What if a convenience services operator could take some money off the table, retain a meaningful ownership stake in a larger organization and continue building the local company they spent years creating? That is the model behind Alliance Markets & Vending.

In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation, Bob Tullio talks with Gregg Meheriuk, CEO of Alliance Markets & Vending, about a founder-focused approach to consolidation that offers independent operators something different from a traditional exit.

Backed by Shore Capital, Alliance acquires strong independent convenience services companies while allowing many founders to remain active in the business and invest a portion of their proceeds into the larger Alliance platform. The local company name and customer relationships can remain intact, while operators gain access to resources that are often difficult for an independent company to build on its own.

Gregg explains how scale can create advantages in purchasing, technology, HR, finance, sales support and operational expertise. Alliance operators also have the opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices with other successful operators inside the organization.

The conversation also addresses one of the biggest questions facing longtime operators: What happens if I want liquidity, but I'm not ready to retire?

Gregg describes how founders who want to remain involved can reinvest part of the proceeds from the sale into Alliance, giving them the opportunity to participate in the future growth and value of the overall platform.

Alliance is also showing early momentum. Gregg says the company is performing well ahead of its aggressive budget and exceeding his expectations.

For operators considering succession, an eventual sale or simply a way to accelerate growth, this episode offers a look at an emerging alternative - selling the business without necessarily saying goodbye to the business.

The Atlantic Coast Exposition has long been known for bringing together convenience services operators, suppliers and industry leaders for education, networking and plenty of fun. For ACE 2026, the organizers are raising the bar. In this special episode of Automatic Merchandiser and VendingMarketWatch’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, presented in cooperation with ACE – the Atlantic Coast Exposition, host Bob Tullio sits down with Timmy Brewer, a 13-year Canteen North America veteran and chair of ACE 2026, for a preview of ACE Around the World. One of the biggest changes this year? ACE wants to become a true buying show. Brewer explains why operators should arrive with a shopping list and be ready to talk directly with suppliers, brokers and distributors about new products, equipment, coffee programs and special ACE show deals. The goal is simple: create meaningful conversations that can translate into real business opportunities. But the buying-show emphasis is only part of the story. Brewer takes listeners through a packed ACE schedule that includes educational sessions addressing legislative issues, cost pressures and the human side of AI, along with an energetic keynote from Jake Failing, Carolina Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes hype man. There’s also golf, live music, the ACE Honors Breakfast, a cornhole tournament and, of course, the always memorable ACE party. This year, it is built around the wide-open creative possibilities of the ACE Around the World theme. For operators who have never attended ACE before, Brewer has a simple challenge: give it a try. At a $99 operator registration price, he is confident that the combination of education, contacts, buying opportunities and industry camaraderie delivers tremendous value. Learn more at atlanticcoastexpo.com.

Taylor Vaughan didn’t plan on a career in convenience services. At 21, she found herself helping out at SPG Vending Solutions where customers kept asking for coffee service. Tired of saying no, Vaughan put together a business plan, convinced the owner to invest in a single brewer and launched what would become Company Coffee Shop.

Today, Vaughan leads SPG Vending, now known as The Culinary Express by SPG Vending, while continuing to run the coffee business she built from the ground up.

On this episode of Automatic Merchandiser & VendingMarketWatch’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, host Bob Tullio talks with Vaughan about what it takes to build and lead a successful convenience services operation in an increasingly competitive and technology-driven marketplace.

Vaughan shares a philosophy central to her approach: not every growth opportunity is a good opportunity. She explains why operators need to protect margins, invest carefully and pursue what she calls “earned growth” rather than growth at any cost.

We also get into:

• Why coffee and breakrooms create workplace culture
• AI, smart coolers and the changing convenience services landscape
• Leading “from inside the boat, not from the shore”
• Why there’s nothing passive about “passive income” in vending
• Authenticity as a competitive advantage in an AI-driven world
• How independent operators can compete and win against national companies
• Her advice to the next generation of women entering convenience services

Taylor finishes the episode with one of our favorite answers we have heard from a guest this year: about building something sustainable while still having something left to give the people you love.

It’s an insightful conversation with one of the industry’s next-generation leaders and a reminder that sustainable growth isn't necessarily about getting bigger. It’s about making better decisions.

