April 2023 - 26

ROUTE DRIVER OF THE YEAR
Going the
extra mile
Mondelēz and Automatic
Merchandiser are pleased to
recognize this year's Route Driver
of the Year winner and runners-up.
The program honors hardworking,
innovative field personnel who
remain the backbone of the vending,
micro market and office coffee
service industry.
By Nick Montano, Contributing Editor
I
N ADDITION TO THE 500 WEEKLY ROUTE
miles clocked on Seattle's notoriously congested
freeways, Automatic Merchandiser's 2022
Route Driver of the Year, Don Rasabout, goes
plenty of extra miles for his customers, his company,
Evergreen Refreshments, and fellow route drivers.
The key to success for Evergreen, or any other
vending and foodservice organization, is recruiting
and retaining capable route drivers. Rasabout joined the
locally owned operation just six years ago, cutting his teeth as
a relief driver for vending, micro market and coffee routes.
Demonstrating a knack for sales and service, he was assigned
his own route after 13 months as a reliever.
Based out of Evergreen's Tukwila, Washington, branch,
Rasabout quickly earned the trust and admiration of his
coworkers. Evergreen is a full-line vending and breakroom
refreshments provider founded more than 40 years ago by
industry pioneer Jim Brinton. Brinton would later launch
Avanti Markets, a separate entity, that would become a
leading micro market technology company.
To prove the self-service market concept, long before
Rasabout joined the operation, Evergreen deployed its first
Avanti Market at a local Seattle news station. That micro
market was an instant success, and the starting point for
the independent vending operation's expansion that now
26 Automatic Merchandiser * April 2023
Presented by
Don Rasabout, Evergreen Refreshments
exceeds 800 self-checkout markets serving the Seattle
and Portland regions, as well as the Olympic Peninsula.
The company's service standards are high, and Rasabout,
a Seattle native, spends his days striving to exceed those
values in the workplaces he serves.
" Don is an amazing driver who brings positive energy
to the office, his fellow drivers and our customers, " said
Kimberly Graves, Evergreen's purchasing manager. " Don has
built a rapport with his accounts where customers see him
as a friend. During a recent ride-along with Don, I observed
that almost every account praised him as the 'coolest guy.'
Customers greet him by name. He's able to chat with them
but doesn't miss a beat filling and maintaining his markets. "
Among his customers he may be known as the " coolest
guy, " but his fellow Evergreen drivers consider him a warrior
and have dubbed his itinerary the " worst route. " Graves
explained, " Don travels farthest through the worst traffic
congestion to take care of our most demanding markets. "

April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2023

Editor’s Note
Industry News
How to succeed at NAMA 2023
2023 LEADERS OF THE PACK
Going the extra mile
Is pantry service still your golden goose?
YES, WE CAN!
Social Hubs
April 2023 - PCOV1
April 2023 - PCOV2
April 2023 - 1
April 2023 - 2
April 2023 - 3
April 2023 - 4
April 2023 - 5
April 2023 - Editor’s Note
April 2023 - 7
April 2023 - Industry News
April 2023 - 9
April 2023 - How to succeed at NAMA 2023
April 2023 - 11
April 2023 - 12
April 2023 - 13
April 2023 - 14
April 2023 - 15
April 2023 - 2023 LEADERS OF THE PACK
April 2023 - 17
April 2023 - 18
April 2023 - 19
April 2023 - 20
April 2023 - 21
April 2023 - 22
April 2023 - 23
April 2023 - 24
April 2023 - 25
April 2023 - Going the extra mile
April 2023 - 27
April 2023 - 28
April 2023 - 29
April 2023 - 30
April 2023 - 31
April 2023 - 32
April 2023 - 33
April 2023 - Is pantry service still your golden goose?
April 2023 - 35
April 2023 - 36
April 2023 - 37
April 2023 - 38
April 2023 - 39
April 2023 - 40
April 2023 - 41
April 2023 - 42
April 2023 - 43
April 2023 - 44
April 2023 - 45
April 2023 - 46
April 2023 - 47
April 2023 - YES, WE CAN!
April 2023 - 49
April 2023 - 50
April 2023 - 51
April 2023 - 52
April 2023 - 53
April 2023 - 54
April 2023 - 55
April 2023 - 56
April 2023 - 57
April 2023 - Social Hubs
April 2023 - 59
April 2023 - 60
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