Brian Anderson is helping transform how Continental uses supply chain strategy, operational data and performance management to drive sustainable growth. As senior vice president of operations, supply chain and distribution for Continental, he brings more than two decades of operations and logistics leadership experience to the convenience services industry, including nearly 15 years in leadership roles at Aldi. At Continental, Anderson focuses on initiatives that modernize operations, improve visibility, and drive growth. He led the development of the CORE Dashboard, a centralized platform that aligns teams around consistent operational and financial KPIs and gives leaders a single source of truth. He also established unit-based productivity metrics for labor, routes and distribution, improving visibility and accountability.

Beyond reporting and analytics, Brian is leading route optimization, distribution network modernization and supply chain integration efforts, along with improvements in pricing strategy, forecasting and replenishment optimization. From Q1 to Q2 2026, Continental’s Refreshment Services Group improved stockout performance by 3.9%, reduced waste by 11.2%, and increased same-store-sales unit growth by 1.12 points across its vending and market operations. His work demonstrates how data-driven operations can improve efficiency, customer experience and sustainable growth.

David Barrientos serves as regional sales manager for Flowers Foods’ Away From Home business. Leveraging decades of food and beverage industry experience, he works closely with customers and distribution partners to drive growth, strengthen relationships, and deliver exceptional service. Since joining Flowers in 2019, David has played a key role in expanding the company’s presence in the Vending and Foodservice channels, including leading the successful launch of the Wonder brand in convenience retailers across the North Division, where sales significantly exceeded expectations.

William “Bill” Bartholic is vice president, enterprise sales at 365 Retail Markets, where he supports enterprise operators. Following 365’s acquisition of Cantaloupe, Bill brings deep experience in unattended retail, vending, micro markets, payments and self-service technology to help operators identify solutions that improve efficiency, expand consumer convenience and support long-term growth. Bill has spent more than a decade in sales leadership across Cantaloupe, USA Technologies and related industry roles, including enterprise sales, regional sales, operations and sales and marketing. His background gives him a practical understanding of operator challenges and the technology decisions that shape modern unattended retail programs.

In his current role, he helps customers navigate a broader portfolio of solutions across payments, kiosks, smart stores, telemetry, software and connected retail experiences. Known for his operator-first perspective and industry knowledge, Bill is focused on helping customers adopt technology that creates measurable business value while improving the consumer experience.

Jim is a well-respected and well-known professional with more than 35 years of experience in sales, marketing, management, training, business development and strategic planning. A results-focused operations and sales leader with versatility and passion, Jim is recognized for his strategic thinking, creative problem-solving and fact-based decision-making. He has strong managerial experience and is customer-centric, with excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Jim retired in September 2020 after selling Tradecraft to the Compass Group, but he later returned to the workforce as WithMe’s vice president of operations. He now serves as vice president of coffee experience. Jim cites WithMe’s unique business model as the reason why he jumped back into the working world.

As a third-generation leader at Canteen of Northern California, Shaun is helping shape the future of the unattended retail industry through innovation, technology and strategic leadership. Over the past decade, he has modernized the family business by implementing cashless payment systems, smart stores, micro markets and advanced operational technologies that have transformed the customer experience and improved business performance. An early adopter of emerging technologies, Shaun has partnered with industry leaders to pilot new equipment and digital solutions, helping drive innovation across the unattended retail sector. He oversees the company’s vending, unattended retail, coffee and pantry divisions while focusing on sustainable growth, operational excellence and long-term partnerships. Driven by a passion for innovation and continuous improvement, Shaun believes the future of unattended retail will be shaped by technology, exceptional service and strong partnerships, and he is committed to helping lead that transformation.

With more than 38 years of experience in vending, micro markets, office coffee service and refreshment solutions, TJ Guffey has built a reputation as a respected industry leader known for his operational expertise, customer-first mindset and commitment to developing people. Having progressed from route operations to senior executive leadership, TJ brings a unique understanding of every aspect of the business and the challenges facing operators today.

