Quarterly State Committee of Vendors Meeting
Embassy Suites, International Drive, Orlando - March 1-2, 2013
The meeting was called to order at 9am on Friday, March 1, 2013 by John Klindtworth who also called the role. John Klindtworth is acting as chairman for this meeting as the chairman of the State Committee of Vendors, Tom Spiliotis; was unable to attend.
The following persons were present:
John Klindtworth, Vice Chairman
District Representatives: District 1-Marcus Armstrong; District 2-Kurt Ponchak; District 3-Don Tuell; District 4-Bill Perret, District 5-Dennis Horn; District 6-Brian McKenney, Alternate; District 7-Charles Hackney; District 8-Catherine Gyorke Alger; District 9-Joel Rose, District 10-Jesus Villeda.
Bureau of Business Enterprise Staff: William Bill Findley, Bureau Chief; Maureen Fink, Operations Manager; Alan Risk, Compliance Officer; Janet Chernoff, Administrative Services Consultant; Don Meloy, Marketing-Site Development Manager; Lawrence Batterton, Government Analyst; John Ahler, Region 1 Consultant; Bernie Kaiserian, Region 2 Consultant; Gregory Coon, Region 3 Consultant; Anthony Arduengo, Region 4 Consultant; James Carper, Region 5 Consultant; Chadwick Duncan, Region 6 Consultant
Licensed Vendors: Tom Saunders, Brian Britt, Shirley Smart, Mitzi Tyler, Troy Arthur, Jim Lover
Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Steven Moss, Jill Richardson; Instructors
Danny Strain and Jay Payne; Staff at Daytona Beach Snack Bar
Trainees: Erica Ferrier, Jason Carpenter, Veda Griffin, Reagan Reichert, and Carlos Rodriguez
Guests: Dolores Lambert, DJ Hackney, Barbara Perret, Aldrin Roque, Fast Corp; Bill Baker, Baker & Baker Vending; Lorna Lover
John Klindtworth asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of the passing of Kyle McMurtry. Gyorke Alger also mentioned the passing of Gene Newcomb, former BBE Compliance Officer and Lonnie Wilcoxs mother. Lonnie is a licensed vendor in Region 6.
Chadwick Duncan, Region 6 Business Consultant read the synopsis of the minutes of the December 2012 meeting. The full minutes had been emailed to the Committee members prior to the meeting. Gyorke Alger moved to approve the minutes, seconded by Kurt Ponchak. Passed without objection.
BBE Updates - Bill Findley
Bill welcomed the BBE trainees, instructors and snack bar staff visiting from the Daytona Beach Rehab Center. Bill announced that the Region 6 Business Consultant, Chadwick Duncan; has taken another position as Director of Community Ministry for the Florida Baptist Childrens Home and will be leaving the BBE staff. Friday, March 1, 2013 is his last day. Bill then requested that the agenda item, Business Module upgrade be moved to 11:30am. No objections from the committee members on the agenda change.
We are moving forward with the Veterans Administration. Terry Smith, consultant for the NFB Entrepreneurs Initiative is working with a subcommittee on Veteran Affairs and VA leadership. The VA has admitted privately that they are not in compliance with RSA. The Veterans Administration has suggested that the RSA and Terry Smith review their announcement prior to putting it out. We have received notification from Bay Pines, VA facility in Tampa and the new VA hospital in Cape Coral. Don Meloy has an appointment scheduled with the VA medical center in Orlando for March 13 and has also contacted the VA in West Palm and Gainesville. Don Meloy also provided information to Terry Smith on the website and proposed new construction.
American Food and Vending continues to operate the cafeteria in the Turlington building. We are taking bids for renovations of the facility on the 16th floor of the Turlington. We are planning a coffee shop, salad and sandwich shop. Our goal continues to be to place a blind vendor in the Turlington Building facility. Competition from other food service operations has increased on Gaines Street since the recent redesign. We have heard that food trucks may be setting up near the Turlington building but dont know when and how often they will be there.
We have been offered the over-the-counter facilities in the Capitol Building and Revenue Building at Southwood. The business at the Capitol building tends to be seasonal but the Revenue Building is expected to be very lucrative. The current company wants to be out of these facilities by July 1. Most of the equipment in the Capitol building is state owned, but the equipment in the Revenue Building is owned by the current operator. It is a testament to our improved reputation that DMS was happy when the BBE expressed interest in these two facilities. There was a discussion about tying the vending in the Revenue Building with the snack bar. This can only be done if the current operator is willing and able to manage a snack bar. We need to do what is best for facility and the program. We estimate that they do between $1000 and $1200 per day in sales. Currently they have a staff of 3-4 people in the snack bar.
