In this month’s episode, you’ll get all of the latest and greatest news in the world of Randolph Shepherd. It is time for the quarterly Blitz
Intro Music (00:03):
We are Randolph Shepherd Podcast. We're Randolph Shepherd podcast. This is the We are Randolph Shepherd podcast, promoting blind Entrepreneurship and Independence. And now here's the dynamic duo, Nikki Gecos and Terry Smith.
Nicky (00:26):
Welcome to the We Are Rand Shepherd podcast for April of 2025, and we'd like to thank our sponsors, the National Association of Blind Merchants, Blackstone Consulting, Southern Food Service, Sodexo, Integra, Greenway Paper Supplies, Coca-Cola, site Line Wealth Management, our technologies, FSIG, who selected Cantaloupe, pure Dr. Pepper and Commissary services of Nashville. Terry, how are you?
Terry (01:01):
Well, Nikki, it's great to be back. I'm doing great. Um, apologize to folks for, um, not being around to do a podcast for, for March. Uh, I was out of the country, took a, took a first time I've ever done this, but took a 24 day vacation and, uh, I, uh, to Australia, New Zealand and to Fiji. And, um, I was gonna try to use an Australian accent to start out, but I didn't have the nerve because my Australian accent is terrible. Uh, but, uh, really had a great time, uh, in and outta suitcases a lot. We saw a lot. Went to, uh, Australia for about eight or nine days in New Zealand for eight or nine days, and in Fiji for the last three. And, uh, just, just really had a, had a, had a, had a good time down there. And, uh, but it's, but it's good to be back.
(01:51)
And, uh, I was getting text messages from people when I was there. It was when, when's the podcast coming out? And, uh, I had to write 'em back. But, you know, the good news was my email went out, uh, and I had no access to email for about 10 days. And, uh, I don't know who was called. I was overseas. And I, it took me a while to get it fixed, uh, when I got to New Zealand. And, uh, so that actually worked to my advantage, so I wasn't able to do a whole lot of work. And, uh, so just, uh, relax. We were with a tour group and, uh, we were on the go a lot and just, uh, just, just, just had a good time. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. It,
Nicky (02:28):
It is. And, um, I'm happy for you that you got that time and, um, you know, the world was falling apart here according to some people
Terry (03:12):
Yeah. Um, I, I, I really enjoyed it. Won't, you know, it's one of those things I'll never go back to. It was, uh, 24 hours to get there. We left on Saturday, 16 time zones away, and we, we, we got there on Monday morning. Uh, but
Terry (03:26):
The funny thing was coming back, we left at nine 15. We left Fiji at 9:15 PM on March 11th, and we arrived in Atlanta at 10 o'clock on March 11th, 45 minutes
Terry (03:37):
Terry (04:18):
And, uh, actually some games are already being played. And, you know, just for, just,
Terry (04:24):
Just for the sake of it, we need to make our predictions on who's gonna be in the World Series come October. Are you ready to do that?
Nicky (04:32):
I am ready, but I gotta PI got a pet peeve, first of all, about baseball.
Terry (04:36):
Uh oh.
Nicky (04:38):
The New York Mets. Were off today on Sunday. How do you have an off day on Sunday? That's baseball, that's when your family goes. Because Apple TV wanted to show the Mets Astros game on Friday. So the Mets played Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and off on Friday. But that's okay. That's the way of the, of the sports world nowadays for streaming and all that kind of stuff. I guess that's what it's gonna come down to. It money talks. So let's get to it. Let's make our, yeah. Well, y
Terry (05:05):
You know, Nick, before you go on, you know, I, for those who are
Terry (05:08):
Listing, we're recording this on Sunday, March the 30th, and I need to go back and listen to last year's podcast. I think you had that same complaint last year.
Nicky (05:21):
Ahead. Well, you know, I got home from Virginia and I said, oh, you know, I'm gonna relax and watch little college basketball and watch the Mets today. And I said, we're the Mets. They're not, they're not on and Apple tv. So anyway, I pay enough for cable not paying for Apple tv. I listened to it on the radio like the good old days.
Terry (05:38):
Yeah.
Nicky (05:40):
So picks, huh?
Terry (05:41):
Yeah. Let's, what, what, what do you, what are you thinking? What are you thinking? Dodgers and who else?
Nicky (05:45):
Dodgers and who else said Yeah. Geez. Well, well, they, I mean, the other night, Mookie Bets came in after losing 25 pounds from a viral infection and hits two home runs and a game winner. But anyway, I'm gonna pick two teams. That's what we usually pick, right? Two for the World Series that pick, okay,
Terry (06:00):
We pick who's in the World Series and who's gonna win it.
