Few operators in the vending industry can tout having several decades of experience in the business, but Jay Holstein is one of them. Jay and his wife, Sherri, own and operate Global Vending Service, headquartered in Lake Worth, Fla. The medium-to-large vending company offers full-line vending, micro markets, OCS and pantry service. The Holsteins focus on building partnerships with their clients and creating gathering spaces in customer breakrooms.
Through their commitment to offering a personal touch, Jay and Sherri have grown Global Vending Service to 25 employees, seven full-line vending routes, two micro market routes and more than 800 vending machines in just 10 years.
A unique history
Jay began working in and learning about the vending industry as a young kid in his father’s Baltimore-based vending company, which was in operation for 30 years. With a propensity for hard work, Jay opened his own vending company at the age of 18 after graduating from high school. He ran and operated American Vending Service for 10 years before merging with Baltimore-based Black Tie Services in 1998. After selling his ownership in Black Tie Services, he launched Global Vending Management, a vending management company based in Baltimore.
“Look at our colleges and our high schools...nobody has cash these days. The kids don’t use cash at all.”
- Jay Holstein
While this could have signaled a “stepping back” approach for Jay, he was actually just getting started. After living and working in Maryland, Jay and Sherri moved to Florida and built Global Vending Service from the ground up. “Maryland has such a small footprint and there are so many vending operations,” he said. “It’s a lot easier to grow here in Florida.”
Like many other vending operators, the Holsteins started their vending company out of their house. Jay was running routes, buying product and filling machines. “The first year was tough,” said Jay. But the duo credits their success in Florida to their hard work and industry knowledge. The first account they landed was 17 locations in one, and they’ve grown from there. “As you grow, it doesn’t get easier,” laughed Jay. But, they were able to hire more employees as the business grew, and now the company employs 25 people.
Another additional advantage of starting over in Florida was Sherri’s immersion and involvement in the business. As co-owner of Global Vending Service, Sherri jumped right in with the company’s marketing, social media and graphics. She learned how to bid on large contracts and how to create engaging social media content. “I taught myself how to do this work,” said Sherri. “I just dove into it and never felt intimidated by it.”
Sherri realized early on in Florida that she enjoys running a business with Jay. “We complement each other,” she said. “We are the ying and yang. He does the business side; I do the creative.” The Holsteins note that 90 percent of their growth has been through the internet and website traffic. Sherri consistently posts on the company’s social media platforms and even created a full-page ad for Global Vending Service in the Miami Dolphins’ 2023 and 2024 yearbook.
“It’s a huge proposition to start a business over,” said Sherri. “We just did it and never stopped.”
The duo has a hand in everything to do with the business. “I’m not sitting at my desk all day,” said Jay. “We are out there dealing with the clients, the sales calls, and fixing the issues. We have that personal touch with our customers that other vending companies don’t.”
Growth through personal touch and industry partnerships
Having a personal relationship with clients is important for Jay and Sherri, and they believe it is what sets Global Vending Service apart. Jay believes that the larger vending companies can’t offer a personal touch. “When people call our company, they get me,” said Jay. “If I sold my business, there goes that personal touch.” If customers have an issue, suggestion or a request, Global Vending Service takes pride in its response. “That’s what makes us different. That’s what customers like,” said Jay.
Sherri points out that even though Jay is at an executive level at Global Vending Service, he still makes it a point to be involved in the day-to-day operation of accounts. “Jay makes sure the wires are hung right and that everything is in the right spot,” said Sherri. “It’s just a personal touch. For a company of our size to have that, that’s unique.”
It’s this service that Jay believes has helped them retain long-term accounts. “You’re only as good as your last service,” he said. “We still have accounts that we’ve had since we started here,” he said. In his experience, the life of a vending account is seven years. “If you go past that, you’re doing great,” he said.
Jay and Sherri love when customers give them ideas, and they always try to personalize accounts. Customers also appreciate the reporting that comes with the micro markets and vending. “A lot of clients ask us what’s selling in their locations, and it’s nice that we can send a sheet with all the products, from what’s selling and what’s not,” said Jay.
It’s not just the personal relationships with customers that Jay and Sherri appreciate. They also enjoy the partners in the vending industry they’ve worked with throughout their many years in the business. “Our partners are wonderful people who’ve been with us, and I want to emphasize that,” said Sherri. “We’re so lucky to have great partners in this business and to be part of a community.”
Global Vending Service partners with USG purchasing cooperative as well as Cantaloupe Inc. for its equipment and technology. They also have found great support from their web hosting company, OCS Access. “Christine Grecco and Richard Smith have been integral to our success, helping us maintain our website since the very beginning of our journey,” said Sherri. “Their support has been invaluable.” They also credit Neil Swindale, president of VendCentral and ZippyAssist, with helping to make their company and the industry succeed. “He wrote our first website and logo when we first started in business, and now, we use his ZippyAssist refund technology,” said Jay. “And that just is phenomenal that he stuck with us. He didn’t care about our size. He was so helpful.”