Jason Joyner is the co-founder and owner of VendAmerica, a turnkey vending and unattended retail company he built from the ground up in 2025. VendAmerica gives first-time owners a legitimate path into the vending business, putting the buyer first with honest terms, straight answers and real operating support. Jason brings roughly 30 years of hands-on experience in vending and refreshment services, much of it at Advantage Refreshments, the company his father, Gary Joyner, founded in 1994. As president of Advantage, Jason was named a 2024 Automatic Merchandiser Pro to Know, the same year his father was honored as a Legend of the Year. After Gary’s passing in 2025, Jason founded VendAmerica to carry his father’s legacy forward, rebuilding the turnkey model around trust and genuine support for the people entering the trade.

Aroon Khatter is the founder and CEO of Vendekin Technologies, a global unattended retail technology company transforming vending and micro market operations through smart machines, digital payments, remote management and artificial intelligence. Under his leadership, Vendekin has expanded across 15 countries and built partnerships with operators, resellers and enterprise customers across India, North America, Europe and the Middle East. Aroon has led the creation and commercialization of Vendekin’s proprietary hardware, software and machine-learning technologies. The company holds eight granted patents across the United States, United Kingdom and India, with additional innovations progressing through the patent pipeline. Its technology portfolio includes cashless-payment systems, smart-machine solutions, vending management software and VendAIQ, an AI-powered platform that helps operators improve sales, inventory planning and operational efficiency. Known for combining product innovation with a practical understanding of operator challenges, Aroon is focused on making advanced unattended-retail technology commercially valuable, scalable and easy to deploy.

Benedict Köhncke is vice president of product at Boost inc, Europe’s leading unattended retail platform. He leads the team behind the company’s technology portfolio, which includes Vendlive, a hardware-agnostic operating system, as well as Boost inc’s integrated hardware solutions relied on by operators, OEMs and brands. During his time at Boost, Benedict focused on building and professionalizing the product function, laying the foundation for the company’s rapid expansion. Together with his team, he has developed a scalable product offering that now serves more than 800 customers across three continents. Most recent among these is the Compact Range, a cost-effective alternative to conventional vending solutions. Benedict is known as a connector who brings Boost’s Product, Engineering, Operations and Commercial teams together to deliver at pace.

Before joining Boost inc, Benedict built and led the real estate brokerage business and drove the expansion of the marketplaces ecosystem at Comparis, Switzerland’s leading online comparison platform.

Annelous Konijnenberg has spent the last few years redefining what a screen on an unattended retail machine can do and proving that better UX is a commercial lever, not a design luxury. She holds a dual mandate as product owner for points of sale and UX/UI lead at Boost inc, giving her fluency in both the aesthetic and technical sides of product development. Her team’s UX-led solutions now drive an average 35% increase in basket size and up to 45% revenue growth for operators using her solutions compared to traditional vending. Annelous’ work has already helped Boost inc win the Best Automated Retail Solution award at The Vendies 2025 and the 2025 European Vending Association Jury Award.

Annelous is a rare example of a leader who stays close enough to the hardware to never lose sight of the person standing in front of it and who is driven to make automated retail both more human and more profitable.

Lizette Leos is the national sales manager for the vending and micro market channel at Shamrock Farms, where she leads strategic growth initiatives with national operators, distributors and key industry partners across the United States. She has built a reputation for developing innovative customer programs, driving category growth and creating long-term partnerships that deliver measurable results.

Under her leadership, Shamrock Farms’ Rockin’ Protein brand has expanded significantly in the vending and unattended retail channel, including triple-digit year-over-year growth and successful national program launches with leading operators. Lizette is known for combining data-driven strategy with a customer-first approach, helping operators grow sales while providing consumers with high quality dairy and protein beverage solutions. Her collaborative leadership, passion for innovation and commitment to advancing the unattended retail industry have earned her the respect of customers, colleagues and peers.

Jessica Liva has been part of the vending and micro market industry for nearly 20 years. Her journey began in the warehouse at her father’s company, where she learned the business from the ground up. After gaining hands-on experience, she moved into the office and transitioned into sales. Over the years, she has grown alongside the industry. She started by selling plastic refurbishment panels for vending machines, expanded into vending graphics and then embraced the industry’s evolution into micro markets.