Nicky (06:03):
Okay? So the way the Yankees are hitting this baseball, I don't know, but, um, I'm gonna pick the Boston Red Sox, and of course I'm gonna pick the New York Mets. 'cause I, I
Terry (06:15):
Knew you would do that.
Nicky (06:16):
Terry (06:42):
You, you're, you're letting your personal biases weigh in there. So
Nicky (06:45):
It is, I mean, I mean, I mean, if I went to the bank and had to bet it, I bet the Dodgers, but you know, it, it, it, it's gonna be really tough to beat them with the talent they have and the players that they have, and the death that they have, and who knows. But you never know, you know, it's tough to pick baseball because trading deadline, you never know who you could pick up or who you could, what, what could happen or what rookie comes up from the mins. So I just don't like anybody else. So I'm not picking a
Terry (07:09):
Hard believe. I, I, I was going go Red Sox too. But, um, since you, since you've done that, and since you did not take the Dodgers, the two teams that I hate worse
Terry (07:20):
Than any in Major League baseball are the Dodgers and the Yankees. So I'm gonna pick the Dodgers and the Yankees just
Terry (07:27):
Because you know how bad I am at predicting
Nicky (07:53):
You know, Terry, it's, uh, we're starting to, uh, travel a little bit. And I was looking for things that, uh, to, to talk about and different things. And I looked at the, when we had the speaker, um, uh, Abraham Lincoln at Blast in Chicago, if you remember. Um, and he, he talked about all the, um, similarities between Lincoln and, and, and Kennedy. And I was looking at that and I said, wow, you know, I didn't realize that, you know, like, uh, uh, Lincoln got shot in the theater, and, and the killer went to a, a warehouse, and Kennedy got killer, was at a warehouse and went to a theater. And, you know, they, they both got, uh, presidents were Johnson, both vice presidents became, and all that kind of stuff. We heard all that. It's really amazing, the similarities. I went through it and looked at
Terry (08:39):
Oh, yeah.
Nicky (08:40):
And stuff. And I said that the one, the funniest one was that, uh, Lincoln spoke at Monroe, Marilyn and Kennedy had an affair with Marilyn Monroe. I laugh when I heard that one
Terry (09:59):
Well, you know, I, I remember those trips to Fort Lauderdale. I only went to Fort Lauderdale one time during spring break, and that was enough for me. I mean, I was in college, but that was, uh, a crazy, crazy experience. But I had the same experience you did going to Myrtle Beach, uh, one time, and it was my girlfriend at the time, and we were going to the, going to the beach, and it was about two o'clock in the morning, and we got pulled over. And it was like one of those deals where you can either gimme cash or you can go to the courthouse. Well, you know that cash never met who outside?
Nicky (10:29):
Terry (10:35):
So Nikki, what's up with me? I, I'm gonna go back to my trip. And I, and, and after my experience in New Zealand, I am on a one man campaign to improve the public restroom experience for Americans. Um,
(11:53)
And now they, they did tell me later that if you let it sit there for a little bit and tap it again, it will, it'll, it'll, it'll, it will do it. But, uh, and then at exactly 10 minutes as up that door opens, and you'd better be done with your business. So, uh, I, I, you know, I don't, I don't know why we can't have that. Uh, and these bathrooms are sparkling clean and, and, and, and, and just, you know, an an I am ambiance. You know, why, why, why you do your business. So that, that's my, I'm on a one man campaign to I love it. Public restroom experience in America,
Nicky (12:27):
Terry (12:29):
So, Nikki, um, we got some things coming up. Uh, why, why don't you talk about what we got coming up
Terry (12:34):
In, uh, may.
Nicky (12:37):
So, um, we're very excited about, um, having our, uh, some type of, you know, I know, I know, I know. Coming off the blast that we had in Nashville, which was phenomenal. But, you know, that's a question I asked the other day in Virginia, does anybody know what Blast stands for? And it does stand for business leadership and superior training. And, you know, we'd like, with everything going on in this world today, and, uh, prices and everything else, we always like to do training. And that's what we're doing, uh, in Vegas on May 5th and sixth. Um, you can, and then NMA is May 7th to ninth. You don't have to go to nma. If you wanna come out and spend some time with us on May 5th and sixth on the afternoon of May 5th, and all day on May 6th. And then there's some educational training on NMA on the seventh, and then the doors will open up.
