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Obesity Gets Knocked Out by Healthy Vending Machines Thanks to the Boys & Girls Club of Ada County, ID!

July 22, 2010 By Patrick Sanders Leave a Comment

Muhammad Ali. Joe Louis. Sugar Ray Robinson.

Obesity and malnutrition would rather step into the ring with these boxing greats than the Boys & Girls Club of Ada County, Idaho.

The mission of the Boys & Girls Club is “to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”

Gotta love ‘em.

On July 20th, the Garden City and Meridian clubs joined the fight to promote health for its kids by implementing a state of the art healthy vending program through H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending. With a high tech machine installed at each club, the positive and measurable impact on the kids’ health has begun.

Star athletes from Boise State and nutrition experts participated in an educational event before unveiling the machines, speaking to the children about the importance of nutrition and exercise at the Moseley Center.

CHECK OUT THE NEWS COVERAGE OF THE EVENT!

Local H.U.M.A.N. operators Amy and John Hobbing are excited to be the first exclusive healthy vending operators in Idaho: “As leaders in the Treasure Valley have come to realize, poor nutrition and obesity are not just bad for kids, but its bad for business. One out of every three adults and children are now classified as overweight or obese. The cost of poor health is well documented: lost productivity, higher healthcare costs and a lower quality of life. We have decided to take a stand against poor health and help innovative organizations and leaders like the Boys & Girls Club bring the right kind of tools to help kids and adults with better nutritional choices. Lastly, we want people to know that good health can taste good!”

When I was a kid, I couldn’t tell you the difference between sodium and simple carbohydrates. Heck, most of the time I couldn’t even match my socks. Not surprisingly, not much has changed. In Garden City, the kids crowded around the colorful and high-tech machine feeding it quarters and excitedly retrieving their snacks as reporters quizzed them on what the basic ingredients were. The look on the kids’ faces said it all: “I don’t know, lady, I just know it tastes good!”

With a customized array of snacks chosen for both taste and nutritional content, kids and parents were not disappointed.

I have to say that nothing warms my heart more than seeing a kid chugging Hansen’s soda instead of Pepsi. My wife was offended by this because apparently our wedding video should take precedence, but that’s neither here nor there.

And as childhood obesity rates soar throughout the country, the Boys & Girls Club in Ada County, Idaho has scored a first round knockout.

Filed Under: Company Happenings, H.U.M.A.N., Health & Nutrition, HEALTHY VENDING, Healthy Vending Machines, Lifestyle, Vending News Tagged With: healthy food, healthy snacks, HEALTHY VENDING, healthy vending machine, healthy vending machines, Successful vending, vending machines, vending machines in school, vending machines in schools

The Future of Vending Machines

March 10, 2010 By John Pinto 1 Comment

A vending machine? A digital advertising platform? What is this hi-tech, awesome looking machine? It’s H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending and the all new Media Mogul!

This machine is custom built for vending success. Not only will you make your standard margin on product sales, but you now have access to a completely new revenue stream by taking part in the booming digital advertising industry!

Through the H.U.M.A.N. Ad Network, ads can be uploaded remotely and customized towards any machine location. The Media Mogul comes with a 23″ HD LCD screen that looks great. It is such an eye catcher that product sales go up simply because people want to check out the machine.

This machine does not come with your standard coil trays either. It is equipped with the most sophisticated vending technology to date — a conveyor belt style delivery system. What does that mean for you? Higher capacity (meaning less work for you) and product versatility (you can vend anything that fits!). It is an entrepreneurs dream.

Filed Under: Company Happenings, Entrepreneurship, The Bigger Picture, Vending News Tagged With: HEALTHY VENDING, healthy vending machine, healthy vending machines, human healthy vending, new technologies, Successful vending, technology, upgrade

H.U.M.A.N.: Creating Healthy Vending Success Part II

February 12, 2010 By John Pinto Leave a Comment

Why We Succeed at Schools While Traditional vending Companies Fail Part II

Products that are Actually Healthy AND Taste Good

When a healthy vending program fails to reach optimal success, it almost always has to do something with the products. The products must taste good and they cannot taste that much different than what students are used to. You can’t just change students’ taste preferences on the flip of a dime. Therefore, you must work with them. Take what products students like, find healthy items that taste similar, and offer those products to the students. Healthy snacks don’t have to taste like cardboard, and they shouldn’t!

