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2015 ROUTE DRIVER OF THE YEAR QUARTERLY WINNER Chris Perret Refreshment Solutions, Norco, LA CHRIS PERRET goes the extra mile for his customers and his company. When the 13-year veteran route driver for Refreshment Solu- tions was recently running a route, another driver become ill in the feld so after fnishing his route, Perret went and completed the other driver's route, too. "This to me just demonstrates his dedication to Refreshment Solutions as well as dedication to customer service," said Chris Necaise, route driver manager for the Norco, LA-based vending company. Perret, the 2015 Fourth Quarter Route Driver of the Year award winner, puts his customers and company frst by ensuring that his machines are stocked, clean and working. He flls in for other route drivers and even learned all of the company's routes. He embraces changes such as technology innova- tions and micro markets without hesitation or complaint. "He just does it all and he does it well," said Necaise. "Chris is an all around top notch route driver." Many roles Perret understands the impor- tance of customer satisfaction and is determined to never let a cli- ent down. This past summer the company had a large turnaround at one of its biggest accounts. "Chris worked tirelessly to provide service to customers, and this included ser- vicing some machines twice in one day," recalled Necaise. But it's not just vending that Perret handles. In fact, he services offce coffee and micro market accounts in addition to vending, which Necaise notes, takes a large amount of fexibility and differ- ent skill sets. Perret learned all 25 routes the company operates so that he could fll in as a swing driver, oftentimes traveling between 2,000 and 2,500 miles each week to ensure that his customers don't encounter empty shelves or spirals. No matter what, Necaise says, Perret's machines are always cleaned, flled and working. "He is continuously at the top of our boards for machines flled daily/ weekly. Also in feld inspections of his machines we never fnd any issues with cleanliness. Products are always tucked properly in spindles and we don't encounter any route driver caused issues." A company man What Necaise appreciates most about his best route driver is the fact that he can rely on Perret to get the job done. "He has never missed work and he doesn't complain. Any challenge he encounters he overcomes," said Necaise. Perret is a great role model for other drivers, too. "I wish I had 10 more like him." When it came to nominating a route driver for this award, Necaise knew no one more deserving. "Chris deserves this award because of his constant drive to satisfy the cus- tomer," concluded Necaise. "He has a great work ethic and is loved by his customers. He goes above and beyond on a daily basis to provide our cus- tomers with the best service." By Adrienne Zimmer, Managing Editor Perret, a 13-year route driver, travels between 2,000–2,500 miles per week as a swing driver. Route Driver of the Year quar- terly winners receive $250 and are entered for the fnal Route Driver of the Year award pre- sented at the NAMA OneShow. Nominees are rated based on experience, miles traveled, com- ments, etc. The award is spon- sored by Mondelez International and Automatic Merchandiser. '' Any challenge he encounters he overcomes. '' Perret puts his company and customers first. 46 Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com December 2015