State Committee of Vendors Meeting

Altamonte Springs, Florida: August 2-3, 2002

The State Committee of Vendors’ Chairperson, Mr. Tom Spiliotis called the meeting to order and introduced Mr. Emmett Howard who made a presentation regarding his business of recycling Laser & Inkjet Cartridges. Vendors can contract with his company, RTRC, to recycle these items for a small profit to the participating vendor. His company can be reached or by visiting the web site NEWTIKR@AOL.COM or by calling (772) 873-4796.

Roll Call

SLA Staff

Selection Panel

Other Division Staff

Gallery

Dan Angelicola presented on the discussions held earlier with members of the Selection Panel.

Start performance window on January 1, 1997 so that experience can be viewed more broadly. Persons who have less experience will be evaluated by giving credit for those months he or she has been under a LOFA and then the remaining time back to 1-1-97 will be prorated at a 65% automatic value.

Do the performance analysis before any applicant is interviewed.

Widen the point span when considering labor percentages.

The issue of non-reporting was discussed at length.

Mr. Spiliotis asked that the Committee break down into some random groups to discuss various aspects about the future of the Randolph-Sheppard program in Florida.

October 3, 2002

Mr. Spiliotis and Mr. Elliott opened a discussion about the new training program being designed at the Rehabilitation Center. Mr. Elliott introduced Mr. Greg Webster who currently is the Food Service instructor at the Rehabilitation Center. The discussion centered on the following topics:

Development of curriculum needs to be done quickly if the September 1, 2002 target is to be met.

The instructor will be an employee of the Daytona Beach Community College and assigned full time to the Rehabilitation Center to deal only with BBE training.

Balance food service and vending machine training exposures in the curriculum.

The utility of the food service program as it pertains to BEP training. Not all trainees may need or desire the food prep course at the Center.

Use the same machines in training as are currently in use in various locations around the State, including coffee machines, and cold as well as frozen food items.

The training sub-committee will be asked to work with the new instructor in the curriculum development.

The need to adjust the training stipend for trainees was discussed. It was felt that the current $1,000.00 per month is insufficient. Mr. Elliott asked for suggestions as to a more acceptable amount so he could discuss it with Client Services. After considerable discussion, it was decided the current training stipend did not need adjustment.

OJT trainers need consistent training. The Committee has previously approved the concept of paying the trainer.

Ms. Alger moved that trainers be compensated $500.00 per month. Mr. Francis seconded. Discussion ensued.

Motion failed: 6 Yes and 7 No

Mr. Angelicola moved that trainers be compensated $1,000.00 per month. Mr. Gaudette seconded. There was no discussion.

Motion failed: 3 Yes and 10 No

Ms. Alger made a motion that trainers be compensated and that the Division determine the amount. After a second and some discussion, the Committee voted as follows.

Motion passed: 8 Yes and 5 No

Mr. Spiliotis brought the issue of postal sub-stations. He asked that Section 395.31(d) of the Code of Federal Regulations be read and Mr. Newcomb did so.

Insert citation.

Mr. Spiliotis said 42FR15808 and 42FR15809 contains information relevant to this issue.

There are no new developments with the Veterans Administration.

Aromatic is the company under consideration to manage BBE’s department operations statewide and also the company that has purchased the vending machine contracts of Pam Am who had been in competition in four South Florida postal locations. A contingency of signing such a department operation contract will be relinquishment of these vending services. It is now suspected that Aromatic is selling or has sold these contracts.

Wiessman is a company in Minnesota that wants to take over the statewide unassigned vending machine sales. The Coke contract has been extended for a year.

The following ideas were discussed in the small groups yesterday.

  1. Hire a market analyst to research other business concepts that might be incorporated into the Business Enterprises program.
  2. Consider laundromats or other coin operated service businesses as options for business enterprise program inclusion. Fairmont prison in New Jersey is using a debit-tek laundry service that is managed under Randolph-Sheppard.
  3. Central warehouse for bulk purchasing and equipment might be beneficial.
  4. Centralize vending machine refurbishing.
  5. Investigate incentives to make food service facilities more attractive to potential vendors.
  6. Re-examine group feeding contracts on military bases.
  7. Eliminate food service in the BEP since the talent pool to operate such facilities seems to be dwindling.
  8. Increase capacity of Bureau to cancel Loafs where a vendor is incapacitated and no longer managing the business.
  9. Centralize training at one location so training is consistent.
  10. Investigate additional franchise opportunities.

Sub-Committee Assignments:

Seminar: Don Tuell, Chairperson

Jim Lover

Gyorke Alger (Plaques)

Group Reports (Continuation)

  1. Centralize repair and parts warehousing.
  2. Improve recruitment strategies to bring in more persons who are food service oriented and younger blind persons.
  3. Allow vendors to pay own repairs and pay a lower set aside amount.
  4. Develop vending machine repair as a business opportunity for blind persons.
  5. Allow commercial vehicle insurance expenses as a deductible expense for set aside calculation.

Mr. Francis said he felt fairly certain that the Committee had approved and the agency accepted an allowance of hood cleaning expenses. It was unclear if it pertained to reimbursement or deduction for set aside calculation. Mr. Spiliotis asked Mr. Newcomb to research the minutes to determine when this occurred. Mr. Tuell thought this occurred during a Committee meeting in 2000.

Ms. Alger made a motion that commercial vehicle insurance be included as an allowable set aside expense. Mr. Renderman seconded. The discussion that followed led to Ms. Alger withdrawing the motion. Mr. Spiliotis referred the issue to the Sub-Committee on Policy.

Mr. Prescott asked if there had been any progress on a standardized development of a program written specifically for the business aspects, including reporting, of facility management. Mr. Elliott said the Bureau had recently been assigned additional computer programming staff to help with the Bureau’s database development and could be consulted on this issue.

Mr. Renderman asked if the Bureau could provide a listing of the addresses, including email, of vendors so that information could be sent to them regarding the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of Florida organization. Mr. Newcomb advised that the Bureau could send such information to vendors if it is provided.

Ms. Alger asked why Jacksonville was viewed as more viable as a central location for selections rather than Tampa. Mr. Newcomb indicated Jacksonville was selected as a northern alternative to Tampa. On further discussion Mr. Elliott said the Bureau would continue to use Mr. Tony Ames and Ms. Maureen Fink as its Panel members and Mr. Bernie Kaiserian as the alternate. He also said interviews would return to Tampa since the agency owns the building where its use can be controlled without incurring additional expense. Mr. Newcomb indicated it would not be advisable to move the interview location for the interviews scheduled in Jacksonville for August 13-16, 2002 since the applicants had already been assigned interview times and may have made travel arrangements. He continued by saying future interviews would be scheduled for Tampa.

Meeting adjourned at 2:50 PM on August 3, 2002.

Return to top of page

DISCLAIMER: Links on the Florida Division of Blind Services (DBS) website that are directed toward websites outside the DBS, provide additional information that may be useful or interesting and are being provided consistent with the intended purpose of the DBS website. DBS cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by non-DBS websites. Further, providing links to a non-DBS website does not constitute an endorsement by DBS, the Florida Department of Education or any of its employees, of the sponsors of the non-DBS website or of the information or products presented on the non-DBS website.