Transitions — New Editor Takes On AM/VMW

I hope you all enjoyed the long Labor Day weekend, often the last celebration of the summer, because now that September is upon us, it's time for the inevitable - change. Summer cicadas become the crunching of autumn leaves. Soda sales slide, as coffee-based drinks become the beverage of choice. And of course, all of this is leading up to a change right here, at Automatic Merchandiser and VendingMarketWatch.

By now, many of you have read the September issue of Automatic Merchandiser, so you know Elliot Maras, the 20+ year editor of the publication, is moving on to share his skills and knowledge with another industry within our parent company. I fully admit I was dumbfounded at this news. I thought Elliot would be visiting operators with a personal mobility chair, notebook and pen in hand. He loves this industry and enjoys what he does. When I asked him why, he was frank. It was a good opportunity. It was a chance to move into a larger industry and grow a new publication. He sounded excited, reveling in the new professional challenges that awaited.

 Every operation has a changing of the guard

This transition reminds me of my talks with operators. Many second or third generation vendors have had a similar one, and some pre-retirement operators are staring such a transition in the face. My hope is that, like Elliot, they pass on the torch with optimism and excitement for the future.

I've worked on AM/VMW for over 6 years, all that time with Elliot. I caught his passion for the industry, got hooked on telling the operator's story, became obsessed with aggregating news and hopefully, absorbed some of his wisdom. He was dedicated to being a resource for operators, for providing insight, best practices, new products, news  -- anything that would help you run your businesses more successfully. That's the legacy I plan to continue.

In today's environment being a resource and providing the content operators need means expanding. You'll see more of us in social media, be able to watch news clips and utilize online content more readily while still having a solid, print issue with features and special reports that have a long-shelf life. I don't mean to toot our horn, but we've got a lot to offer in a number of mediums and there's more to come.

At this point I'd like to introduce someone who will help bring all this to you, our new associate editor and digital project manager, Wade Vonasek. He's a veteran of publishing although is brand new to vending. I've already told him it’s a fun industry.

Despite the new faces to this publication, we remain dedicated to the vending, coffee service and micro market industry, online and offline. Please feel free to comment, email or give us a call. We'd love to hear your story. 

Emily Refermat

Direct: 920-563-1615