Dear Tom Britten:
Gosh, I didn’t mean to demean the mom & pops of the vending industry. I try to choose words carefully, but maybe I bungled it by using the words of the vendor this particular time.
I think his larger point was that he believes it is unfair competition when some vendors don’t get their businesses licensed and insured. It is overhead they don’t pay, which he does. Also, lacking insurance can have devastating consequences for a lot of people if something goes wrong. This can happen in any business.
It might be easier to skip these costly legalities if the business operates “under the radar,” say from a garage. That doesn’t mean that every garage-based vendor does this.
Thanks for sending me your counterpoint. It made me think hard. I think it will make be a better reporter. And, thanks for reading,
Laura L. Ruane
Business reporter
The News-Press
Voice (239) 335-0392
Fax (239) 335-0265
Visit us on the Web at www.news-press.com
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Biography of Tom Britten:
Analyst, Intermediary, Professional Consultant. A full service resource to large and small operators "Helping Vending, OCS and Food Service Operators to Grow and Profit" 813.469.5437 tombritten@msn.com
Featured Speaker: Business Meetings, Trade Associations, Fraternal Groups, and Government Agencies
Topics: Security, Loss Prevention, Acquisitions/Divestitures, 25 Things That Don’t Change, Time Management, Effective Sales Prospecting
Consultant: Establish strength in the market place, significantly improve profitability.
Areas of Interest: Systematic Sales Prospecting/Booking New Business, Account Retention, Expense Management, Acquisitions and Divestitures/Exit Strategy, Increased Productivity, Right Sizing, Loss Prevention, Improved Internal Controls, Security Analysis, Executive Recruiting
Career Synopsis & Credentials: Tom Britten has broad-based operations and marketing experience in food service, vending and distribution. The client base he has served and sold extends to business / industrial, education, government, health care, and corrections facilities. He has worked in key positions both domestically and internationally and was instrumental in the introduction of Canteen’s full line services in Japan and reorganization of operations in Spain.
He successively progressed through executive positions at Macke, Service America, and Canteen where he became Vice President. He also served for eight years as Vice President of Sales and Operations for the Haddonfield Group, Management Consultants. In this assignment, he designed and implemented profit improvement programs for clients in retail and service businesses. In 2003, Britten formed Britten Management Services LLC, a profit improvement firm.
Professional Associations: Mr. Britten was a member of the Board of Directors of the state vending councils in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Washington. He is a former recipient of the NAMA chairman’s award for legislative action and has been widely published in a number of trade journals. He published the popular “25 Things That Don’t Change” which has been adopted as essential reading by many food and vending companies. He now serves on the editorial advisory board of Automatic Merchandiser magazine and holds a certificate of appointment as a Federal Contracting Officer for the Veterans Administration, where he is an appointed representative of the American Federation of Government Employees. Britten is also a past Chairman of the Human Relations Board of Hillsborough County.
He can be reached at tombritten@msn.com
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July 25th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Tom’s industry background is no doubt very vast as well as impressive. I just wish that some of the “new” corporate officers that sit around in their glass offices showed half as much savy in the industry as he has. Some of them are running their companies into the ground at this time, not realizing how their present actions may influence the companies future. Remember, reap tomorrow what you sow today. Don’t pluck the fruit from the tree too early or you may diminish future returns when times are better.