Healthy products have made a huge stride over the past five to ten ears when it comes to taste. The problem is that many of the best products are not available via standard vending machine product distributors. A vending operator needs to build a network of new suppliers and distributors with different rules, policies, and prices, and many time they’re not willing to do that. HUMAN has never been involved with anything other than healthy vending. Therefore, our suppliers and our network is dialed-in to allow for the distribution of the healthiest, tastiest products that students love. We know what students like, and what they don’t, and that’s the foundation of our program.

With over six years of taste-test research (and many, many mistakes along the way), we know how to put together the perfect healthy snack and drink plangogram (product mix) for students. It’s been a learning experience, but without this experience, success would not be possible today. Without creating the optimal product offering, nothing else matters!

LCD Screens that Educate Students & Catch Their Attention

Beyond the fact that they make the machine look much better, cooler and more innovative, LCD screens also help increase sales at healthy vending machines by educating students about the products inside the machines, providing them with the products nutritional information, & offering nutritional tips & tricks that are useful to students throughout the day. This is all done vi streaming video that can be remotely loaded and, therefore, kept fresh. When getting students to switch to healthy vending, education is so important, and the best way to educate students without doing so in person is via digital LCD screens.

The 1-2-3 Punch

In order for healthy vending to work & succeed at your school, you need all of the above to exist. You can’t do one thing right and two others wrong. You can’t have the best machines and the worst products or vice versa. The entire program needs to make sense and needs to be built for healthy vending success. Healthy vending is not the same game as traditional vending–the delivery method, in that it’s automated, may be the same, but that’s about the only similarity that exists. Everything else is a 180 degree difference. A paradigm shift is needed.

At H.U.M.A.N., healthy vending is our game. Our only game. And our goal is to create healthy vending success where others either cannot, will not, or are not able to do so. I hope we’re able to serve your school and provide your students with a ton of value!

Filed Under: ADVICE & EDUCATION, Entrepreneurship, Healthy Vending Guidelines, Philosophies & Beliefs, VENDING INDUSTRY, Vending News, Vending Tips & Tricks Tagged With: healthier food, healthy drinks, healthy food, healthy snacks, HEALTHY VENDING, healthy vending machine, healthy vending machines, human healthy vending, school nutrition, School Vending machines, Successful vending, vending machine, vending machines, vending machines in school, vending machines in schools

The Future of Retail: Automation

February 4, 2010 By John Pinto Leave a Comment

Having face-to-face interactions in business is becoming more and more obsolete. Of course, companies still have huge call centers and high rise buildings with employees that interact daily… but how often do these company employees speak in-person to their customers? In most cases, not often.

Some may argue the need for face-to-face interaction is becoming less of a necessity. With limitless Internet access and easy-to-use search engines, like Google, consumers are becoming educated on products in a short period of time. This has allowed online retail stores to see unprecedented profits. The one problem with ordering products online, is not being able to see the item. This is a turn off for some buyers as these people would likely feel more comfortable going into a store. Retailers, both online and in store fronts, are noticing a gap in the marketplace. What about 100% Automation?

The vending industry is being shaken up by different initiatives put forth by a few major brands.With the advancement in technology, companies like Best Buy, Apple, and Sony are breaking into the world of automated retailing. Vending machines are no longer your standard black box machines with unhealthy snacks and drinks. They are becoming mini automated retailers with interesting, eye-catching graphics that can sell anything and everything. These interactive “stores” require little servicing, no employee supervision, and can be open 24/7. What a business!

From the start, H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending has been pushing the limits in automated retailing. Not only do we have a great product catalog with over 1000 healthy snacks and drinks, but also, our machines are capable of vending just about anything that fits. Our custom, healthy vending machines are being used in locations across the country to serve customers what they want! In our gym locations, for example, we offer our nutritious snacks but also incorporate tanning goggles, lotions, head phones, workout towels, gym clothes, and much more into our location-friendly planograms!

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Healthy Vending Machines, Lifestyle, The Bigger Picture, Vending News, Vending Trends Tagged With: Automated Retailer, healthier food, healthy drinks, healthy food, healthy snacks, HEALTHY VENDING, healthy vending machine, healthy vending machines, human healthy vending, new technologies, technology, Vending Industry

Nutrition Matters: Schools Revamp Vending Machine Programs

February 1, 2010 By John Pinto Leave a Comment

In most instances, people choose the easiest, cheapest, and closest things to eat. People are obsessed with fast options that give them a “quick fix.” What happened to that good ol’ home cooking? It seems to be a lost art.

