april2024 - 29

Ruben Cortez, the director of purchasing with
Dependable Break Room Solutions, also shared how
Dogoldogol takes great pride in his work and especially
in providing the best customer service possible: " He goes
beyond his job title of just being a route driver. He is a
true professional in every sense of the word. Peter will
take his time to examine every piece of equipment on his
route to ensure it is working properly. If a customer is
having an issue with a piece of equipment out in the field,
Peter will do his best to troubleshoot it before having
to make a service call for a technician to come out and
service the equipment. If Peter gets the said equipment
fixed, he will go to the customer, show the customer that
the equipment is now working properly and show them
what the issue was and explain to them how to avoid this
issue going forward to the customer. "
Steve Tomes, general manager, also shared that " Peter
understands guest service and always makes that his
focus while in the accounts he services. Regardless of
his daily challenges on the route, he never compromises
when addressing the needs of our clients. "
And, Romario Medina, manager of merchandising
and consolidation, added: " Peter is a hardworking,
honest, dependable person with a great personality and
a joyous attitude. He is a perfect candidate for the 2023
Route Driver of the Year award. Peter is loved, not just by
the customers because of his wonderful customer service,
he is also loved by everyone he works with. "
2023 Route Driver of the Year Runners-Up
TOM ALMENDAREZ, ALL STAR SERVICES INC.
Tom Almendarez from Fort Gratiot, Michigan, has
been with All Star Services since 2014. " During this
time, he has become the standard by which all other
drivers are compared to, " shared Fred Kading, Northern
district manager. " He has a massive route that he services
to the highest degree. Tom is loved by his customers and
revered by his peers. "
Almendarez services vending, micro markets, OCS
and pantries, while maintaining a level of accuracy
that has earned him the position of top trainer in the
company when onboarding new employees.
" His route without wavering is the highest volume
route in the company, based on a single-person, fiveday-a-week
route, " Kading continued. " His work is
impeccable, and customer service is second to none.
In his 10 years with our company, his attendance
and safety record are flawless. Tom takes complete
Karen Wright, Imperial Vending LLC
" Karen will service an account twice in one day just
to make sure they have enough to get them through
the weekend, " said Amy Metcalf, operations manager
at Imperial Vending. " In my experience, drivers such as
Karen are rare, and that is why I am so excited for the
chance to give her the recognition she deserves. " ■
April 2024 * VendingMarketWatch.com 29
Tom Almendarez (on left) with Fred Kading,
All Star Services
ownership of his route, staying engaged in combating
food waste, low-volume accounts and service intervals.
He is an exceptional worker who has given years of
impeccable, reliable service. "
Almendarez added, " I'm grateful for the recognition
as a runner-up for Route Driver of the Year, and I want
to express my thanks to Fred for the nomination. "
KAREN WRIGHT, IMPERIAL VENDING LLC
Karen Wright started her vending career in 1994 and
has grown with the company throughout the changes of
being CM Vending, Jackson Brothers Vending, and now
Imperial Vending in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Wright services
100 to 150 vending machines and micro markets. She is
a dependable, reliable and respected driver at Imperial
Vending and well-known by her customers for her
consistency, communication and especially the excellent
service she provides them. Karen also has several tenure
awards as well as perfect attendance plaques.
http://www.VendingMarketWatch.com
april2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of april2024
