Vending & OCS Nation Podcast

What happens when a successful healthcare technology salesperson decides that great money no longer makes up for burnout? For Hunter Hebestreet, it meant starting AI Vending from scratch and finding opportunity in Denver’s luxury apartment buildings. Today, his company operates 74 pieces of equipment across 45 locations.

On this episode of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation, host Bob Tullio talks with Hunter Hebestreet about building a focused sales strategy, earning the trust of property managers and securing equipment placement that turns foot traffic into smart cooler sales.

Hunter shares what’s working with product selection, commissions, social media and financing. He explains why even an experienced salesperson had to get comfortable walking through doors, cold calling and hearing “no.” How did cold calling make him feel? “I was sick to my stomach. I was scared, and I just moved forward, and I did it scared.”

Beyond the technology, Hunter’s story offers a candid look at the persistence required to build a convenience services business. He explains how focusing on one market helped his company sharpen its sales approach and earn opportunities across property portfolios. His advice for aspiring operators: Plan for more rejection, more capital and more time than you expect and find a strong business partner and suppliers to help you grow. 

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.

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:

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.

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:

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:

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.

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:

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.

What do Walt Disney, Hugh Hefner and today's convenience services operators have in common? More than you might think.

In this episode of Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation, Bob Tullio sits down with communications strategist, author, and public relations pioneer Marty Cooper, whose remarkable career includes working directly with Walt Disney at Disneyland, Hugh Hefner at Playboy, the Academy Awards and some of America's most recognizable brands.

But this isn't a conversation about nostalgia. It's a masterclass in customer experience, relationship building, leadership, philanthropy, and the timeless principles that help businesses earn loyal customers and lasting success.

Whether you operate vending, micro markets, office coffee service or any customer-focused business, you'll find practical lessons that can immediately improve the way you serve customers and grow your business.

Lessons to be learned:

Why Walt Disney insisted there was only one "Mr." at Disneyland and the leadership lesson behind it.

How Disney created customer loyalty by treating every customer as a guest.

The importance of building relationships instead of simply completing transactions.

Why the smallest customer interactions often create the biggest impressions.

The power of giving customers "a little more than they expected."

How remembering names and creating personal connections separates great businesses from average ones.

Why listening is one of the most underrated sales skills.

What Playboy's marketing strategy can teach businesses about understanding their audience.

How Hollywood's early pioneers built successful companies by constantly looking for new opportunities.

Why philanthropy isn't just good for the community; it's good for business.

The biggest professional mistake Marty ever made (very amusing) and the valuable lesson it taught him.

Cooper's newest book - The Real Hollywood: The San Fernando Valley, A Century of Filmmaking and Filmmakers, explores the rich history of the people and places that shaped the entertainment industry. All profits from the sale of the book go to the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley, of which Cooper is chairman emeritus.