Meet Dean Prather, and take a company tour of Quality Vending & Coffee — an operator that has served the greater Kansas City metro area for decades — in the latest episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast with Bob Tullio.
Dean shares the company journey and his route to becoming a prominent figure in the convenience services business. As it turns out, he has emerged as an inventor, and his product is having a positive impact on operators around the country.
Like many great companies, Quality Vending & Coffee was started in a garage. In 1991, Don Miceli and his late wife Jo Beth launched the company, a bold move following Don’s 30 years in the business working for Interstate United and another local independent operator. Don and Jo Beth decided it was time to do their own thing, and they brought in their son Carl as well.
Less than a year into their new venture and with a growing list of accounts, Don reached out to his son-in-law, Dean Prather, about joining their team. Over 30 years later, Prather — now a co-owner — knows he made the right choice.
This is part one of a two-episode conversation with Dean because once he gets going in an interview, he has some excellent insights to offer.
