they see the chance for increased
sales. In doing this, those operators
tend to ignore their vending seg -
ment and what could be improved
in that area. Whitacre wants to see
them change ineffcient operations
and consumer irrelevant vending
machines because it is this seg -
ment that makes up the majority
of their revenues. "My feeling is
that both micro markets and vend-
ing machines have their place in our
industry," said Whitacre. "I caution
operators not to ignore either." As
an operator that has many seg -
ments Whitacre sees foodservice
operations, vending machines and
micro markets simply as ways of
delivering what the consumer wants
when they want it. He believes that
in order to transform the industry,
operators must be professionals in
all of these segments.
Leadership wins
Whitacre credits his leadership
style for the company's very low
turnover rate. "With over two
hundred employees, our turnover
is so low we don't even track it,"
he said. His positive attitude sets
a tone for the organization as it
continues to move forward. "Bot-
tom line, I'm as optimistic about
our industry today as I was when
I fipped my frst hamburger and
flled my frst vending machine at
15," said Whitacre.
When employees
reach 25 years
of service with
Food Express
they receive
a visit from
Jeff Whitacre,
$2,500 in cash
and a cake as a
huge thank you.
22 Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com April 2014
S U C C E S S S T O R Y
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