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FUTU R E
O F VE N D I N G
vending leaders will possess. New technology, in turn, creates the need for stronger fi nancial acumen since the technology adds more cost to operating the business. Rome Refreshments in Houston,
Texas is a 33-year-old company that utilizes DEX handhelds and is inves- tigating self checkout micro markets. Dominic Macerola, founder, hopes to pass the business to his 28-year-old son, G.P. Macerola, who is a lawyer by training. Dominic Macerola said operators must understand how to use new tools such as card readers and know when it makes sense to invest in them. "They (customers) want us to put it in the vending machines," he said. "If you don't know that (the use of the new tools), you're going to be out of the game." Marc Whitener, owner of Refreshment Solutions
in Norco, La., has been proactive in introducing wire- less pre-kitting. The company has also witnessed strong growth in recent years. Asked what he would do today as a newcomer, Whitener said he would fi nd ways to build a stronger fi nancial structure, one that would allow him to
Marc Whitener, a Norco, La. vendor, thinks financial skills are becoming more important in vending.
invest more in technology, acquisitions and salaries. All three of these areas, he noted, are interrelated.
Financial skills critical With technology playing a bigger role, Whitener said it's necessary to not only have the funds to pay for it, but to have people who are trained in how to use it. He said a formal fi nancial edu-
cation would be helpful to him today. Whitener studied economics in college, which he noted is not the same as fi nance. Vending operators need to do more than manage day-to-day expenses, he noted; they need to be capitalized for long-term growth. Steve Marx, another veteran operator who has
invested in technology in recent years, echoes Whit- ener's concerns about being fi nancially educated in order to deploy technology successfully. Marx, who owns Royal Vending in Maple Grove, Minn., has invested in cashless readers, DEXing his machines and in automated warehouse tools to allow him to pre-kit his routes. "You've got to know when and where to spend your money," Marx said. To these traits, Marx adds the importance of good communication and marketing skills. He thinks the vending industry continues to suffer from poor skills in these areas.
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Communication is an area that several veterans cited as important, both in relation to the customer and the staff. "You have to take time to invest in see- ing the client and building a relationship with them," said Tony Goodman, president of Goodman Vending Service in Reading, Pa. To this end, his company has become proactive with social media in addition to its print newsletter. Goodman said a well rounded education is more important than a focus on any one area of business.
Employee assessment to be key Greg Breland, president of Ocean Springs, Miss.-based Gulf Coast Canteen, said the demands required by automated management systems require managers to be more adept at identifying critical employee skills. While data management is highly automated using today's software, the data input requires attention to detail. A longtime operator, Breland said it is very hard to pre-qualify an employee's awareness of the impor- tance of detail. Breland seconds those who noted the importance of
motivating employees. "If you can't get your people to buy in, you're doomed," he said.
12 Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com April 2012
