February/March 2023 - 35

With the growth of the company
and the new accounts Miros was
gaining, it became clear that she
needed to take her business to the
next level. That meant investing
in a vending management system.
This would allow her to maximize
efficiency in the warehouse and at
each stop by having the right products
pre-kitted in the warehouse.
The operator enlisted the help
of her daughter-in-law, Aida, a data
analyst, who extensively researched
all of the different VMS companies,
ranking and scoring each in different
categories. She ultimately selected
Parlevel as the VMS of choice.
Soon after, Miros attended her first
National Automatic Merchandising
Association trade show in Las Vegas,
where she and Aida sealed the deal
with Parlevel.
The implementation of the Parlevel
system, with the help of its technical
experts and sales rep, Frankie Skyvara,
was a seamless transition. Now, with
the ability to prekit accounts and
analyze data, Miros was beginning to
optimize her operation. Additionally,
when Miros purchased the business,
there were only five machines
out of 250 equipped with credit
card readers. Now, with Parlevel's
technology and expertise, all of DAC
Total Refreshments' machines accept
cashless payment.
INDUSTRY SUPPORT
Miros knew there were benefits to
attending conventions not only for
her company but also for herself as
a business owner. At conferences,
she met fellow convenience service
providers who validated the fact that,
even in the most perfect of worlds,
vending is everything but an easy
business. Miros was comforted to
learn she was not alone, and the
encouragement and support she
gained from other operators was
instrumental to her persevering.
" I knew everyone wanted me
to be successful. You have to make
friends in this industry; that's how
you learn. It was a total leap of faith
buying this business, but from my
first NAMA show to the first Fly-In
industry-lobbying event I attended
in Washington, D.C., everyone in
the industry was friendly and was
eager to help me be successful, " Miros
commented. " Now, I love telling new
people I meet who are just starting in
the business that we will be their new
friends, because they won't have time
for their old friends! "
The rookie operator continued to
work from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the first
three years, overseeing and running
various routes, ordering products and
unloading shipments in the warehouse.
" I didn't take a salary for three
years. I just kept re-investing it into
the business, " she said. " Finally, by
2020, we started to grow.
THE THREE C'S
There are many variables involved in
growing a business, but Miros found
none more critical than having the
OPERATION PROFILE
DAC Total
Refreshments
Founded: 2017
Headquarters: Ocala, FL
Website:
dactotalrefreshments.com
Number of routes: 5
Number of vending machines:
285
Number of micro markets: 16
Micro market equipment
suppliers: Graphics That Pop,
Ibera coolers, Minus 40, Light
on the Hill Roasters
Vending machine suppliers:
Crane
Technology providers: Parlevel
Distributors:
Vistar, HT Hackney
Aida hops on a truck in the early days, just
months after Miros purchased the business
and before DAC was prekitting in the
warehouse using Parlevel's VMS.
Norman Scalf readies a PepsiCo Hello
Goodness-branded machine with betterfor-you
products that meet school nutrition
standards for delivery.
February/March 2023 * VendingMarketWatch.com 35
http://www.dactotalrefreshments.com http://www.VendingMarketWatch.com
February/March 2023

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