A number of rest areas do not have covered vending areas or storage. DMS did a study at a cost to DBS of $39,000 that resulted in an estimate of $250,000 per rest area. We will not go forward with the project unless there is money set aside specifically for these renovations. We were previously told that no new construction was planned for the rest areas, but now we are hearing that that DOT is considering tearing down the rest area currently operated by Georgia Kellogg and building a new one. We need to confirm DOTs plans as they review the rest areas.
DOT has asked our operators to sell mini-transponders for the SunPass in their vending machines. They are primarily interested in selling them at the welcome stations. DOT will provide signage and possibly billboards to advertise that the SunPass is available at the rest area. If our vendors sell the transponders in their vending machines, DOT will not sell them at the counter in the welcome centers. Don Tuell reported that DOT is putting large screen TVs in the restrooms at his facility that provide weather and traffic updates as well as commercials. He has heard that all the rest areas will be getting TVs.
The ATM pilot project at selected rest areas has been unsuccessful. There is a possibility that the lack of success was due to the company, ATM Solutions. ATM Solutions will be pulling out their machines, and we may look at alternate companies as DOT would like ATMs to be in rest areas. Jim Carper reported that Don Felder is currently receiving $200-$250 per month in commissions from his ATM from another provider.
Bill updated the committee on working capital repayments. The current BBE policy is that an operator cannot enter into a contract on a facility if they have any outstanding debt on another facility. Occasionally a vendor will have an outstanding debt from a Type II. In that case they can enter into a payment plan and continue to operate their Type I facility. We also have payment plans for operators who have left a Type I facility with an outstanding debt and are currently not operating a facility. We have a number of vendors making payments on a payment plan and few that are not. If a vendor is not making payments we send three letters, and if the vendor does not respond to these letters we will begin the process to revoke their license and the debt is turned over to collections.
Net profit is up over $100,000 for the last quarter as compared to the previous year. This is a sign that things are getting better and that the vendors are working harder and smarter.
Daytona Beach Snack Bar - Bill Findley
We have had a licensed operator at the snack bar at the Daytona Beach Rehab Center for the past 8 years. Recently that vendor applied for a business opportunity in the January selection cycle. The operator had been told by the previous BBE administration that being an employee rather than an operator under a LOFA would not impact him if he applied for a facility at a later date. This statement was confirmed by former Bureau Chief, Michael Elliott. Legal stated that Section 3.1 of the Manual clearly states that the applicant must be under a Type I or Type II LOFA to get performance points. The snack bar at the Daytona does have a facility number and operator files monthly reports and pays set aside, but the prices are artificially low to encourage business and the operator is an employee not an independent business person. The committee discussed various options and although legally we cannot do anything for the operator during this selection cycle we can look at making some accommodation for the future. The Promotion and Transfer Subcommittee should work with Alan Risk and the legal department and make a recommendation to the committee.
Building a Vending Route - Bill Baker of Baker and Baker Vending
Bill Baker shared some of his experiences in building his vending business. He addressed the concern whether low volume machines were worth the time and investment. Bill feels that as long as the machines are located in the same area as the higher volume machines a vendor should take the location. He suggested stocking them with long date products or using the lower volume machines as storage for the high volume ones. Bill also told the committee that the AMAF has planned a legislative day in Tallahassee for March 21. Kurt Ponchak plans to participate as a representative of BBE operators.
Type II Awards - Maureen Fink
Currently we have 22 facilities under Type II contracts. Two are being operated by American Food and Vending. A vending route in Ft. Myers is currently being operated by a third party vendor under the Visinity contract. Two snack bars that are currently being operated on Type IIs will be closed within the next year and we continue to operate them as a favor to the counties they are located in. Jesus expressed concern about Daniel Ochoa who is operating one of the snack bars at Revitco. Our goal is to have a foot in the door for the new county building just being built. If the operator is suffering financially we will consider closing these facilities sooner. All seven facilities available on this selection cycle are being operated on a Type II LOFA.
Fastcorp - Aldrin Roque
Aldrin Roque shared information on the features of the Fastcorp ice cream machine and told the committee, agency staff and guests about changes in the design. Vendors were invited to view the machine and ask questions during the break.
Daytona Beach Training Class - Steven Moss
Steve Moss introduced the current trainees. One class has only one student, Erica Ferrier because the second student in that class, Bruce Coleman had to drop out due to health problems. Erica will finish March 29 and wants to start OJT the following Monday. The second class has four students who started class on February 4.
