Gerard Fantano, the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) vending branch manager is retiring on Feb. 1, 2016, after nearly 40 years of service. Fantano started his career when he began a Co-Op with the Navy Resale and Services Support Office's (NAVRESSO) Food Department in the summer 1976. In August 1978, he was hired as a Food Services Manager in Training. In April 1979, he reported as the Food Sales Manager in Guam. He held that position in Brunswick, Maine; New London, Conn.; and Orlando, Fla. In 1986, he was promoted to Services Operations Manager in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. He became the Vending Laundry/Dry Cleaning Specialist at NAVRESSO in 1988. He was promoted to NEXCOM’s Vending/Laundry Branch Manager in 1993.
Career Highlights:
In the early 1990s, Fantano worked with Starbucks / Seattle's Best to provide Seattle's Best Coffee in NEX mini marts. He coordinated the development of a branded bean grinder coffee machine which is now in use in industry. NEXCOM currently operates over 30 coffee machines.
In 1990, he established various vending manufacturer programs to establish system-wide pricing as well as manufacturer rebates. These programs provided direct ordering capabilities, lowered product costs and created the foundation for lower prices at the machine. Today, NEX vending manufacturer partners provide central annual rebates exceeding $150,000 / year.
He established a program for vending manufacturers to donate to Navy Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS). The program has generated over $500,000 to date for NMCRS.
In 1992, he developed the vending industry's first healthy snack program, Healthier Alternative. The program provided specific guidance and criteria to identify healthier products.
He developed the detailed specification to create a network based vending software management system. The Rutherford and Associates program, today known as MEI EasyTracks, was implemented by vending personnel and resulted in a six month payback / ROI. The savings were in timely machine reconciliation, reduction in admin time, timely and accurate inventory controls and the foundation for smarter procurement actions. Today, NEXCOM is still the only worldwide organization communicating with vending machine data via DEXING.
In 2012, NEXCOM began implementing credit card readers on direct run vending machines. Sales increases exceeded 30% and ROI was as high as 107% in some cases. Today, NEXCOM is moving forward implementing Micro Markets supporting Sailors in isolated workspaces.