The problem with these “quick fix” food/drink options is that they are usually unhealthy. An even bigger problem is that a large percentage of these fast and convenient options are being purchased from vending machines in schools. This sets the precedent at an early age for children to develop unhealthy eating habits. The federal and state governments are taking action to stop this trend.

Massachusetts is the most state to pass a school nutrition bill that requires public schools to serve healthier meals to students, and to overhaul vending options. A Massachusetts news articles reads, “The measure would ban candy and sodas from vending machines on school property and encourage the sale of non-fried fruits or vegetables, whole grains, nonfat and low-fat dairy products.”

What a coincidence! H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending will customize a machines planogram, or product mix, to meet any nutritional requirements put in place by state and local governments. With a product list of over 1,000 healthy snacks and drinks, H.U.M.A.N. has the necessary products to meet your specific dietary requirements. We can create a plan that is 100% Organic, SB-19 compliant, Gluten-Free, Allergen-Free, Low-Fat, Low-Carb, or No Sugar-Added!

According to the Chicago Tribune, President Obama has asked for an additional $1 billion in funding for school lunches. This is a valuable addition to the battle against childhood obesity. I suggest President Obama allocates a portion of this billion dollars to a healthy vending initiative! Most kids who bypass the cafeteria altogether and head straight to a vending machine end up with a bag of chips and a can of soda for their lunch meal. H.U.M.A.N. can and wants to help. Making school lunches healthier, will not help these rebellious students who spend their lunch money on honey-buns and a soft drinks from the vending machines. If we can’t change the kids, let’s change the food options! Surrounding these kids with healthy vending machines is a beneficial step in changing purchasing options at a young age. Why not buy a bag of Stacy’s Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips and Hansen’s Natural Soda instead of a Snickers bar and Cherry Coke?

Checkout a couple articles about school nutrition in:

The New York Times

Patriot Ledger

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, Healthy Vending Products, Vending News, Vending Trends Tagged With: childhood obesity, healthier food, healthy drinks, healthy food, healthy snacks, HEALTHY VENDING, healthy vending machine, healthy vending machines, human healthy vending, new technologies, nutrition, school nutrition, School Vending machines, vending machine, vending machines, vending machines in school, vending machines in schools

How To CRUSH It In The Vending Industry…

January 29, 2010 By John Pinto Leave a Comment

Many people think the vending industry is simple. Simply stated, it’s not!

When looking at all facets of vending, the most valuable factor is finding the right location. Smoothly operating machines equipped with healthy snacks & drinks, in addition to great service, mean nothing without solid location placement.

Having constructive marketing materials and the perfect pitch are two important aspects of this placement process. Here at H.U.M.A.N., we have developed a location acquisition process that directs us to prime locations. We use a combination of direct mail, fax blasts, e-mail blasts, and telemarketing to narrow down a list of 1,000 locations to just 25 optimal healthy vending sites. Next, we have a H.U.M.A.N. team member, not a third party, travel to the placement site. This member explains to the location personnel the goals of our healthy vending program and why we have considerably more to offer when compared to a standard “junk food vending machine.”

So what comes next? After visiting a potential placement site, our team is sure to follow up. Our team is easy to contact and easy to talk to. Once a contract is signed, the new healthy vending machines are ready to be placed in their new home!

From a business aspect, sales may be worse, better, or equal to what was expected. Many vending operators and companies believe they can do very little to improve their machine sales. H.U.M.A.N. argues the opposite. Of course there are different marketing initiatives that can be done to improve sales at specific locations! A few of the H.U.M.A.N tactics are listed below:

1) Free Vending Dollars: We pass out vending coupons to customers at different locations, allowing them to purchase products for free. This gets consumers to use the machine, so the next time around they are more likely to make a purchase on their own.

2) On-Site Internal Marketing Campaigns: We conduct e-mail blasts, fax blasts, and hand out flyers on-site to make potential customers aware of there new healthy vending machine and what it has to offer.

3) Sampling Events: Typically, healthier brands are not as recognizable when compared to traditional junk food brands. Hosting on-site sampling events allows people to try these new-aged healthy products. Just 10 years ago, many healthy snacks tasted like cardboard, but now, with the advancements technology and product development, companies are sending products in the marketplace that are not only healthy for you, but also, taste amazing!