(13:20)
And on Thursday morning, we'll be getting on the floor an hour early thanks to cantaloupe and going through to see their smart store and their walkthrough store, which would be great. So, um, come and join us. Uh, we're, we're over a hundred people coming now, and I'm sure that will end up, we just got the agenda out this week. We keep adding to the agenda, um, and, and get an net complete. So come out and spend some time in Vegas and spend some time with us, and a lot to go on, a lot, lot to talk about, about what's going on, and, uh, everybody getting a little nervous about the Department of Education and RSA and what's gonna happen. So, you know what, come out and be part of it. Don't ask. Just come out and be part of it. And so that's what I'm saying.
(13:59)
I hope that we get a ton of people out there and can come up with some ideas about what we wanna do to move forward and, uh, and be proactive and that type of thing. The other thing I'd like to talk about Terry, is the, uh, the buying group. Um, our first checks started coming out, um, last at the end of last week on, on Thursday and Friday from Sodexo, Integra no more, John Mer. Uh, so you will not see any of those things from RSA management group. It will be a, a a a, an email mail that you get from Sodexo saying this is the amount of your check. And also the, uh, data will be coming out. Uh, they tell me the first part of this week, Monday or Tuesday, um, for the first time. And if you have not signed up yet, you still will get your check, um, soon as you sign up and you, you know, you have to sign a DocuSign at W nine.
(14:48)
But, uh, the bottom line is that the, uh, and then you'll get your check immediately. Um, we're, we're only down to about 130 people that haven't signed up yet. But from what I heard was that, um, of the, uh, 800 something that got checks already, I think the numbers very close to 900,000 in rebates that are coming back. Uh, an increase of about 23% from, um, quarter three of last year with John, with, with RSA management group. So, very excited about that. If you didn't get your check or you have an issue with your check, please let me know personally, we'll get in touch with Claudia or Rick or while, and, uh, make sure that that gets taken care of. So, exciting news, you know, big numbers. Um, hopefully I did get a lot of texts and messages from people. Um, there were some glitches on some things, but you know what, they, they get straightened out. Be if you don't talk about it, and don't be itch about it and talk about it. We can get those straightened out. So, Vegas and, um, sodex first, first checks coming out from Sodexo, Integra are part of the new buyer. That's what I got up there.
Terry (15:54):
Yeah. I, I don't wanna oversell it, but, um, I was in South Carolina, uh, this past week, and, uh, I was in the meeting and, uh, I asked them if they got their, um, rebate checks, and they said no. And, uh, and I said, well, you, you need to check. And, uh, they checked their email and sure enough, the email was there and they were blown away. I mean, the one I was talking to said it was more than double what she normally gets. And I'm not, I'm not guaranteeing people are gonna get more than double, uh, but it seems like everybody I've talked to, the the, the rebate was higher than what they were, uh, previously getting. And I know you said 23%, but, um, it seems like people are, are, are pretty pleased. And, uh, you know, we gotta get everybody signed up because, uh, that's just money left on the table, and it, soon as you sign up, you'll get that money.
Nicky (16:44):
Yep. It's, it's not going to go away. It's not gonna, it gets directly deposited right on, right into your account or a hard copy check, whatever you want. No more internet checks, so we won't have to worry about not cashing 'em or not printing them or not doing any of that. So, very excited. Things are, are, are, are are good. They're, they're good. They're positive. Those are positives. So,
Terry (17:05):
So, Nikki, I know that when I, when I get to the, um, when I do the blitz part, we'll be I'll, I'll be bringing some folks up to date on some of the things going on nationally and in DC on the political scene and, and, and, and all, all of that. So, you know, I, I'm not, I know you don't wanna get into the details of all that, but, uh, what, what, what, do you have any insights now? Any feelings about the, you know, what's happening in the, in, in our world out there?
Terry (17:29):
No,
Nicky (17:34):
You, you, you know, Terry, I, I, I spoke in Regina. I said, you know, it, it, it seems, I mean, we just, we just got Schofield, uh, army barracks in Hawaii back with the blind. We got Camp Ripley for the first time in Minnesota, thanks to, uh, Mike Colburn and John Hewitt, um, working on that. Um, we look like we have some di we just got Fort Stewart in Georgia. So with all this craziness going on, um, here, we picked up three military bases in the past month or so, with more, with more coming, with more direct negotiation. And it looks like there's some good news in, uh, uh, states that are picking up vending. Um, um, where, uh, there was a person that was very prominent in, in the, in the field of vending that, um, had some issues and, um, had to sell her business.
