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Paresh Patel, Founder & CEO, PayRange Patel is an award-winning innovator who has designed and developed products that have won an unprecedented fve vending industry gold innovation awards, a Con- nected World award, an American Beverage Association award for Best Technology Innovation and numerous patents. As an innovation and industry leader, Patel saw both a great need and opportunity to improve the vending user experience while solving the payment barrier for machines and therefore founded PayRange. Joe Gilbert, Vice President & General Manager, VE South LLC In his 50 years in vending, Gilbert has seen the evolution of machines and the types of products dispensed through vending. In the mid-90s he went to work for Vendors Exchange and established VE South in Fort Lauderdale, FL, to handle Florida, the Caribbean and South America. Gilbert launched Star Food Healthy Express and has helped change the way kids eat at school. In 2014 Star Food Healthy Express made its 400th placement in the U.S. Glenn Butler, CEO, CTO Services, LLC Butler was the co-founder of Streamware and VendScreen and today works as a consultant with start-ups and established companies inside and outside the industry to help bring new technologies to market. His focus is on C level strategy, mobile and web software development, mobile to mobile technologies, and advanced payment. He believes in the next few years vending will have to adopt new technology to enhance the consumer experience. Paul Schlossberg, President, DFW Consulting Schlossberg is a veteran of the food industry, specializing in foodservice. His experience includes assignments in sales and marketing management, new business development, mergers/acquisitions, channel development, and strategic planning. He presents at national, regional and state association meetings on issues and direction on sub- jects including how to compete against convenience stores, merchandising and varying product mix. Nick Yates, Founder, Fresh Healthy Vending International Yates started his frst healthy vending com- pany in Australia in 2002 and founded Fresh Healthy Vending International in the U.S. in 2010. Yates' company has evolved from becoming solely a franchisor of healthy vending machines, to an operator of both healthy vending machines and, now, traditional and healthy micro markets. Steve Hyde, Owner, Hyde Enterprises Steve Hyde has been in the coffee service side of the industry for 40 years and has built relationships helping operators get started and grow their OCS business. Hyde focuses on the importance of coffee service in the micro market segment and believes this will be a challenge that continues into 2015. Michael Kasavana, NAMA Endowed Professor, MSU Dr. Michael Kasavana has been NAMA's endowed profes- sor for 14 years and since 1999 has devel- oped, delivered and/or moderated numerous sessions at trade shows. He annually delivers a two hour presentation on vending, refresh- ment and micro market technology as part of the MSU and NAMA joint industry Execu- tive Development Program. Among many other accom- plishments, he authored a revised 2014 NAMA Technician Handbook used to certify feld technicians in the industry. Butler Schlossberg Yates Hyde Kasavana Patel Gilbert Stay Independent, Not Alone! The vending industry is evolving quickly! The operational challenges to make vending relevant are immense, but so are the long term benefts to operators. Check out what USConnect is doing for our family of over 40 independently owned operator affliates. Contact info@usconnect.biz for information and market availability. Nationwide customer rewards and loyalty program, integrated vending, dining and micro market consumer promotions and charitable contributions are enabled by the USConnect OneCard. We feature a strong national accounts program, proprietary branded products, technology support, best practices and professional corporate imaging. We don't sell technology, we use it! Be prepared for the future and connect with us! info@usconnect.biz • www.usconnect.biz December 2014 VendingMarketWatch.com Automatic Merchandiser 17