Steve reported that they have resolved scheduling problems and have cafeteria training in place as part of the class. The vending workshop is up and running with a coffee machine and two snack machines. Students are able to work with the machines without interfering with the operation of vending in the building.
Business Module Upgrade
Jill Richardson reported on updates to the Business Management Module. The Business Management Module is the last module of the six modules in the training program at the Center. Unlike the other modules, it involves more of the soft skills, as it is psychology based with numerous variables and situations. It is also the module that can be the most challenging to the BBE students, as there may not be a definitive right or wrong answer based on facts or math. A concentrated effort has been made to improve the Business Management module since it was included two years ago. Recent additions are: resume writing and analysis, the mock interview, and facility themed marketing. A review of all six modules has also been added since students requested more computer training at the beginning of the sixteen week training allowing for an extra week in this module. Topics that were already in place prior to the changes include customer service, diversity, delegation and communication. The diversity, delegation and communication topics were recently updated based on material gathered from the 2012 text entitled Supervision in the Hospitality Industry. This text was endorsed by the National Restaurant Association. Student projects that are included in the Business Management module include a breakeven analysis (based on a facility offered on the Business Opportunities list), facility theme, and the mock interview which includes a resume and a five minute biography. Kurt Ponchak suggested that interviewing of potential employees be included in this module.
Compliance Officer Report - Alan Risk
Four operators have been licensed this year; Carla Chambers, Cecil Tesmer, Ron Light and Pauline Bush. All four applied for opportunities in the January selection cycle. One dropped out to take a Type II on another facility, one applied for only the rest areas and did not qualify for an interview and the other two will be interviewed by the panel the week of March 4th. Seven opportunities are available in the January selection cycle; two rest areas, four routes, and one cafeteria. There were sixteen applications, one withdrew prior to the exam, two withdrew after the exam, and one withdrew after accepting a Type II. Ten operators will be interviewed.
Four operators still do not have any CEUs but most have fulfilled their requirement or are close. Letters were sent out to operators with less than 2 CEUs.
We have met with the Department of Agriculture concerning their requirement of permits for storage units. They have indicated that they are open to the Division staff doing their own inspections and requested that we come up with a strategy for procedures for self-regulation. We are checking with our legal department. We need to make sure we are complying with the law without undue hardship to the vendors or the agency.
Online reimbursements are open to all vendors. Operators should contact Susan Johnson to register. Operators will need to send a scanned copy of the invoice and include a property tag number or description of the equipment. Faxed copies of invoices are not permitted. To speed up the process the operator can register for direct deposit.
One grievance was filed but was put on hold and we will see if the grievant still wishes to proceed after the committee meeting. DOE is allowing us to proceed with an appeal of a recent Arbitration Panel decision.
Monitoring Review - Lawrence Batterton
Fifteen monitorings have been done this year. This completes the monitoring of all vendors with the exception of two. One cancelled due to illness and the other will be rescheduled. Agency staff and Committee members discussed how we should proceed. It was decided to do a review of operators with a Type I and a Type II who have been in the facility at least one quarter. We will also look at vendors who had a number of findings on their previous report and visit them again. Consultants can suggest operators that need a second visit. The purpose of the monitoring is to help operators to become better vendors.
Subcommittee Reports
Finance, Auditing and Budget Subcommittee - Kurt Ponchak
Kurt Ponchak stated the budget report did not provide all of the appropriate information according to the CFR and that it should be broken out by grant number. At the December 2012 meeting, Tom Spiliotis requested that a simple budget report be prepared for the committee meeting. Alan, Maureen and Bill met with the DBS budget section to prepare a report to share with the committee. A joint Agency-Committee meeting was not called following the last meeting. Budget information was emailed to the committee in advance of the meeting. Some vendors indicated the simpler budget was what they wanted as it was easier to understand. Kurt suggested that we may be out of compliance since we have a surplus of $359,000 in the bank account. Bill said that there was strong evidence that the VA was about to issue some new guidelines for working with SLAs which would open up opportunities for a lot of vending and the extra funds could be used for that purpose. There was a discussion about how the budget report should be presented and it was suggested that there be a written plan for how we will deal with any surplus funds. John Klindtworth requested that the Budget subcommittee meet with the Bureau prior to the next meeting in May.