(18:21)
And, uh, um, I know that Florida's picking up some of that business. So there's good things happening. And I think with, if we work together and move forward, and as I said, you need to do, there are blind vendors need to do the best job that they can do at their location. So if something does happen, let's just say the Randall Shepherd program goes away, and I'm not saying it is, but if it does, your facility wants to keep you because they just love the job that you do. And how could they want to get rid of you when, who cares if there's a priority, we, we want to keep Melissa, or we want to keep Mike, or we want to keep Ed, uh, because they do a great job for us. So go out and do a great job. Go to work every day, get involved, come to Vegas, be active with your committee.
(19:06)
Be active with your state, and, and be, let's, I wanna be proactive. I think it's a time where we could be proactive. And if Billy's buildings do consolidate, and 300 people go to this other building, now there's 600 people, well, that's better for a blind vendor. They don't have to go to two buildings. They can go to one. So I, I wanna be very proactive. I want to be, uh, and, and I want our guys to go out and just do the best job that they can do. And again, not because they have a priority, but because they do the best job.
Terry (19:34):
Well, Nikki, I was in South Carolina, um, this last weekend, and, uh, I told them when I got up, I said, well, I can do give you one or two of two speeches. I can give you the Nikki Geicos, the glass is half full, empty, uh, speech, or I can give you the Terry Smith, the glass is half empty speech.
Nicky (20:06):
Still have, we still have funding through September 30th.
Terry (20:09):
Yep.
Nicky (20:09):
I mean, we're not getting increase, but we didn't get decreased. Like, everybody thought the world was gonna come about. We weren't gonna get decreased. Yep. And you know what, wherever we do go, we're, we're working on some things. We've, uh, and, and we won't get into it now, but we're working on some projects to move it forward and stuff. So, um, you know, we had some conversations while I was in Virginia about the same type of thing, about different things that we can do, um, with procurement and other things. So let's, let's do it. If it doesn't, if it does, then you know what we, let's say we gave it a shot. Let's go down swing. So,
Terry (20:40):
I agree.
Nicky (20:40):
One other announcement I do wanna make, Carrie, is, I think, I think, uh, next month is May, we're gonna do the podcast, right?
Terry (20:46):
Yeah.
Nicky (20:46):
And I think we need to reopen the bar. We had, we had been a long time since the, uh, bar's been open and, uh, get some more people on this podcast to, you know, get their take on stuff and what's going on and that kind of stuff, and have some fun as we get into the summer months. So the bar will
Terry (21:03):
Be open. Nikki, Nikki, for the next Nikki Bar and Grill will be open on May 1st first. And, and, and, you know, this thing drops on. Who
Nicky (21:09):
Wants to join us? Who wants to, who wants to come pay for drinks? Who's buying? Who's buying, who's buying? So, Carrie, thank you for all your work in the Blitz, and I'm going to, uh, go and, and, uh, talk. And so if, uh, anybody we're, we're around, um, not traveling much in April, but sign up for Blast, go on our website and sign up for Blast. Stay the whole week, or stay for a couple days. Love to see you, Terry. Talk to you later. Thank you. See you, man.
Terry (21:35):
So we'll go down with all the news. That is the news. This is the quarterly blitz. Uh, we'll let Nikki go enjoy his basketball game. We didn't tell you, but it was, uh, we recorded that at halftime of the, uh, Auburn and Michigan State basketball game. So he hasn't gone to see who's gonna make it to the Final Four. And I will continue on, and we will give you all the news. We mentioned that what's going on, on the political front, and there's a lot of conversation about what's happening with the Department of Education. The President has promised to abolish the Department of Education, and obviously with the Rehabilitation Services Administration, which has responsibility for the Randolph Shepherd Program being in the Department of Education. That's something that has gotten our attention. A couple of things to remember. First of all, we had a program before the Department of Education existed.
(22:24)
The latest amendments of the Rand Shepherd Act were passed in 1974. And the, uh, department of Education was not created until 1979. So the Department of Education does not have to exist for, for us to have a program. The second thing is that it will take a act of Congress to eliminate the department. And RSA, the Rotation Services Administration is also by statute in the Department of Education. Um, so they could, I'm sure they could get some legislation that would move us. Um, and then all the speculation becomes where would they move us? And, you know, we hear Department of Labor, we hear the, uh, uh, HHS, uh, health and Human Services, but none of that's really important. Um, as long as the Randolph Shepherd Act is not amended, and there's no indication that that's in the cards, then the program will continue, whether it's in education, labor, or NHHS.
