tullio talks to Kristen Griffith, Vice President of Programs and Services for NAMA and C.J. Recher from Five Star Breaktime Solutions, co-chair of the Tradeshow Advisory Committee, to give you an exclusive sneak peek at the big event.  

 

The Kim Miros success formula: Dedication to her clients, her employees and the community

Kim Miros doesn’t think much about being a successful female business owner. What she is truly proud of is where her business is now – capable of providing for herself, her employees and their families. Talking about it brings a tear to her eye.

This new episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, Bob Tullio focuses on the journey of Ocala, Florida, based Kim Miros – Owner of DAC Total Refreshments. Kim admits that she is totally addicted to the business. She loves closing micro market, coffee service and vending deals.

Kim always wanted to own her own business. She left a successful and rewarding teaching career and bought a vending company. It seemed like a great idea, but Kim quickly realized that she was blindsided by the seller.  The performance of the business wasn’t quite what she expected. For Kim – that was the start of a journey that was incredibly stressful, very inspiring, often amusing and certainly entertaining.

 

 

Chasing the American dream – An inside look at the world of small operators

A recent Wall Street Journal article points to vending as a strong investment trend of the 2020’s. Reports on social media portraying the vending business as easy money are drawing entrepreneurs toward the vending business. Can they be successful competing against established operators?

This edition of Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation Podcast explores the world of small operators, as host Bob Tullio talks to two small operators who are doing their best to navigate the always changing business landscape, and one supplier who has found a nice niche helping small vendors with installation and service support. 

One thing that everyone seems to agree on: While there is money to be made, there is nothing easy about it. Hard work and a keen business sense are required for those who hope to succeed. 

 

Linda Saldana Part II –Strategies, insights, plans and what keeps her up at night

For Linda Saldana, the co-founder of Seventh Wave Refreshments in Atlanta, there is plenty of joy to go around. That's why Vending & OCS Nation host Bob Tullio decided to tell her story in two parts. 

In our first podcast episode this month, we focused on Linda's journey.  That episode was entitled, “To deliver joy, Linda Saldana brings faith, passion and energy to her work.”

Then we talked about the art of business storytelling, well connected to Linda, because she has a great story to tell, and she tells that story with plenty of energy. 

If you missed those episodes, be sure to check them out. In this episode – Linda Saldana is back to share her strategies, plans, insights, key partnerships, what keeps her up at night and her recipe for the secret sauce that helped her go from zero to millions in sales, in four years.