April_2022 - 35

communities. Numerous homes were flattened, trees fell
over a wide swath of the panhandle and strong winds
caused extensive power outages across the region.
The Giambras learned the hard way how important it
is for a vending company along the Emerald Coast to be
prepared as best possible for a hurricane of such magnitude.
" They thought it would be a Category 2 on Tuesday
afternoon, so we ran our routes, did a light restock, collected
money, and parked our trucks in front of the building to
help protect glass windows. And then it became a Category
5, " Giambra recalled. " Trees fell on our house and we had
no power or water for 30 days. We had no cell service to
check on our family to see if they were OK. Most roads
were impassable. "
The first thing the operators did was secure their homes
and then made their way to check on loved ones they could
reach in person. Next, they
drove to the outer reaches
spared by the hurricane
where there was cell service
to call their remaining relatives
and friends and found
all were safe.
Finally, they trekked
In three hours, we
lost a third of our
business, which
we had worked
so hard for. All we
could do was do
things old-school
on paper and get
the machines that
we could filled. "
- Josh Giambra
into the office to find that
the facility and trucks were
thankfully less hard hit
than their homes were. The
father and son operators
kicked into action and
loaded their trucks with
snacks and drinks and distributed
them to the many
people caught off guard
unprepared and without
food throughout the devastated
community.
VENDING MACHINE RESCUES
Giambra then began assessing the damage to their equipment,
where he could, and performing " vending machine
rescues " at buildings that were still standing, wearing waterproof,
steel-toed boots and wading through ankle-deep
water in many cases.
" At every machine where people could, they had
smashed the glass to get to snacks, like it was an apocalypse, "
the operator recalled. " It was a race to save every machine
we could, along with money and product in them. They
were demolishing buildings with our machines in them.
With the help of my wife, Christy, we tried to assess at least
10 machines a day, for product, money and damage. "
Josh Giambra and his
wife, Christy. Giambra
worked as a pirate on an
adventure-themed cruise
ship and pizza delivery
driver while he grew his
vending business.
Category 5 Hurricane Michael hit in October 2018, wiping out
100 of Giambra Vending's machines and a third of its revenue.
The operators were able to rebuild and grow, and they have
developed a game plan should such a disaster strike again.
April 2022 * VendingMarketWatch.com 35
http://www.VendingMarketWatch.com

April_2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April_2022

Editor’s Note
Industry News
OCS Update
A Winning Lineup
Understanding connectivity options for self-checkout and vending
Plant-based foods for on-the-go convenience
Stick-to-itiveness pays off for Giambra Vending
Classifieds
Social Hubs
April_2022 - PCOV1
April_2022 - PCOV2
April_2022 - 1
April_2022 - 2
April_2022 - 3
April_2022 - 4
April_2022 - 5
April_2022 - Editor’s Note
April_2022 - 7
April_2022 - Industry News
April_2022 - 9
April_2022 - OCS Update
April_2022 - 11
April_2022 - 12
April_2022 - 13
April_2022 - A Winning Lineup
April_2022 - 15
April_2022 - 16
April_2022 - 17
April_2022 - 18
April_2022 - 19
April_2022 - 20
April_2022 - 21
April_2022 - Understanding connectivity options for self-checkout and vending
April_2022 - 23
April_2022 - 24
April_2022 - 25
April_2022 - Plant-based foods for on-the-go convenience
April_2022 - 27
April_2022 - 28
April_2022 - 29
April_2022 - 30
April_2022 - 31
April_2022 - Stick-to-itiveness pays off for Giambra Vending
April_2022 - 33
April_2022 - 34
April_2022 - 35
April_2022 - 36
April_2022 - 37
April_2022 - 38
April_2022 - 39
April_2022 - 40
April_2022 - Classifieds
April_2022 - Social Hubs
April_2022 - 43
April_2022 - 44
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