June/July 2023 - 42

My father was doing vending part-time ... He
was also a boat and car salesman. He ended up
realizing that the vending route had a lot of potential. "
-Andy Owen, C&S Vending
needed the help. His responsibilities
gradually expanded from delving
into technician work to general
warehouse duties. " I kind of was
doing everything, " he recalls.
When Owen arrived, C&S only
offered vending and minimal pantry
and office coffee service. The company
was also entirely analogue, " aside from
a few Excel spreadsheets, " he joked.
" My main goal was to get the company
set up on computers, so we weren't
stuck in the money room counting all
of the cash by hand. "
Owen implemented Vending
Essentials, a somewhat rudimentary
VMS software. " It basically just gave
meter readings on all of the machines.
That was about all it did, " Owen
recalled. With the not-so-cutting-edge
software in place, he soon discovered
that one of C&S Vending's employees
had been stealing products and
putting them in a storage unit. That
moment ignited Owen's passion for
the business. " I could really change
things, " he realized. " I could make a
difference. "
THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB
When C&S Vending's general
manager left in 2008, Owen stepped
up to the task - which isn't to
say he was fully prepared for the
undertaking. " I was just thrown
from the frying pan into the fire. It
was complete chaos trying to learn
everything, " the operator said.
Having worn all hats in the
family business, from route runner
to technician and now manager,
he understood the ins-and-outs
of every role, priming him to be a
knowledgeable, fair and empathetic
Chuck Owen, founder of C&S Vending Inc.
leader. " When I interview people, I
tell them I've done everything within
this company, so I know what is and
what is not feasible, " Owen remarked.
" When I structure routes, I know
what people can actually accomplish.
I will never give you 12 hours of
work; I'm going to make sure you get
eight hours of work every day.
STREAMLINING SUCCESS
WITH SOFTWARE
Owen got to work optimizing all
facets of the operation. At the time,
C&S was still running cash-only
C&S Vending's close-knit group of 16 employees ensures top-notch service to its 250 accounts served by six routes.
42 Automatic Merchandiser * June/July 2023

June/July 2023

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

Editor’s Note
Industry News
Industry experts weigh in on OCS equipment trends
State of the Industry Annual Report
The 2023 Most Influential Women in Convenience Services Awards
Unattended retail technology is pushing the industry forward
The art of optimization
Social Hubs
June/July 2023 - PCOV1
June/July 2023 - PCOV2
June/July 2023 - 1
June/July 2023 - 2
June/July 2023 - 3
June/July 2023 - 4
June/July 2023 - 5
June/July 2023 - Editor’s Note
June/July 2023 - 7
June/July 2023 - Industry News
June/July 2023 - 9
June/July 2023 - Industry experts weigh in on OCS equipment trends
June/July 2023 - 11
June/July 2023 - 12
June/July 2023 - 13
June/July 2023 - 14
June/July 2023 - 15
June/July 2023 - State of the Industry Annual Report
June/July 2023 - 17
June/July 2023 - 18
June/July 2023 - 19
June/July 2023 - 20
June/July 2023 - 21
June/July 2023 - 22
June/July 2023 - 23
June/July 2023 - The 2023 Most Influential Women in Convenience Services Awards
June/July 2023 - 25
June/July 2023 - 26
June/July 2023 - 27
June/July 2023 - 28
June/July 2023 - 29
June/July 2023 - 30
June/July 2023 - 31
June/July 2023 - 32
June/July 2023 - 33
June/July 2023 - Unattended retail technology is pushing the industry forward
June/July 2023 - 35
June/July 2023 - 36
June/July 2023 - 37
June/July 2023 - 38
June/July 2023 - 39
June/July 2023 - The art of optimization
June/July 2023 - 41
June/July 2023 - 42
June/July 2023 - 43
June/July 2023 - 44
June/July 2023 - 45
June/July 2023 - 46
June/July 2023 - 47
June/July 2023 - 48
June/July 2023 - 49
June/July 2023 - Social Hubs
June/July 2023 - 51
June/July 2023 - 52
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