Advantage Refreshments and Federal Machine Corp., a division of the Iowa’s Wittern Group, are hosting a free vending business seminar Feb. 24-26. The program is designed for vending business startups and promises to reveal “inside vending industry information.” Presenters include successful operators and executives from Federal Machine. They are:
Gary Joyner, owner of Advantage Refreshments in Fort Myer, Fla., is a factory-authorized Federal Machine distributor. Advantage, founded in 1994 in Orlando, operates in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama. He’s a 2016 Vending Pro to Know, an Automatic Merchandiser award.
Chip Wittern, president of the Wittern Group, brings 30 years’ experience in machine manufacturing.
Andy Bream, vice-president and general manager of Federal Machine, has been with the machine manufacturer for some 20 years. Bream is a member of the 2019 Vending Pros to Know class.
Brian Redmond, president of Revitalize Services of Marietta, Ga., which serves the Atlanta metro market. The company’s machine assets include more than 40 Federal units. Redmond is also a mentor to vendor startups.
Perry Narducci, owner of Narducci Enterprises of Davenport, Fla., which operates 30 Federal vending machines. He and his wife also own a convenience store and petroleum facility in central Florida and the largest jet ski rental business on St. Maarten.
Brandon Kuss, owner of Innovative Vending in Tampa, Fla., a new company founded in 2020. Innovative Vending has found a successful niche working with craft breweries in central Florida. Among the company’s featured vend products are elk and buffalo jerky, along with artisan smoked meats and cheeses.
The speakers will cover a range of topics, from profitability, inventory turns and merchandising techniques to cashless payments, finding (and keeping) high-value locations and management software.
The conference will also display the latest Federal Machine lineup, which includes full-line venders in the cold drink, fresh brew and hot drink, snacks and frozen food categories.
The Fun in the Sun conference will be held at Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, located at 6677 Sea Harbor Dr., Orlando, FL 32821. The nightly room rate is $114.
The schedule is:
Thursday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 26, from 10 a.m. to noon.
One $250 Visa gift card or one Apple iPad will be given to one member of each attending company or family on the last day. You must participate in the entire seminar to receive a free gift.
More information can be had by calling Gary Joyner at (828) 291-8323 or emailing [email protected].