Vending Insight: Joe Ross, Director of National Accounts for Vending

I was recently asked what I feel is the biggest challenge or challenges facing the vending industry today.  In my opinion, it’s about managing change; from the size and type of the end user location, the regulatory environment, and the ever evolving product needs of the consumer.

As I walked the 2016 NAMA OneShow, the evolution of vending was quite clear. I saw a wide variety of new products and an assortment of better-for you and fresh items. With the growing demand towards healthier options, Vistar understands the need for better-for-you options and we offer all the top selling brands and healthier alternatives in the vending industry. We are continuously adding new items to our already robust healthier and fresh product portfolio, which currently has more than 2,600 items including:  salads, sandwiches, and yogurt.

As a representative for our National Account team, I am just so excited to have the resources to offer not only the top selling brands in the industry, but also provide a huge offering of healthier items to my customers to help drive their overall profitability. More importantly, for all those smaller operators out there, if you need assistance with better-for-you items, or any type of product selection, help is just a phone call away. Simply contact your local Vistar representative and they will develop and create a custom profolio to drive sustainable and profitable growth for your business...which is our number one goal.

Having been in this business for a long time, I am still amazed at the overall changes in the vending industry in just a short amount of time. What once was a junk food, sugar laden world, has now become a mainstay of convenient fresh and healthier snacks, meals, and beverages for people on the go, and will continue to grow. I am just so happy to be a part of this important transition and I, as well as Vistar, will continue to do our part to help make a difference for our customers and the vending industry.