How do you build a $20 million convenience services company from the ground up? For Jon Corto, founder and CEO of Buffalo Strive, Markets and Vending, the answer begins with one word: Relentless.

Coming Tuesday on Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, it’s Part Two of Bob Tullio's conversation with the former Buffalo Bills linebacker turned entrepreneur, the focus shifts from Corto's unlikely journey to the National Football League (NFL) to the company he has built in New York.

Today, Buffalo Strive has approximately 100 employees and generates about $20 million in annual revenue across micro markets, AI coolers, fresh food, catering, office coffee and water filtration.

Corto explains how the company got started, why Buffalo Strive embraced remote monitoring and cashless technology early and how staying ahead of emerging technology continues to shape the organization.

But technology is only part of the story. Corto discusses Buffalo Strive's mission - "Relentless pursuit to serve others" - and how it influences the company's approach to customers, employees and the Buffalo community.

• How Buffalo Strive grew into a $20 million company with approximately 100 employees
• Why Corto increasingly views Buffalo Strive as a food logistics company
• The decision to vertically integrate through a USDA-certified fresh food commissary
• Why Corto says operators considering their own commissary need to be fully committed - or consider outsourcing
• How customer entertaining and personal relationships can create a competitive advantage
• Buffalo Strive's commitment to giving back, including donating unsold fresh food to St. Luke's Mission of Mercy
• Why supporting local suppliers strengthens both the community and the company
• How community involvement can give employees a greater sense of purpose
• Why Buffalo Strive sells an "elevated market experience" rather than simply installing another micro market
• How Corto and his director of business development are generating significant new business while protecting the company's ability to service that growth
• Why empowerment means allowing managers to "swing the bat" and sometimes make mistakes
• The three qualities Corto increasingly looks for when hiring
• Buffalo Strive's growth in premium OCS and bean-to-cup coffee
• Why Corto calls water filtration a "cash cow"
• How AI is already increasing productivity inside Buffalo Strive
• Why Corto believes operators who refuse to embrace emerging technology risk being left behind
• The Buffalo Strive "secret sauce"

Corto also shares how he hopes to be remembered in Buffalo - It has nothing to to with football.

Before the conversation ends, Bob Tullio shows that he can be relentless as well. He manages to get the former NFL player to offer a little fantasy football advice.

The same characteristic that helped Jon Corto reach the NFL continues to define the way he approaches business:

Relentlessness.

Whether it is serving customers, developing employees, adopting technology, giving back to Buffalo or finding the next growth opportunity, Corto's philosophy is straightforward:

Have a mission. Attack it every day. Never give up - and love what you do.

The qualities that helped Jon Corto reach the NFL — discipline, resilience, coachability, sacrifice and relentless preparation — are the same qualities he relies on to lead Buffalo Strive, his successful convenience services business.

In this first part of a two-part series of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, host Bob Tullio sits down with Jon Corto, founder and CEO of Buffalo Strive, Markets and Vending. Learn about Corto’s remarkable journey from an undersized linebacker at Sacred Heart University to playing in the National Football League for his hometown Buffalo Bills.

Corto wasn’t a highly touted prospect. He wasn’t drafted. He admits that at different points in his career he wasn’t the biggest, fastest or strongest player on the field. What he did have was a goal — and an extraordinary willingness to work for it. Corto shares the unlikely chain of events that helped open the door to his NFL opportunity and why he was willing to leave college early and go “all in” on his dream. For Corto, years of preparation, sacrifice and discipline ultimately paid off.

What happened along the way and how those lessons continue to shape the way he runs Buffalo Strive today — that’s the real story in this podcast.

In this episode, Bob and Jon discuss:

• Why talent alone is never enough in professional sports or business
• The importance of developing habits that continually improve performance
• Why Corto says he will “fail five times before someone else even swings the bat”
• The danger of paralysis and fear of failure in business
• Why Corto would choose a coachable employee over the most talented employee
• What his best coaches taught him about leadership, respect and getting the most out of people
• Lessons Corto learned from his Buffalo Bills teammates about competition and supporting the people around you
• The memorable NFL moment when a teammate told him, “Don’t end on that. You’re up again.”
• What playing under constant NFL pressure taught him about handling business challenges
• Why every successful organization needs people who understand and embrace their role
• The remarkable similarities between becoming a professional athlete and building a successful company

Ultimately, Corto says both pursuits demand many of the same things: hard work, discipline, sacrifice and relentlessness. It is a philosophy reflected today in Buffalo Strive’s mission: “Relentless pursuit to serve others.”