Public Relations Subcommittee - Dennis Horn, Don Tuell
Dennis Horn presented a report on marketing and personal investment in the program. The report was emailed to the committee and copies were provided at the meeting. Dennis indicated that the vendors and Bureau staff seem to on the same page and that we can market and sell to anyone. Eventually we should look at going after locations in private businesses.
Grievance Subcommittee - Joel Rose, Jesus Villeda, Tom Saunders
Joel Rose has prepared information on how to file a grievance and is willing to help any operator. He has been at two LOFA cancellations. Since the District Rep should be at a LOFA cancellation, Alan Risk will provide their contact information in the cancellation letter. Tom Saunders spoke to the committee as a representative of the grievance panel and indicated that the grievance process has a standard format and is a functional operation. We need to make sure the grievant is aware of their rights.
Promotion and Transfer Subcommittee - Gyorke Alger, Marcus Armstrong, Jim Lover
The members of the promotion and transfer subcommittee had nothing to report. Jim Lover spoke to the committee as a representative of the selection panel. Jim indicated that the process has been much improved. The reports from Rehab center and Consultants have been helpful and the applicants have presented themselves in professional attire. The weakest point for most applicants is the interview and he feels that mock interview training is good for the trainees. The panel has a do not recommend option if an operator who may be ahead on points would not be the best choice for the facility.
Training, Retraining and Upward mobility Subcommittee - Bill Perret and Charles Hackney
Bill Perret and Charles Hackney have been participating in both the assessment interview and the exit interviews for the trainees. The assessment interview allows the panel to ask questions of potential applicants and helps them decide if the applicant is qualified. It also allows the applicant to ask questions about the program. On occasion an applicant is not recommended for training. The exit interview allows the panel to assess how much the trainee got out of the Daytona Beach training and also allows the new vendor to offer any suggestions concerning training both at Daytona Beach and in OJT. The Agency has made changes based on these interviews. Recently as a result of comments made by the trainees, Bill Findley met with the dormitory supervisor at Daytona Beach to recommend that the dorm staff make adjustments for the more mature students who are there as part of a business program. BBE students have met certain standards and are more functional with their blindness than students at the center for adjustment to blindness and mobility training.
Biennial Seminar - Bill Findley
The Biennial Seminar is set for August 9 - 11, 2013 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando. We plan to have Terry Smith as the keynote speaker on Saturday morning and have asked him to do a couple of breakout sessions. We need to schedule some workshops for Friday afternoon as Vistar will not be having their trade show until the following week. One suggestion for a workshop is one on simple vending repairs. We would also like to look at a banquet for Saturday night as well as a mixer on Friday evening. District representative elections are done within sixty days prior to the Biennial via conference call. Nominations for Chairman and Vice-Chairman are done on Saturday afternoon and the election is the following day. Committee members and vendors can submit suggestions for workshop topics to Janet Chernoff.
Marketing and Site Development update - Don Meloy
Don Meloy is working with Greg Coon in Region 3. They added a location at the 5th District Court of Appeals to an existing route and are working to identify other locations in Orlando and Daytona Beach. The proposal to Citizens Insurance has been accepted and we will be installing machines at locations in Tallahassee followed by Tampa and Jacksonville. We are pursuing opportunities with the Florida National Guard armories across the state and military bases such as Camp Blanding, MacDill, and Homestead. Opportunities at these locations include cafeterias and vending. We are looking at opportunities at the colleges. One college we are pursuing in a bid situation is Seminole State. Currently Seminole State is receiving 21% commission from the current vendor. We plan a professional bid with an offer of 10% and emphasize that using a BBE vendor is doing something for the community. We are also looking at opportunities at Florida State College in Jacksonville and Indian State College. We are also pursuing opportunities in the USDA and the Gainesville Job Corp Center, the Farm Bureau in Gainesville and Goodwill stores in Orlando, Daytona, and Port Orange.
Adjourned for the day at 5pm.
The meeting was called to order by John Klindtworth at 8:30am on Saturday, March 2, 2013. John also called the role.
Facility Reorganizations
Region 3 - request to add Facility 596 to Facility 586. Region 3 Business Consultant, Greg Coon requested that Facility 596, TSA at the Orlando International Airport be added to Facility 586, Orlando Vending Route. Facility 596 has been operated on a Type II by Dennis Horn for the past six months. It has been determined that there are not sufficient sales for it to be a stand-alone facility. Greg has recommended that it be attached to Facility 586, as this facility has been losing population. The facility has lost one anchor location, DCF and the other anchor location, Lake Mary post office is steadily declining. A motion to add Facility 596 to Facility 586 was made by Kurt Ponchak, Seconded by Dennis Horn. Passed without objection.