Rather than simply selling products, she focuses on helping customers create functional, attractive breakrooms that fit their spaces. Because no two breakrooms or micro markets are the same, she works closely with each customer to understand their goals, optimize traffic flow and determine the best layout and product solutions. Her consultative approach ensures every market is designed to maximize both appearance and functionality. As technology transforms the unattended retail industry, she remains committed to learning, adapting and providing innovative solutions that help her customers succeed.

Dave Mandella has been a leader in the workplace refreshment industry since 1991, beginning his career while serving in the United States Navy. Today, as senior vice president of sales and strategic relationships for American Food & Vending (AFV), he helps organizations transform breakrooms into engaging workplace destinations that enhance employee satisfaction, wellness and productivity. With more than three decades of experience, Dave specializes in micro markets, office coffee, vending, pantry services, cafés and workplace technology. He is recognized for building lasting client relationships, developing high performing sales teams and delivering innovative solutions that improve the employee experience while achieving business objectives. A respected industry leader and mentor, Dave is passionate about helping employers view workplace amenities as a strategic investment that strengthens culture, supports retention and creates measurable value for employees and organizations alike.

Patrick McGinty is the founder and CEO of VendVue, a national breakroom management and business development company connecting organizations with vending, micro market, office coffee, water and smart retail solutions across North America. With more than 20 years of convenience services industry experience, McGinty has built, operated and sold vending businesses and has been involved in placing and managing thousands of machines across hundreds of customer locations.

Today, he is focused on building VendVue into a national platform that combines centralized account management with strong local service and execution. McGinty was named to Automatic Merchandiser’s 2026 40 Under 40 class and has contributed to industry education through webinars, presentations and thought leadership focused on sales, customer acquisition and business development. Through VendVue’s “Path to 5,000,” McGinty is publicly documenting the company’s mission to build a portfolio of 5,000 breakroom accounts while exploring new ways to sell and manage convenience services nationwide across multiple markets.

Coming from a background in business economics, Viktória joined Boost Inc. in business development and sales before transitioning to lead high impact initiatives within the product and technology organization. Prior to Boost, she built a spatial portfolio management platform, completed chef and wine expert training, and gained exposure to several industries through internships. At Boost, Viktória has been managing major hardware integrations, field upgrades and the development of new products across the company’s portfolio. She recently stepped into the role of product line lead, where she continues to shape the Boost inc product direction.

Viktória grew up in Hungary, spent a decade in Switzerland, and recently moved to London. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, dancing, and cooking.

Charlie Rodney is a team member and principal at Vend Guys, an unattended retail reseller specializing in modern vending setups, traditional equipment and AI-powered smart coolers such as HaHa smart vending units. He works with new and scaling vending operators to help source machines, consult on deployments and provide industry guidance. Often credited with triggering the industry explosion in smart coolers, Vend Guys has since pioneered several unique industry add-ons, including its proprietary Connectivity Consult, its take on VMS software, and a suite of hardware add-ons for coolers and micro markets to ensure enhanced connections.

Stacie Ruiz serves as regional vice president of sales for Canteen, a Compass Group company, leading business development and sales strategy across multiple states in the Midwest and Southwest. With more than 25 years of experience in sales leadership within the foodservice and workplace refreshment industry, she has built a reputation for driving growth, developing high performing teams and delivering innovative solutions that enhance the workplace experience.

Throughout her career, Stacie has led large client pursuits and strategic initiatives, securing major accounts across corporate, healthcare, manufacturing, higher education, hospitality and emerging data center markets. She has played an instrumental role in advancing Canteen’s growth in the rapidly expanding data center sector, helping develop solutions that support both construction and operational environments for some of the industry’s most recognized organizations. Known for her consultative leadership style and customer-focused approach, she excels at aligning cross-functional teams to deliver results, build lasting partnerships and create experiences that support client success and employee engagement.