Corto’s biggest lesson from both football and business is remarkably simple: “If you want to get ahead, you have to be willing to pay the price.”

What separates great OCS sales professionals from average ones? According to Michelle Scott, director of national accounts for Royal Cup Inc., it isn’t aggressive selling. It’s listening, consulting, building relationships and earning trust over time.

In part two of Bob Tullio’s conversation with Michelle Scott, she shares two decades of experience selling office coffee service, from her first job out of college to leading Royal Cup’s national accounts team.

This conversation is packed with practical advice for operators of every size. Michelle discusses everything from consultative selling and coffee tastings to referrals, AI, customer service, technology, sustainability and why patience remains one of the most valuable sales skills in the business.

Whether you’re a new operator or an industry veteran, this episode is filled with ideas that can help you grow your business and strengthen customer relationships.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why successful OCS sales begin by understanding the customer’s vision, not pitching products.
• How coffee tastings can become one of your most powerful sales tools.
• Why national account selling is really about managing expectations and building layered relationships.
• When bean-to-cup equipment makes sense — and when it doesn’t.
• Why technology should enhance customer experience, not complicate it.
• How to have authentic conversations about sustainability and budget.
• Why investing in sales support allows salespeople to spend more time in front of customers.
• The tremendous value of referrals and how to earn them.
• Practical ways AI can improve prospecting and territory planning.
• Why new operators should master one part of the business before expanding.
• How persistence turned a six-year prospect into a long-term national customer.
• Why customer relationships remain the greatest competitive advantage in OCS.

For operators looking to improve their sales process, this episode serves as a practical blueprint from one of the industry's most accomplished professionals.

For more than 130 years, Royal Cup, Inc. has quietly built one of the country's most respected coffee businesses. While many convenience services companies have expanded into vending, micro markets and every imaginable workplace amenity, Royal Cup has taken a different path, doubling down on what it believes it does best.

In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser & VendingMarketWatch's Vending & OCS Nation podcast, Bob Tullio sits down with Michelle Scott, Director of National Accounts for Royal Cup Coffee & Tea's Office Coffee Service Division.

Michelle shares how the company has evolved from a regional coffee roaster into a national OCS leader without losing the relationship-driven culture that has defined Royal Cup for generations.

The conversation explores Royal Cup's customer-first philosophy, why remaining focused on office coffee service has become a competitive advantage, how the recent Farmer Brothers acquisition expands the company's national reach, and why being a coffee roaster - not just a distributor - continues to matter in today's premium coffee marketplace.

Michelle also discusses workplace beverage trends, the growing importance of cold brew and employee wellness, Royal Cup's sustainability initiatives, and the company's commitment to giving back through programs like NeverThirst.

Whether you're an office coffee operator, convenience services executive or simply interested in how a 130-year-old company continues to thrive, this episode offers valuable insights into building a business around quality, service and long-term relationships.

Is the breakroom becoming the most important room in the office? Increasingly, the answer is yes. Fortunately for the convenience services industry, that’s creating a major opportunity. Operators are delivering more than coffee, snacks and refreshments. In the best locations, they are tasked with delivering an experience that will influence corporate culture.

Companies aren’t just asking how to stock a breakroom. They’re asking how to create a workplace environment that employees want to come back to.

On this episode of Automatic Merchandiser & VendingMarketWatch’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, Bob Tullio talks to Joe Simonovich of Daycast about his relentless efforts to elevate corporate culture.

Joe’s perspective is especially valuable because he came up through office coffee service, where he learned that every cup of coffee, every service call and every customer interaction contribute to something much bigger than a transaction. Joe talks about:

• How his days at Corporate Essentials with Judson Kleinman had a significant impact on his current approach to serving clients
• How he helped navigate Newsstand from the retail streets to the workplace
• How his new company, Daycast, is positioned against competitors like Canteen North America, Aramark, Sodexo and Crafty as a workplace experience agency.

Think of a workplace experience agency as a management company on steroids. They have the coveted opportunity to guide companies that are committed to a premium workplace experience for their employees. And, most importantly, they are prepared to spend handsomely to make that happen.