Vending & OCS Nation Podcast

With the NAMA Show landing in Dallas, Texas this year, Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation Podcast host Bob Tullio thought this would be a good time to explore the journey of a Dallas operator,  Louis Baresh of Executive Refreshment. 

Tullio says the first time he met Louis Baresh, he knew Baresh was on his way to being a bright star in the industry. In 2022, Baresh was recognized as one of Automatic Merchandiser’s 40...

Fixturelite, based in Phoenix, Arizona, has been the industry’s leading supplier of micro market retail displays, equipment and design tools for ten years. But they didn’t start out that way. Steve Orlando and Troy Geis were successful operators who discovered the micro market business early on and realized that this new solution was going to be big.

Orlando and Geis kept hearing from industry experts and micro market pioneers that...

The 2024 NAMA Show in Dallas is just a few weeks away and from all indications, it will be one of the biggest gatherings the convenience services industry has ever seen. 

On this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation Podcast, in partnership with NAMA, it’s all about the NAMA Show in Dallas – May 7th through May 9th. 

Podcast host Bob Tullio talks to Kristen Griffith, Vice President of Programs and Services fo...

Kim Miros doesn’t think much about being a successful female business owner. What she is truly proud of is where her business is now – capable of providing for herself, her employees and their families. Talking about it brings a tear to her eye.

This new episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, Bob Tullio focuses on the journey of Ocala, Florida, based Kim Miros – Owner of DAC Total Refreshments. Kim admits tha...

A recent Wall Street Journal article points to vending as a strong investment trend of the 2020’s. Reports on social media portraying the vending business as easy money are drawing entrepreneurs toward the vending business. Can they be successful competing against established operators?

This edition of Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation Podcast explores the world of small operators, as host Bob Tullio talks to two sm...

For Linda Saldana, the co-founder of Seventh Wave Refreshments in Atlanta, there is plenty of joy to go around. That's why Vending & OCS Nation host Bob Tullio decided to tell her story in two parts. 

In our first podcast episode this month, we focused on Linda's journey.  That episode was entitled, “To deliver joy, Linda Saldana brings faith, passion and energy to her work.”

Then we talked about the art of business storytellin...

Storytelling is a powerful way to communicate with people - personally and in business. Knowing the fundamentals and understanding certain key strategies can make the difference when using storytelling to help clients and prospects make the right choices. 

In our last episode, featuring Linda Saldana of Seventh Wave Refreshments, she made reference to storytelling, a sales technique that Vending & OCS Nation host Bob Tullio has...

Chances are, if you are in the convenience services business, you have heard the name, Linda Saldana. In 2023, Automatic Merchandiser named her as one of the "Most Influential Women in Convenience Services."

In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, host Bob Tullio sat down with Linda Saldana to talk about her professional and her closely connected spiritual journey. Largely because of her visibility on ...

A family business can change dramatically from one generation to the next. That’s exactly what happened after Jim Evans joined Evans Quality Coffee. He followed societal shifts to move the company from industrial/mobile catering to vending and coffee.

On this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, host Bob Tullio gives you a view from the big apple – a conversation with industry veteran Jim Evans of Evans Qua...

Bob Tullio, the host of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, is the first to admit that he loves telling his listeners a good success story, whether it is the story of an operator or supplier who has something special to offer. 

In this episode, we explore the journey of an entrepreneur who is a bit of a disrupter. Now in his early 30’s, Jonathan Noori has taken his operation – Royalty Distribution, from being a modes...

In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation podcast, host Bob Tullio explores two sides of Jennifer Fox, owner of Fox Vending in the Chicago area. It's about overcoming personal challenges and doing what it takes to succeed in business.

You will hear the dramatic story of Dragonolia and Herren project, all driven by the loss of her brother and how these philanthropic efforts have helped her thrive on a pers...

In 2023, Automatic Merchandiser recognized Jennifer Fox, president of Fox Vending in the Chicago area, as one of the industry’s most influential women. In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation podcast, host Bob Tullio talks to Fox about her journey and her courageous approach to doing business. 

Jennifer Fox’s story will be told in two parts, Bob Tullio is sure you will find the content quite compelling....

How often do you think about lighting? In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation podcast, host Bob Tullio talks to some leading micro market consultants and to Cam Cloeter, the founder of Lighting for Impact, a company that is literally dominating the retail lighting market from coast to coast.

Based on the data presented by retailers that are served by Lighting for Impact, their entry into the micro mark...

Bob Tullio, the host of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, admits that the title of this podcast makes a bold claim, but he stands by it for good reason. “I know these three business development strategies work, because I have seen them work. This will guarantee success for operators in 2024,” he said.

Tullio is a firm believer that there is a certain time, place and market condition that is right for various busine...

In this 25th episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, the podcast for the convenience services industry, host Bob Tullio brings listeners a Special Edition – it’s the best of 2023, featuring some of the most interesting comments and insights that we heard this year from operators and suppliers.

Enjoy excerpts from 18 different episodes, with comments from Bob Tullio, Matthew Marsh, Sandy Schoenthaler, Kim Miros...

After David Ashforth sold his vending business in the UK in 2008, he came to San Francisco, expecting to see high tech everything, including vending machines. He was shocked by what he saw. Vending machines in America were anything but high tech.    

In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, host Bob Tullio talks with David Ashforth, who saw an opportunity, launched Digital Media Vending and began manufa...

One of the things Bob Tullio loves about hosting Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation podcast, is having the opportunity to learn about the journey of both suppliers and operators. For him, this episode, “A down to earth conversation with Dan Welch of World Cup Coffee,” turned out to be a most enjoyable interview.               

When his dad, Don Welch, purchased their company in Portland Oregon back in 1985, it was kn...

There is old saying in the world of finance – “Cash is king.” Not so for vending and micro market operators, where it is all about cashless payment, as consumers, particularly younger customers, rely on operators to offer quick and easy cashless payment solutions.

In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, host Bob Tullio explores the many cashless payment providers that are available, focusing on the sol...

The coffee service industry has undergone quite a test of resilience since the start of the pandemic, not helped in the last year by the slow return of workers to the office. There was a clear sense of cautious optimism on display at the 2023 Coffee, Tea and Water Show (CTW) in Indianapolis – a sense that 2024 could be the start of better times ahead.

What do OCS operators need to do to succeed in 2024? When the question was asked ...