National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA)
LOOKING FOR CREATIVE LEADERS WITH A ZEAL FOR THE INDUSTRY

Industry Awards Nomination Deadline

Aug. 20 Fast Approaching

Dean Gilland

CHICAGO, IL - July 27 -- Nominations for the fifth annual National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) industry awards must be accepted by Friday, August 20, NAMA Vice President Education & Coffee Services Dean Gilland announced today. The awards are designed to recognize the best and brightest professionals in Vending, Coffee Services, and Foodservice Management.

In discussing this year's awards search Gilland said, “We've received many nominations but there's still time to nominate someone who is truly a leader of our industry. The hard work and dedication of these individuals helps everyone in our industry and we want to make sure we express our gratitude to them at the eagerly-anticipated awards ceremony in October,” he concluded.

Nominations are welcome in one or all categories including:

Vending:

• Operator of the Year Award (Golden Coin) - Recognizes an individual and his or her company who has exhibited the highest level of integrity, dedication and leadership in the vending industry:

• Allied Member of the Year Award - Recognizes an individual and his or her company who best exemplifies support of the vending industry through their dedication, customer service and leadership;

Office Coffee Service:

• Mike Savoie Memorial Silver Service Award (Operator) - Created to honor the operator who exhibits the highest level of integrity, dedication and leadership in the OCS industry;
• Allied Member of the Year Award - Recognizing the individual and his or her company that best exemplifies support of the OCS industry through their dedication, customer service, and leadership;

Open to All Members:

• Industry Person of the Year - Recognizes an individual who has consistently exemplified the highest standards of professional excellence throughout his or her career in the Vending, OCS or Food Service Management industry and who has been an inspiration to others.

Each year more than 300 exhibitors and 5,000 attendees from around the world turn out for the NAMA National Expo which features a dazzling array of the industry's hottest technology, wall to wall educational sessions and unmatched networking opportunities. This year's Expo features a variety of new attractions, including a Leaders Forum, where attendees can hear first hand from some of the best known professionals in the industry and a VENDTec Technology Pavilion where attendees can compare and evaluate new technology and determine what might work best for his or her needs.

Nominations for the awards are open to NAMA members world-wide and must be received by August 20. Final selections will be made by committee: for the OCS awards, the NAMA OCS Committee will make the final selections; the vending awards will be selected by the Awards Selection Committee. Awards will be presented at the National Expo Industry Awards Banquet in Chicago October 15, 2004. For more information or for nomination forms, visit www.vending.org or contact NAMA Vice President of Education and Coffee Services Dean Gilland at 312-346-0370 x 262.

NAMA is the national trade association of the food and refreshment vending, coffee services and foodservice management industries including on-site, commissary, catering, & mobile. Its membership is comprised of service companies, equipment manufacturers and suppliers of products and services to operating service companies. The basic mission of the association, to collectively advance and promote the automatic merchandising and OCS industries, still guides NAMA today as it did in 1936, the year of the organization's founding.