he worst kind of limits are
self-imposed. They are also
the hardest to break through,
making the vending, micro mar-
ket and offce coffee service oper-
ation known in the industry as
the Classic Group so unique. Part-
ners Michael Klong and Jim Car-
bone were able to broaden their
ideas of coffee service in order
to break their own limits and do
what other vending and OCS pro-
viders have not — to think out-
side the box. The Classic Group
has grown from a small, family-
run amusement and vending com-
pany to a 40-employee operation
that includes servicing high-end
espresso machines and distribut-
ing coffee to area supermarkets.
Klong and Carbone have
grown the Chicago, IL-based busi-
ness from $1.5 million in sales to
$10 million in 7 years. They are
in front of the trends and grab-
bing business with service, sales,
experience and the variety of
their offerings. "There's no com-
pany that does what we do," said
Carbone about the services and
products offered by the company.
An amusing history
Michael Klong started full-time in
the vending business immediately
after college in 1999. His mother
was running a small amusement
company making $150,000 a year.
Klong, with the help of a busi-
ness partner, purchased her out-
right. "I knew we couldn't work
together then," said Klong with
T
September 2014 VendingMarketWatch.com Automatic Merchandiser 15
The entryway
mimics a coffee
house that is used
for meetings,
trainings and
thirsty staff.
O P E R A T I O N P R O F I L E