Priority on technology
Technology has always been a priority for Jay and Sherri. From day one, every Global Vending Service machine has had credit card readers and telemetry. “When we first started, credit card usage was around 20 percent, then it grew to 40 percent, and today, it’s more than 80 percent credit card usage,” said Jay. “Look at our colleges and our high schools...nobody has cash these days. The kids don’t use cash at all,” he said.
In Maryland, Jay was always interested in using technology to streamline operations. “We had technology that was a little bit more primitive.” Adding technology became even more important, however, when the Holsteins started Global Vending Service. “I had no choice [when it came to adding technology] because I would not have known where to go, and I was by myself with 500 machines.”
Technology was a necessity for Jay to service and grow Global Vending Service in the early days. “It helped me know where I needed to go and what I needed to pick.” It was especially helpful during COVID. “Places were closed, and with technology, we could see what locations had sales and where we needed to go,” he said.
Technology has not only streamlined their business; it has also helped them stand out amongst the competition. Today, many Global Vending Service machines have technology that allows customers to pay via card, near-field communication (NFC), coupon codes, mobile wallet payment and more.
The company utilizes Crane’s Merchant Media Ambient and Merchant Media Combo snack and candy vending machines. The company also offers several hot beverage vending machines, including Voce Media, which allows customers a choice among 18 different hot beverages. In all, Global Vending Service has more than 800 machines. “We try to optimize all our equipment and get high average earning machines,” said Jay.
The company also has begun offering Cantaloupe Inc.’s Cooler Café smart locking coolers, which are popular in many college locations, said Jay. The Cooler Café is equipped with easy-to-use point-of-sale systems and remote monitoring apps. The Cooler Café works by remaining locked until after a customer’s payment is processed. Customers can shop and pay at the touchscreen terminal or through a mobile app.
Jay and Sherri also expanded into micro markets when they opened Global Vending Service. They offer clients the choice of large markets for 250 or more people, medium markets for 150 to 250 employees and small markets for between 75 to 150 employees. A Cantaloupe payment kiosk can accept credit cards, mobile wallets and the Koin Pay app. The company currently has 35 micro markets and hopes to open more.
“We’re doing conversions from vending to markets where we can,” said Jay. “Our first pitch to customers now is a micro market.” He has gotten some reluctance from some customers who have never heard about micro markets and are concerned about theft. “I tell them that if your employee is stealing a candy bar, they’re stealing office supplies,” said Jay.
The Global Vending Service team takes great care to create welcoming, unique micro markets for its clients. “Our markets really make us stand out,” said Sherri. “They look really good. We don’t just put product on a wire rack.”
There are many factors that have aided in the company’s growth. In the last five years, the company has more than doubled its income. They now operate a branch in central Florida as well as a branch in southern Florida. “Really the only area we do not service is the Florida panhandle due to several challenges, one of which is distance,” said Jay. The company services the largest flight-training school in the country, several airports, several colleges, many healthcare facilities and manufacturing plants around the state. “We have a mix of everything, and every single type of location is just totally different,” said Jay. “You just really have to be a businessman and a vendor. And you have to wear two hats.”
Hard work pays off
Jay and Sherri continually showcase their proclivity for hard work, and they both take great pride in their business and the services they offer. “We are a family-owned and women-owned business, and we take such pride in everything we do,” said Jay. “I’m a proponent of hard work. Hard work pays off.”
“I’m a proponent of hard work. Hard work pays off.”
- Jay Holstein
Despite ongoing challenges, Jay enjoys being an operator. “It’s a great business to be in,” said Jay. “I’ve been doing this for many years, and I have seen its ups and downs.”
Jay notes he’s seen history repeat itself in the vending industry. “The smaller companies like mine grow and then a large company will come in, and they’ll buy you out. There’s consolidation and then the small guys come back up again.”
He cautions other prospective operators of the realities of the industry. “Sometimes, you have to walk away from accounts because they’re wanting $1 bottles of soda, which is just something we can’t do anymore,” he said, adding, “This industry is not easy.”
Despite the realities of everyday operations, Jay and Sherri feel blessed to own and run their own vending business. “If you have a bad day, just know your next day is going to be better,” said Sherri. Her advice to other operators? “Never ever give up. If you want to achieve a goal and you want to start a business, just jump in and start.”
Adrienne Klein | Contributing Editor
Adrienne Zimmer Klein is a freelance writer with a background in the vending, micro market and office coffee service industry. She worked as an associate editor and managing editor at Automatic Merchandiser and VendingMarketWatch.com from 2013 until 2017. She is a regular contributing writer at Automatic Merchandiser.
