Automatic Merchandiser

APR 2015

Automatic Merchandiser serves the business management, marketing, technology and product information needs of its readers including vending operators, coffee service operators, product brokers, and product and equipment distributors in print.

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2014 ROUTE DRIVER OF THE YEAR OVERALL WINNER Rodney Montgomery Imperial, LLC, Tulsa, OK WHEN RODNEY Montgomery stepped into his frst day of high school Algebra, he saw a sign on the chalkboard that read, "Never settle for mediocrity. Always ask yourself Why not excellence?" Dur- ing his last twenty years as a route driver for Imperial, LLC in Tulsa, OK, Montgomery has been working by that motto. The overall 2014 Route Driver of the Year winner, Montgomery treats each day as a new oppor- tunity to surpass mediocrity by providing the best service to his customers, fnding new ways of becoming more effcient on his routes and using technology to increase profts. "I don't want to be mediocre," he said. "Whatever I do, I want to be the best." The fve year plan In 1995, Montgomery came into the vending industry by chance. At the age of 25 he had been work- ing nights as a manager for UPS. He liked the work, but he and his wife, Jenny, were expecting their third child and working night hours was not going to be an option. An opportunity to take a job with more fexible hours and better pay came one day when an old friend called Montgomery and told him that Impe- rial, LLC had an open- ing for a route driver. "Working in the vending indus- try was part of my fve year plan," Montgomery chuckled. "At 25 I was headstrong and confdent that I could do anything I put my mind to," he said. As it turned out, Montgomery enjoyed vending. He enjoyed the freedom and pride it gave him and his fve year plan became a thing of the past. On Jan. 3, 2015, Mont- gomery celebrated his twentieth anniversary at Imperial, LLC. Technology transformations One thing that has kept Montgom- ery going as a route driver has been the transformation of his job due to technology. It has become easier, he says. "When I frst started as a driver I'd have to turn in my own orders," he recalled. "I'd pull up to a stop, go in and count my machines down. I'd come back to the truck, pull the product and then go back in. It was set up static so I had a schedule of when and how often I'd go to stops." Rodney Montgomery of Imperial, LLC crowned Route Driver of the Year By Adrienne Zimmer, Managing Editor Profle: Imperial, LLC Year founded: 1979 Location: Corporate Headquarters in Tulsa, OK Offces in OKC, OK; Lawton, OK; Muskogee, OK; Fort Smith, AR; Russellville, AR; Mtn. Home, AR; and Springdale, AR Number of employees: 500 Number of routes: 112 Annual sales: More than $55 million

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