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October 27 - 29, 2005

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National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA)

SOUTHERN REFRESHMENT SERVICES' ALAN PLAISTED NAMED NAMA NATIONAL EXPO CHAIR
Plaisted Now Serves on NAMA Trade Show Committee

CHICAGO, IL - - Southern Refreshment Services' President and Owner Alan Plaisted will serve as the 2005 National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) National Expo Chair, NAMA President and CEO Richard M. Geerdes announced today. The National Expo, the world's largest vending, coffee service and foodservice management exposition, will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, Oct. 27-29, 2005.

In announcing the appointment Geerdes said, “Alan is an outstanding members of our industry and we are thrilled that he has agreed to serve as National Expo Chair. We look forward to working with him as together we launch the industry's most powerful and highly anticipated event.”

Each year more than 300 exhibitors and 5,000 attendees worldwide turn out for the NAMA National Expo, which features an impressive array of the industry's newest products and hottest technology, educational sessions and unmatched networking opportunities. This year's Expo includes a variety of new changes and additions designed to match industry trends and deliver powerful benefits and value to everyone participating in the not-to-be missed event of the year.

Plaisted is a Georgia native and although he lived most of his life in the South, his military family lived in Europe and the Far East as well. He attended Austin Peay State University where he met his wife. The Plaisteds have been married for 37 years and have two children, Kimberly and Scott.

In 1976, Plaisted began his career in the vending industry with Tom's Foods in Atlanta, and in 1980, started his own company, Southern Refreshment Services. Now a Canteen franchise, the company operates 33 full-service vending routes in a 13-county Metro Atlanta area. Currently President of the Georgia Automatic Merchandising Council, Plaisted has also served in other capacities over the past seven years. In 2003, he completed NAMA's Executive Development Program at Michigan State University, and currently serves on the NAMA Trade Show Committee.

New features of this year's Expo include:

• Special New Exhibitor Pavilion -- Attendees can view everything that is new to this Expo in one location, including food products, services, security, equipment and more.
• Special Buyer's Corner -- Attendees can hear from various companies and compare products and services in a variety of categories.

The show will still include favorites from past years:

• Coffee Service Pavilion
• Foodservice and VENDTec Pavilions
• Route Driver Rodeo - Vending and office coffee service operators showcase operator driving skills and promote safe driving.
• Silent Auction - Proceeds go to the NAMA Foundation, which funds industry research and scholarships and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
• Industry Awards Banquet - An elegant “black tie optional” evening to recognize and honor five deserving 2005 Vending and Coffee Services Industry Award winners. The evening includes a reception, dinner and awards ceremony.

To learn more about the Expo visit www.namaexpo.org.

Concluded Geerdes, “On behalf of our members, I want to thank Alan for his commitment to NAMA and the industry, and look forward to seeing everyone in Atlanta in October.”

NAMA is the national trade association of the food and refreshment vending, coffee service 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 coffee service industries, still guides NAMA today as it did in 1936, the year of the organization's founding.

September 14 - September 16, 2005



September 14 - September 16, 2005



October 27 - 29, 2005