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Paul Housman is a class act. The 40-year-old father of two carries himself with a sense of dignity and there is a look of peaceful serenity in his eyes. He dresses casually, is neat and clean, and despite being constantly exposed to snacks and refreshments, has the waistline of a man half his age.

Spend a few minutes with Housman, and you learn that the quiet, reserved gentleman takes great pride in his work. His personal philosophy is that you get out of life what you put into it. After 18 years in the vending industry, Housman has put in quite a lot and gained a rewarding life in return. As the lead driver for a fast growing vending operation in Newport News, Va., he enjoys the freedom of managing his own schedule and the respect of his employer, his co-workers and his customers.

Housman, the winner of the fourth annual Automatic Merchandiser Route Driver of the Year Award, has excelled in his field out of love for the job and his commitment to pleasing his customers. He appreciates the freedom that being a vending route driver provides him, and the sense of family at Peninsula Vending Services in Newport News, Va.

Housman was nominated for the honor by his employers, partners Greg Whitehead and Jason Banwart, who credit him for taking their business to a higher level of professionalism. Having purchased Peninsula Vending in 2001, the new owners have more than quadrupled sales in the past six years. They feel fortunate to have met Housman at a time when they needed a seasoned driver. Whitehead and Banwart were not vending veterans, so they were receptive to advice from a trusted source like Paul Housman.

Housman offers a wealth of knowledge

Housman has taught Peninsula Vending's staff better ways to merchandise machines, organize the warehouse, and load the trucks. The most important lesson, the partners agree, has been his uncompromised commitment to pleasing customers. Because of Housman, the company continues to provide a high level of customer service that the owners know is necessary to succeed in vending. Housman is the rare driver who will take a call at home on a Sunday and deliver a case of soda to a customer.

“He is a critical contributor to our company's high customer service standards, financial success, and to our future stability,” said Whitehead. “He is unfailingly courteous to our customers, and by devoting his attention to their needs, he has brought every account that he services to all-time peak sales levels.”

Strong work ethic instilled at an early age

Housman was influenced as a youngster by his mother, a manager for a manufacturing company, and his uncle, who operated gasoline stations. Both demonstrated a high level of commitment to their work and instilled in Housman a strong work ethic. “I always admired them,” he said. After graduating from high school in Gloucester, Va., Housman went to work for his uncle in one of his service stations.

When his uncle sold his service station business, Housman took a job as a vending route driver with a local vending company. Housman, who had recently married, liked the vending business and he immediately enjoyed working as a route driver. He was trained by a supervisor whom he remembers as demanding but fair. “You either learned it and did it the right way, or you were ‘done,'” Housman recalled.

Change in employment

When Housman met Whitehead and Banwart two years ago, he admired their commitment to customer service. He was ready for a chance to work for a smaller company where he might find greater independence and opportunities. When they offered him a job at their fast growing company, he accepted. “It was the best decision I ever made,” he said. “The company makes it worth my while. They've got a great philosophy. I feel a sense of obligation to make the company money that's paying me my paycheck.”