Region 5 - per the request of the committee at the December meeting, the Region 5 Business Consultant, Jim Carper provided geographic boundaries for the following facilities; Facility 501, Facility 547, and Facility 257. Jim Carper recommended the following: for Facility 501 from I-595 north to Broward Palm Beach County lines; Facility 547 from North of Miami Dade-Broward County Lines to I-595, and Facility 257, all of Palm Beach County. Acting chairman, John Klindtworth requested that Jim provide a map to the agency and all of the vendors currently operating these facilities and have them sign it to acknowledge the geographic boundaries. Jesus Villeda questioned the boundaries for Facilities 501 and Facility 547 and suggested that Broward Blvd should be the dividing line. A motion was made by Dennis Horn to accept the geographic boundaries as originally recommended. Seconded by Joel Rose. Passed 9 - 1.
Region 6 - Maureen Fink presented the geographic lines for Facility 117 that were proposed by the former Region 6 Business Consultant, Chadwick Duncan. Chadwick recommended that the
Downtown Route 117 included everything west of 42nd Ave, Lejeune Rd, bordered at the north by 112/Airport Expressway and to the south by SW 22nd Street across to the Rickenbacker Causeway and all of Key Biscayne and Miami Beach. Joel Rose made a motion to accept the geographic boundaries. There was a discussion about boundaries for the Miami area, and it was recommended that four areas be designated. Maureen will provide this information to the Committee at the May meeting. Kurt Ponchak also suggested that there be language in the LOFA saying that the operator would be required to take any locations that come available in the geographic area designated.
Regional Status and District Updates
Region 2 - Bernie Kaiserian
Renovations have been done at Facility 564, Blount Island Cafeteria; Facility 218, Jacksonville Post Office and Facility 569, Cafeteria at the FAA at Hilliard. The Jacksonville VA was added to Facility 513 and the Army Corp of Engineers Location was added to Facility 590. Operators at Facility 33, Snack bar Duval County Courthouse, and Facility 145, Snack Bar at the Federal Building have added Boars Head meats to their menus. The operator for Facility 401 was removed and Jose Quintanilla has agreed to operate the facility for the month of March to give the new operator time to get settled. Carla Chambers, newly licensed vendor was awarded the facility on a Type II and will work with Jose in March and take over the facility the first of April.
District 3 - Don Tuell
Operators in his area are concerned about meeting the CEU requirement. Everything else is fine.
District 4 - Bill Perret
Bill commended Bernie on his work with Corp of Engineering location.
Region 1 - John Ahler
At Facility 286, Pensacola Post Office, Ron Jones has gained population because other post office locations are closing down. John has done some small renovations at the Tallahassee rest areas including new awnings, electrical work and painting. At Facility 534, Saufley Field; the renovations are completed and the machines are in. The Pensacola Naval Station is out for bid. There are fifty machines; eight snack machines and the rest are Coke. We propose offering a small commission. This has the potential of being a stand-alone facility. The machines have been ordered for Citizens Insurance in Tallahassee. There are four locations and Citizens has requested that the same operator service all four locations. Winewood Complex will be added to Facility 593, Tallahassee Vending Route East.
Janet Chernoff reported on Facilities 273, 320, 441, and 591. Facilities 441 and 591 had lower sales in December due to the holidays, Emmett Magee is doing well in his first couple months in Facility 273 and Wanda Feldsteen has increased her business every month in Facility 320.
District 1 - Marcus Armstrong
Everything is great on the interstate. Robert Gary is doing well in Facility 587. The prison has given him storage and he has a freezer and an ice cream machine. His average monthly sales are $14,000. Mike Sumler had a good system in place on which Robert was able to build.
District 2 - Kurt Ponchak
Facility 593 is continuing to grow and had sales of over $9,000 in February. This route will be losing a location the end of June and the population from this location will be moving to Southwood. Kurt reiterated his assertion that there should be a geographic delineation of routes and wording should be in the LOFA that would require the operator to take any locations within the geographic boundaries designated. There was a discussion about boundaries in regard to Citizens Insurance. They have requested that the same vendor take care of all four locations and two are located on the east side of Tallahassee and two are on the west side. We will put this facility out on a Type II and get it established.