Matt Ryan, general manager at Sheehan Brothers Vending, began working in the vending industry part-time while in high school and then worked in the industry on and off through college. He returned to the industry in OCS sales and service. At Sheehan Brothers Vending, he was able to grow the OCS portion of the business by 100% in less than two years. He then shifted to the vending side of the business, focusing on security and cash accountability. He implemented a cash meter accountability system that helped eliminate cash shortages. He was promoted to route supervisor and, several years later, named general manager. During this time, Matt oversaw the implementation of planograms, credit cards, micro markets, telemetry and pick-to-light systems.

David Stiehler is senior director of operations at Automated Retail Technologies (ART), where he has spent the past five years helping scale the company’s automated food service platform, the Just Baked Smart Bistro.

A retired United States Marine, David carries the discipline, leadership and mission-first mindset from his military service into overseeing ART’s day-to-day operations, guiding the company through rapid growth and high profile partnerships with brands like White Castle and Sodexo. He got his start at ART as an implementation manager, building a ground-level understanding of the business that shapes how he leads today.

Outside of work, David is a devoted husband and proud father of two. Family time is what keeps him grounded in a fast-moving industry. Based in San Antonio, Texas, he remains committed to advancing automated retail technology that makes quality food more accessible to consumers, anytime and anywhere.

Mike Swaim has worked in the OCS industry since 2000, when he began his career as a service technician with Filterfresh Coffee Service. Throughout his career, he has developed extensive expertise in coffee equipment service, technical support, training and leadership. While at Filterfresh Coffee, Mike advanced to roles as a service manager and regional service advisor, helping technicians develop their skills and improve service quality. He later joined Aramark Coffee as a service manager, where he led service operations and earned the company’s Service Manager of the Year Award for his leadership and commitment to excellence.

Today, Mike serves as a technical sales lead with Evoca Group. In this role, he provides technical training and support on the company’s coffee equipment, working with technicians and service organizations throughout the West Coast. His extensive industry experience, technical knowledge, and passion for training continue to make him a valued leader in the OCS industry.

Ariel Theraube is vice president of product management, client and consumer experience at 365 Retail Markets, where she leads strategy and delivery across mobile applications, kiosks, micro markets, dining, loyalty, payments and computer vision retail. With more than a decade of experience in product management, digital production and experience design, Ariel has helped advance a more connected retail ecosystem at 365. She focuses on creating experiences that are intuitive for shoppers, efficient for operators and scalable for teams. When she is not working, Ariel can be found with her German Shorthaired Pointer, Sasha, combing through vintage shops and enjoying all the great food Los Angeles has to offer.

Ben Thomas is vice president of retail product strategy for North America at Nayax, where he leads strategy, product development and commercialization for the company’s unattended retail solutions, including smart coolers, micro markets, smart stores and OEM technology partnerships. With more than 15 years of experience spanning payments, retail technology, product strategy and business development, Ben focuses on helping operators and technology providers leverage open payment platforms to accelerate innovation and business growth.

Prior to joining Nayax, Ben co-founded Yoke Payments, which was acquired by Cantaloupe in 2021. Throughout his career, he has helped launch and scale solutions across vending, micro markets, smart retail and enterprise foodservice. Over the past year, Ben has played a key role in expanding Nayax’s smart retail ecosystem by bringing new OEM partners to market, supporting the launch of the Nova Smart Cooler and Nova Market platform, and helping operators adopt next-generation unattended retail technologies. His passion is creating an open ecosystem where innovative technology companies can grow faster while giving operators greater flexibility, better economics, and a superior consumer experience.

Jacki Wilson is a sales and business strategy leader with more than a decade of experience across food, beverage and hospitality-adjacent industries. She currently serves as national partnerships manager at Bevi, the smart beverage machine company. Before joining Bevi, Jacki spent several years working with Compass, Sodexo and Aramark within OCS and food service, government/military and higher education — all sectors she now manages at Bevi.

