June/July 2023 - 30

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ELYSSA STEINER
Cantaloupe
Elyssa Steiner joined Cantaloupe in
2017. As chief marketing officer, she
oversees all aspects of the marketing
team. Her responsibilities include the
development and implementation of
all strategic marketing campaigns that
drive measurable results and support the company's
business objectives. Steiner has been in the self-service
retail industry since 2010. Before joining Cantaloupe
Systems, she served as the vice president of sales and
marketing for Avanti Markets, where she was one of
the early pioneers to introduce micro markets to the
industry. During her tenure in this market, Steiner's
enthusiasm and success have led her to become a wellrespected
mentor and award-winning executive in the
industry. In 2013, she was voted Automatic Merchandiser
Readers' Choice Manufacturer Representative of the
Year. She has served on NAMA's Government Affairs,
WIN and ELN committees. Steiner has a master's
degree in communication and leadership from Gonzaga
University and a Bachelor of Arts in business and
marketing from the University of Washington.
TAMMY STOKES
Five Star Food Service
Tammy Stokes returned to Five Star Food
Service after five years with Canteen
Corporate heading the Southeast
division - office coffee and pantry line
of business. Her 30+ years of experience
in the food and beverage industry with
companies such as Pepsico, Sysco, and Compass Group
North America provides a great amount of diversity for
the Central region team. Stokes specializes in cultivating
dynamic leaders to impact the customer experience at the
highest level. She supports Five Star Food Service in all
things coffee, water and pantry lines of business and leads
multiple teams and projects for Five Star. Recently, she led
an entire rebrand of John Conti Coffee, now Conti Coffee,
which took over a year to complete. Her determination to
see the project finished and of high quality is admirable.
Stokes studied communications and education at the
University of Louisville.
CHRISTINE VERTUCCI
Vistar Illinois
Christine Vertucci has been a customer
service professional for over 30 years.
During her 25-year career with W. R.
Grace & Co., she became the North
American customer service manager
for its Specialty Construction Chemicals
division where she oversaw the consolidation of customer
service operations into a national service center. She has
been with Vistar for six years and quickly assimilated
into the candy, snack and beverage industry. Vertucci
has set a standard for service excellence, where she and
her team support one of the largest Vistar operating
companies in the country. Vertucci leads by example
and enables her team through empowerment. She is
a champion for growing female leaders, as evidenced
by several internal promotions from within her team.
Vertucci attended the University of Wisconsin, is a
certified Six Sigma Greenbelt, co-chairs Vistar's customer
service best practices team, and is a member of the
Women at PFG Associate Resource Group.
MAUREEN WASHINGTON
MoBeauty Supply Vending
Maureen Washington is an
entrepreneur and community
leader who has made significant
contributions to the beauty industry.
As the founder of MoBeauty
Supply Vending, she revolutionized
the way women access beauty products. Her
innovation empowered countless individuals to
become entrepreneurs. Despite facing numerous
challenges, including racial profiling and discrimination,
Washington persevered to achieve success. She is a
strong advocate for women in the convenience services
industry and has demonstrated her commitment to
supporting minorities through the development of
the Vending Grant of Minorities. She is also dedicated
to promoting the vending machine industry and has
been instrumental in establishing the first National
Vending Machine Day in Georgia. She was recognized
for her achievements and was a recipient of the
2020 Enterprising Women of the Year Award. As a
respected figure, Washington continues to inspire
others with her entrepreneurial spirit, leadership and
dedication to creating positive change.
MEREDITH STORM
Mahaska
Meredith Storm, markets sales representative at Mahaska, has worked extensively for several years in
sales and marketing throughout different industries in her career, but she says that working in the micro
market and vending industry for Mahaska has been the most rewarding of all her jobs. Storm made
a career change into a new industry, but after a little over a year, she has quickly learned aspects of
the equipment, continuing to grow her industry knowledge, and she has helped the company grow its
new customers in under a year. Mahaska, a seventh-generation family-owned company, has seasoned
employees with over 30 years of experience in micro markets and vending, so she uses her experience in sales and
marketing to create the perfect mix for a dynamite team. She looks forward to helping take Mahaska to the next level.
30 Automatic Merchandiser * June/July 2023
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June/July 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June/July 2023