Filed Under: ADVICE & EDUCATION, Entrepreneurship, Healthy Vending Guidelines, Healthy Vending Machines, Philosophies & Beliefs, Vending News, Vending Tips & Tricks Tagged With: crush it report, entrepreneurship, HEALTHY VENDING, healthy vending machine, human healthy vending, new technologies, nutrition, small business, start a vending business, start a vending machine business, starting a business, Successful vending, Vending Business, vending machine, vending machines

Creating The Most Profitable Healthy Vending Program Ever Wasn’t Easy…

January 27, 2010 By John Pinto Leave a Comment

The Top 4 Blunders Sean Kelly, H.U.M.A.N. CEO, had to overcome before the business model was completely optimized…

Blunder #1: I didn’t REALLY know the ins and outs of the vending industry. I had no idea how opposed the industry is to progression, innovative technologies, and health promotion. In the beginning, I tried to work completely WITHIN the old-school good ol’ boys club that is the traditional vending industry. This simply caused me to waste months of time and thousands of dollars in a stagnant industry that didn’t want to budge.

Solution #1: I analyzed and improved upon our business from the progressive, innovative, and demanding perspective of a discerning, health-conscious customer, instead of a traditional vending operator. This means our machines attract customers, rather than being the last resort of a passer-by.

Blunder #2: I tried to have us operate all of our own machines. To maintain complete control of our operations and maximize profit, I thought it would be a good idea for us to operate machines across the country by ourselves, or more specifically, via people that we hired on an hourly basis. This wreaked-havoc on our supply chain, slowed-down expansion, and created logistical nightmares. We weren’t fully opening-up our arms to others, and this minimized, not maximized, profits.

Solution #2: I now share our expertise, experience, and innovation with open arms by having our partners operate all H.U.M.A.N. machines, while we help them by managing locations and advertising.

Blunder #3: I set-up 100% in-house product distribution. Another BIG time whammy! We stored and shipped-out every product order ourselves, focusing a great deal of effort on the wholesale side of our business. Even though this generated profit, it meant higher prices, slower delivery times, and less-the-optimal service for our vending operators. My focus was not where it should have been.

Solution #3: I refined our business model so that we now completely outsource our product distribution to 20 warehouses across the country, meaning w make zero profit from our product sales in order to ensure that our partner vending operators receive the lowest possible product prices with the fastest delivery time.

Blunder #4: I allowed partner vending operators to start-off with fewer that five machines. Talk about a bad decision for everyone! Almost always, operating a route of only 1, 2, or 3 vending machines requires too much time and hassle for the reciprocal amount of profit that is produced. My parnter vending operators could have been making more money in less time, but my planning was off-target.

Solution #4: I placed our partner vending operators’ profits as my top priority, and therefore, require operators to start-off with at least five healthy vending machines to maximize their “profit to time” ratio, experience immediate positive cash-flow, and set themselves up for long-term success.

= cash

Filed Under: ADVICE & EDUCATION, Company Happenings, Entrepreneurship, Healthy Vending Guidelines, Philosophies & Beliefs, VENDING INDUSTRY, Vending News, Vending Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Business Mistakes, entrepreneurship, HEALTHY VENDING, healthy vending machine, healthy vending machines, human healthy vending, new technologies, start a vending business, start a vending machine business, starting a business, Successful vending, Vending Business, Vending Industry, vending machine, vending machines

The “Super Human” Vending Machine Is Dominating a Stagnant Industry

January 26, 2010 By John Pinto Leave a Comment

From the moment you see a H.U.M.A.N. vendor, it’s obvious this it’s not your average vending machine. H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending machines were engineered specifically to make YOU, our vending partner, more money in healthy vending…period.

We use an effective blend of new technology, attractive graphics, and optimized product offerings to maximize your revenue potential and reduce the time you need to spend on & in your business. This allows you to spend more time doing what you love to do. Isn’t that what life is really all about?

The 3 Primary Goals of the H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending Machines are:

1. First and foremost, maximize revenues and profits for our vending operator partners.

2. Make operating and maintaining our machines easier for our vending operators.

3. Create happy, healthy customers and fight obesity and malnutrition though charitable giving.

How the Super Human Machine doubles to triples your profits!!