Jacki holds a BA/MA from GSU and has completed multiple certificates through Harvard Business School in negotiation mastery, power and influence, and women in leadership. She spent many years mentoring at #GirlsClub, an organization created to support upcoming women in sales and leadership.

John is the business development manager for All Star Services in Port Huron, Mich. A graduate of Western Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in finance, he brings a strong business background and more than 12 years of experience in the convenience services industry. After a successful career as a self-employed business owner, John transitioned into convenience services, where he has worked with multiple Michigan-based operators and built a reputation for developing lasting customer relationships and driving business growth. Throughout his career in the industry, he has consistently met or exceeded sales goals while helping customers identify solutions that improve their operations. Outside of work, John has been married to his wife, Kim, for 28 years and enjoys spending time with their two sons.

Having helped take Nayax global over the past 20 years whilst building Nayax UK & IE, Lewis Zimbler, transitioned to the United States last year to join VendTech as senior vice president of payments and technology.

Now overseeing all things tech for the growing VendTech group of companies, he still holds payments close to his heart whilst expanding and transferring his knowledge and skill sets to adopt multiple SaaS revenue streams within the VendTech product ranges.

The Gimme team builds software and hardware for the unattended retail industry — vending, micro markets, and office coffee service — and has helped operators across North America move off spreadsheets and disconnected systems onto a single, agnostic platform. Founded in 2014 out of Georgia Tech, the company is led by CEO Evan Jarecki, an electrical engineering graduate named individually to Automatic Merchandiser's Pros to Know four times, who mentors entrepreneurs through Georgia Tech's CREATE-X program. Rather than compete to own hardware or payments, Gimme integrates with whatever operators already run — cashless, kiosks, smart coolers — so the software layer stays consistent no matter what's plugged into it. This year the team formalized a cashless partnership with Ingenico, expanded its enterprise footprint through CCBSS, and kept building out its GKP hardware line and Field service platform. Small team, lean by design, with engineering support through a dedicated development partnership.

Pot O’ Gold Coffee Service has been one of the leading office coffee providers in the Pacific Northwest since its founding in 1986. Today, the company is owned and operated by father-and-son duo Larry and Blake Jones.  With a team of approximately 40 employees, Pot O’ Gold has evolved into a one-stop shop for workplace breakroom needs, offering everything from comprehensive pantry service to alcoholic beverage solutions.  Pot O’ Gold’s industry recognition and achievements include being named a Pros to Know honoree in 2019, 2022, and 2024, as well as being recognized as one of the Best Companies to Work For in Washington in 2023, 2024, and 2025 by Seattle Business Magazine.

Adam Adelson is Coffee Sales Manager at HYDR8 and leads the growth of CAFFEIN8, the company’s office coffee and convenience beverage division. He brings deep, hands-on expertise in coffee equipment, consultative sales, recurring-revenue programs, and long-term account development. Beyond his individual production, Adelson is a trusted sales leader and mentor. He tracks recurring revenue, demos, equipment placements, and consumable performance while helping representatives simplify proposals, strengthen negotiations, and keep the customer’s operational needs at the center of the sale. Known for balancing urgency with long-term relationship building, Adelson focuses on programs that are easy to understand, practical to operate, and backed by dependable service.

What sets Tech 2 Success apart is its industry specialization paired with future-focused innovation. With more than a decade of experience serving the convenience services industry, Tech 2 Success understands the operational challenges operators face and develops technology solutions specifically designed to address them.

Rather than offering disconnected products or generic IT services, Tech 2 Success serves as a comprehensive technology partner, helping businesses integrate and manage the systems that keep their operations moving. Solutions span integrated B2B e-commerce and VMS connectivity, Tech2GO pantry service and preventative maintenance applications, managed OptConnect connectivity, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity and Microsoft services, as well as website development, AEO and emerging AI/GEO search strategies.

The team continues to invest in emerging technology and practical innovation, helping operators improve efficiency, strengthen business resilience, adapt to changing customer expectations and take advantage of new opportunities created by AI and automation. Key personnel include John Hickey, CEO; Brian Butrym, vice president of web services and development; and Darryl Perkins, cloud services manager.