February/March 2023 - 14

Patrick (Pat) Grant
Pat Grant is a Florida-based
professional with over 34 years
of experience in finance and sales
leadership roles at major retail
and sales organizations. His career
has expanded within accounting,
finance, merchandising and consumer
packaged goods, with over 22 years supporting and
impacting the confectionery industry. He serves as the
president of Burdette Beckmann Inc. (BBI), a national
sales agency with roots in small-format representation,
pioneering the space for over 40 years. Grant leads a
cross-functional team and oversees traditional retail
segments (c-store and grocery) and client services
(finance, accounting, analytics, technology, marketing,
telesales and human resources). He is skilled in mergers
and acquisitions, as he has been involved in the process
several times during his career. He also excels in strategic
planning, P&L management, cross-functional team
leadership and forecasting. Grant graduated with a B.S.
in accounting from the University of South Florida.
Darnell Huppert
Darnell Huppert has been with CoreMark
Iowa/Farner-Bocken for 12 years as
the vending sales manager. His position
includes working with vending/micro
market operator customers as well as
providing support to several sales reps in
the 10 states that the company services from Carroll, Iowa.
Previously, Huppert was with Vistar, where he spent 23 years
in various sales management positions. He has been involved
with many state associations over the years, including more
than 20 years on the board of directors of the Iowa Automatic
Merchandising Association, and he has been president since
2015. He was also awarded one of Automatic Merchandiser's
Pros to Know in 2017. Since joining Core-Mark/Farner-Bocken,
the company has developed and expanded its vending/micro
market distribution as the rapid growth of micro markets
aligned well with its primary convenience distribution.
Originally from Wisconsin, Huppert now resides in Nebraska.
Scott Halloran
Scott Halloran started in the vending
industry in 1993 when he purchased
four drink machines and filled them
part-time while working full-time in
restaurant management. In 1995, he
left the restaurant industry to pursue
the vending business full time. Starting out, Halloran was his
own sales, route and service person until he was able to hire
his first full-time driver in 1998. As CEO, he has managed
Trolley Hospitality Companies through three acquisitions
and one merger. Halloran graduated from Virginia Tech,
with a degree in management and marketing from Pamplin
College of Business. He has served on various committees
and boards including Virginia Automatic Merchandising
Association (VAMA) executive board, Atlantic Coast Exposition
(ACE), Avanti advisory board, USG board, NAMA board, and
Guardian Refresh advisory board. He received VAMA's Vendor
of the Year in 2018, 2009 and 2003 and NAMA's Operator of
the Year in 2022. Halloran says all this would not have been
possible without the support of his wonderful wife, Tina.
" Michael L. Kasavana earned the
MSU Distinguished Faculty Award,
HFTP Technology Hall of Fame
induction, and FSTEC Distinguished
Achievements Award.
14 Automatic Merchandiser * February/March 2023
Larry Jones
Larry Jones founded Pot O' Gold Coffee
Service in the early 1980s and is proud of
the family owned and operated company,
dedicated to providing the ultimate coffee
experience in the office. Jones strives to
set the bar high on offering B2C brewers
that are serviced frequently, ensuring consistent, high-quality
beverages and a memorable experience. He is fortunate to
have the support of an amazing team that have helped the
company carve out a sizable niche in the Seattle coffee scene.
Jones is honored to work with so many of Seattle's finest
roasters and represent them in prestigious companies that
care about providing the very best coffees as part of their
company's culture. Jones says it is fulfilling to him that his
son Blake has decided to join the company - now in charge of
sales, marketing and social media - and carry on the legacy.
Michael Kasavana
Michael L. Kasavana, Ph.D., is the
Emeritus NAMA Endowed Professor in
Hospitality Business at Michigan State
University. He retired from MSU after
four decades of teaching, research,
publication and consulting. He began
work in the unattended retail space in the early 1990s.
Dr. Kasavana earned an MBA and Ph.D. from the University
of Massachusetts-Amherst. He holds CHTP (Certified
Hospitality Technology Professional), CFTP (Certified
Foodservice Technology Professional), and NCE5 (NAMA
Certified Executive) certifications. His involvement with
NAMA exceeds 25 years and, for the past two decades,
has served as the coordinator of the NAMA VDI technical
standards committee and the liaison to the EVA committee.
Dr. Kasavana has published academic and trade journal
articles, books, certification programs and industry manuals
and has led numerous seminars. Dr. Kasavana was the 2011
NAMA Industry Person of the Year.
February/March 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February/March 2023