Advertising: The LCD screens, internal PC computer, and advanced ad-serving system allow you to display a variety of digital video ads on your machine. An additional profit stream!

Education: Consumers are provided with the product info, nutritional advice, and health tips via your machines’ LCDs, leading to increased loyalty and purchasing frequency. Increased customer loyalty!

Interactivity: Touch-Screen controls and LCD videos allow customers to interact with a previously inanimate object, improving the customer experience. Improved purchasing experience!

Appearance: Digital LCD screens attract more eyes to your machine and enhance its image. leading to a higher perceived value and intrigue of machine and its contents. Higher margins and increased sales volume!

Technology: Limitless updates and software enhancements, cashless payment capabilities, advanced remote monitoring system, interactive SMS messaging and much more. A machines that is ALWAYS on the cutting-edge!

Filed Under: Healthy Vending Machines, Vending News Tagged With: HEALTHY VENDING, human healthy vending, new technologies, Technological Advancements, upgrade, Vending Business, Vending Machine Business, vending machines, Vending Technologies

The Future of Childhood Obesity: First Lady Puts Nutrition First

January 22, 2010 By John Pinto 1 Comment

Throughout presidential history, each First Lady of our nation has chosen to align herself with an issue they are passionate about.

Nancy Regan focused on the “Just Say No To Drugs” campaign, Laura Bush spent her time helping with “child literacy,” and now, Michelle Obama is taking a stand against “childhood obesity.” Childhood obesity has skyrocketed in the last 10 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of children (over 9 million) 6-19 years old are overweight or obese–a number that has tripled since 1980.

Mrs. Obama is in a great position to influence millions of people. So far she has made many efforts helping the cause through promoting highly publicized events. Some of these include working with state and local governments to build playgrounds (encouraging kids to move and run around), going on talk shows to offer healthy eating tips while educating viewers about the potential dangers of bad nutrition. She has also been on nationally televised cooking shows, teaching people how to make healthy snacks and meals for their family.

I am a huge fan of these initiatives and they have already changed many Americans for the better. I know the next best step! Let’s help implement a government fund that aids in the placement of healthy vending machines! My proposal is to subsidize all healthy vending companies for machine shipping costs. This keeps initial start-up costs lower for the healthy vending machine distributors, which will allow more people to purchase them, ultimately enabling more machines to be placed. Healthy snack options need to be convenient and affordable. What better way than to help the spread of mini automated health stores across the country. H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending supports the movement, let’s do it!!

michelle-obama-pregnant1

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, Healthy Vending Machines, Lifestyle, Philosophies & Beliefs, The Bigger Picture, Vending News Tagged With: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity, First Lady, HEALTHY VENDING, healthy vending machines, human healthy vending, Michelle Obama, vending machines

Traditional Vending Machine Operators Are Gross…

January 20, 2010 By John Pinto 1 Comment

Is it the unhealthy, outdated food that makes traditional vending machines gross? Or could it be that gross vending machine operators, lacking pizazz and professional flare are rubbing off on their products?

After traveling the United States, placing our new-age lineup of healthy vending machines…the verdict is in. It is a gross combination. Although some traditional operators are slowly implementing healthier products into their product mix, most consumers are stuck with the same unhealthy snacks that make them feel unsatisfied. In fact, these unhealthy products were said to make them feel gross. Huh, maybe thats why they described their machine operators as gross? Any thoughts? Of course, not all traditional vending operators are gross, but it’s hard for them to be viewed differently when the only products they sell make their customers feel that same way. Or maybe it’s because when they are filling the machines they look like this…

plumbers-crack1

Hahaha! A little far-fetched, but don’t lie to yourself — this is very real and is happening at vending machines across the country!

H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending can’t promise that its operators won’t show a little crack from time to time but we CAN promise our products are 100% healthy and will make you feel great after eating them, not gross! Our healthy vending machine snacks are taste-tested and approved by our team of health professionals. We ARE NOT gross! Actually, we are the exact opposite and that is why we are making the vending industry sexy!

Last time I checked, crack awareness week wasn’t for a few months!

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, Healthy Vending Guidelines, Healthy Vending Products, Philosophies & Beliefs, Vending News Tagged With: HEALTHY VENDING, healthy vending machine, healthy vending machines, human healthy vending, vending machine, Vending Machine Operators, Vending Operators