Region 3 - Greg Coon
Greg and Don Meloy are looking at additional locations for Facility 285, Daytona Beach Vending route and Facility 586, Orlando Vending Route. There are not many state or federal locations in the Daytona Beach area. Potential locations in Orlando include the Customs building, FBI and DEA. The Orlando Federal Courthouse has been completed and has 1400 square feet for vending. We are looking at options. Renovations are being done in Facility 378, Orlando Cafeteria including new grease traps and kitchen ceiling. The facility has been pressure washed and new equipment has been purchased.
Kennedy Space Center -Facility 497, the new combined vending route is on the January business opportunities cycle. Facility 466 has had an increase in sales of 40% since the cafeteria closed. Facility 130 is struggling due to layoffs and the operator may need to reduce his work force. Brian McKenney, Facility 150 is the first BBE manager at KSC to accept credit cards and the other operators may consider it. The NASA exchange has told Space Florida that they need to contact us about their snack bar to make sure that they are in compliance with Randolph-Sheppard. Three of Gregs operators with no CEUs are registered with Hadley and two are signed up for courses. Greg will be doing HACCP training at KSC. Steve Moss will be helping with the training and will bring the current BBE students.
District 5 - Dennis Horn
There is a proposal meeting for the employee machines on Monday at the Orlando Airport. They plan a transition in August.
District 6 - Brian McKenney, Alternate
He has lost 30-40 people in his building and is looking at new ideas to bring in more customers. There are rumors that a Mr. Donut or Burger King is coming into the building. Brian suggested using Tim, the chef at the Daytona Beach Rehab center as a trainer for CEU training.
Region 4 - Tony Arduengo
Tony is looking at the Florida Marine Institute, Manatee Corrections and DCF in Sarasota to add to Facility 555, Bradenton Route. A location on this route, Manasota sorting center location is scheduled to be closed. Tony will be meeting with the Special Operations Command on March 6th. The location has two drink machines. We would like to add the location to Facility 161, West Tampa route. Hillsborough County Courthouse is requiring that all food products be stored in sealable containers. This will effect Facility 31, Hillsborough County Courthouse snack bar, and Facility 124, courthouse vending. We are exploring air curtains to cool the vending areas in Facilities 353 and 360, Zephyrhills rest areas. The breezeways do not cool the vending areas. Facility 481, Alligator Alley rest area will be closing for renovations. There is conflicting information how long the facility will be closed. Pinellas County Narcotics building had been added to Facility 500. Facility 180, Ft. Myers is on the January selection cycle and the new operator will have to work to regain customers, as the customers have not been happy with the third party vendor. Citizen Insurance will be added to Facility 396. Tony has continued to explore the possibility of a route in Polk County. Currently there are thirteen small locations being operated by Visinity. Charlie Hackney recommended that Tony check into CSX in Winter Haven as a possible location.
District 7 - Charles Hackney
Charlie had nothing to add to Tonys report.
District 8 - Gyorke Alger
Gyorke indicated that she is glad to have Tom Saunders in District 8.
Region 5 - Jim Carper
Jim has finished installing machines in the parks in Palm Beach County. Harold Cardwell resigned from his facility, Facility 429 Martin County rest area on I-95 and the program. The facility was awarded to Shirley Smart on a Type II. A new FBI facility is being built in Miramar and is expecting to house 1100-1200 employees. Don Meloy has been communicating with Richard Daley concerning this location. This facility will be a stand-alone with vending and a snack bar.
District 9 - Joel Rose
Everything is going okay. Alicia Villedas route has been growing.
Region 6 - Maureen Fink
We are looking at the TSA in the Miami Airport. Currently we have vending in the Customs and Border facility. More vendors are needed in the Miami area to take on facilities. Maureen will be visiting the Miami area in the next couple of weeks.
District 10 - Jesus Villeda
There are still a number of Types IIs in the Miami area. Jesus expressed concern about Daniel Ochoa and the Type II at Facility 227. Maureen will look into it when she is in the Miami area. Barbara Coleman, Facility 15, Dade County Courthouse wants to close the snack bar in the Jury room on Fridays because no one uses it. Maureen advised that Barbara needs to clear this with the building manager.
Round Table
Charlie Hackney had an operator from his district questioning the Type II process when awarding rest areas and why they are generally awarded to the operator with the rest area across the highway. The needs of the facility is the most important factor when awarding a Type II. Type IIs on rest areas are done on a month to month basis which makes it impractical for a vendor to move to take the location. There was a discussion about Type IIs and the factors that are considered when the facility is awarded. Currently VR will provide up to two relocations for new vendors. A vendor can request that their case be reopened with DBS to get additional training or equipment.
Meeting was adjourned at 10:30am.
