October-November 2021 - 8

TOPNEWS
Jolene Gulley-Bolton
succeeds Ron Bean as
AM/VMW publisher
[ TRANSITION ]
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MEDIA
veteran Jolene Gulley-Bolton has been
appointed publisher of Automatic Merchandiser
and VendingMarketWatch.com. Gulley
succeeds Ron Bean, who has retired.
Gulley-Bolton brings 30+ years' publishing
Jolene
Gulley-Bolton
Ron Bean
experience to the two vending media brands,
owned by Endeavor Business Media
LLC. Between 2000 and 2020, she
was a publisher at Cygnus and AC
Business Media, whose publications
cover heavy construction, manufacturing
and the supply chain markets,
among other industries. From 2007
to 2019, she was group publisher of
Food Logistics and Supply & Demand
Chain Executive magazines. For the
past two years, she ran her own company.
Gulley-Bolton reports to EBM
executive vice president Lester Craft.
A 40-year publishing and advertising
pro, Bean became publisher of AM
and VMW in February 2015. He led the media
outlets through several years of growth and
guided it through the COVID-19 pandemic.
" I am confident that Jolene Gulley-Bolton's
experience and perspective will help ensure that
AM and VMW will continue as vibrant and
critical sources of information for our readers,
and as beneficial vehicles for our advertisers, "
Craft said. " At the same time, while Ron Bean's
contributions and presence will be missed, I
join with the AM/VMW team in wishing him a
fulfilling and well-deserved retirement. "
8 Automatic Merchandiser * October/November 2021
QBD
Investor begins rollup
of cooler display sector
New York City-based Ronin
Equity Partners acquired
two manufacturers of
commercial refrigeration
equipment, QBD and
Minus Forty, both located
in the Toronto area. They
365 Retail Markets
Avanti Markets founder
Jim Brinton (r.) welcomes
365 Retail Markets
founder Joe Hessling to
Avanti's Seattle office.
365 Retail Markets
and Avanti Markets
confirm merger
The micro market giants
confirmed their anticipated
merger. Simultaneously,
the newly expanded micro
market entity is folding in
Lightspeed Automation, an
automated product picking
system widely used by
micro market and vending
operators. Avanti and
365 founders and chief
executives, respectively,
Jim Brinton and Joe
Hessling, made the merger
announcement in a YouTube
post recorded at Avanti's
Seattle headquarters.
VendingMarketWatch.
com/21239001
SoCal vendor heads
to Palm Springs
Southern California's
Capital Provisions acquired
C&C Vending of Palm
Springs. C&C is the first
purchase by Capital
Provisions in the Coachella
Valley, and the operation's
sixth acquisition to date.
Terms were not disclosed.
VendingMarketWatch.
com/21237622
will continue to operate
under their own names,
but the merged group is
the start of a consolidation
platform in the fragmented
refrigerated display case
industry, where 60% of
the market is divided
among 100-plus familyowned
businesses. The
price of the purchases
was not disclosed, but the
transactions reportedly
have an enterprise value of
$230 million.
VendingMarketWatch.
com/21237607
HGV acquires All
Texas Vending
Healthy Generation Vending
of Humble, TX, acquired
nearby All Texas Vending of
Houston, according to HGV
owners Tim and Michael
Ray. All Texas Vending was
founded by Brad Bolin
more than 17 years ago. The
transaction was brokered
by Mike Ferguson of VMAC
Solutions.
VendingMarketWatch.
com/21238788
http://VendingMarketWatch.com/21237607 http://www.VendingMarketWatch.com http://VendingMarketWatch.com/21237622 http://VendingMarketWatch.com/21239001 http://VendingMarketWatch.com/21238788
October-November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October-November 2021