(23:18)
So I think people need to turn the temperature down just a little bit. When, as far as the concern about the Department of Education, at least as it impacts, uh, Rand Shepherd, you've all heard about the reductions in force in the Department of Education and the buyouts that took place. Good news is that not one RSA policy person has been affected by any of the reductions in force. All of the Rand Shepherd policy people are still there as well. So the folks that we know, Jesse Hartle, Jim McCarthy, Christine Glassman, Corinne Denal, all of those are still in their jobs and doing their jobs. So, so that's, that's a good thing. Now, a lot of the support staff, staff and the assistant, um, secretary's office, they're gone. Uh, many of the attorneys are gone. All the attorneys that worked on Randolph Shepherd issues are gone.
(24:13)
And, um, so, which causes some, some concern. And, uh, because just about everything went through the Office of General Counsel, uh, the program staff had to run everything through them. And my first reaction was, well, what's gonna happen about program rules and that kind of thing? Um, I think the good news, if, if there's a, if there's a, uh, uh, a silver lining here, I think that, uh, you know, possibly that Jesse and Jim and Christine will be allowed to do their jobs. Uh, we have long said that the attorneys were way too involved in the day-to-day management of the program, and involved in every single decision that we thought that, um, Jesse and Jim and Christine could, could handle on their own. And so, if the goal really is government efficiency and allowing those three people to do their jobs, uh, fits right into that.
(25:06)
So, you know, let's see. Let's see how that works out. And, um, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm encouraged that, uh, they're gonna be able to respond more quickly to state agencies and, um, you know, some of the, maybe some of the controversial things in the past will be put aside. So let's just see how that goes. We also heard a lot about the Social Security Administration and the reductions there. Uh, a couple of comments about that. I think, um, you know, you, those of you who draw Social Security Disability, uh, on the basis of your un incurred business expenses, you have to go through a review every three years. Uh, if they reduce staff to the extent that they are talking, then those reviews could be jeopardized. So it could be four years, five years, six years. We don't really know, uh, how long it will be in between reviews.
(25:59)
Now, many of you say, well, that's good news, we don't care. But the bad news is, if they find that you have a payback of some sort, then you may be paying back over four or five or six years as opposed to two or three years. So it could be a problem. There's no indication that the, um, the, the, the, the rule that relates to un incurred business expenses, uh, is in jeopardy. Um, you know, we don't necessarily want the folks looking at that, but, um, you know, social security is looking at savings. So, uh, I think all of us need to be prepared for potential, uh, changes to Social security, uh, just like any American would. So, whether, you know, whether you're a Randolph Shepherd vendor or not, we need to see how all that plays out. Other reductions, you, you, uh, were probably heard about in the news were the reductions in Health and Human services laid off 10,000 people.
(26:54)
And, uh, but they've created a, an administration for a healthy America. Um, and, you know, I gotta admit, when the election took place, I jokingly told Nikki, well, that goes all the talk about healthy vending. But in reality, secretary Kennedy is very big on, um, healthy eating. Uh, he's been very critical of the president's diet. And, uh, he's created this administration, uh, for a healthy America to, uh, help Americans eat more whole wholesome food. That's one of, that's one of the objectives. So we, we may still be seeing some things related to healthy, healthy vending, uh, hopefully not in the way of mandates, but we could still see some stuff coming down the pot. Nikki mentioned in the earlier portion about the budget was passed, uh, the continuing resolution that Congress did pass, and the president did sign provided level funding for vocational rehabilitation. And our funds for Randolph Shepherd come from vocational rehabilitation.
(27:57)
So that means that we were funded again at the 2024 level. There was no increase. Now, that was good news. So, uh, the new budget will take a place in October, and so could there be cuts in October? We'll have to wait and see. Um, you know, but they have promised cuts in all areas of government. So I, I think it'd be unrealistic to think that at least the vocational rehabilitation dollars, uh, would not be on the table for some possible reductions, uh, that it is considered an entitlement program. So they're not supposed to be cutting it, but they're all ways around that. And, you know, the old rules don't seem to apply anymore. I think, you know, this sort of, uh, comes at a double whammy for state agencies, because state governments, um, had relied heavily on some of the money that was provided by the federal government during covid, and all that money went away last fall.
(28:57)
And so now states are having to look around and figure out how to, uh, replace that money. And it's creating a budget, uh, situation in many, many states. So don't be surprised if you're hearing your directors and everybody, uh, even though they didn't take a huge federal cut, that the states are having trouble coming up with, uh, matching dollars. And, and, and so, uh, be aware of that. You know, the good news has been that the, you know, the workers are gonna return to the office, and, uh, yeah, there's gonna be fewer workers in some regards, and we're seeing huge reductions in force. Uh, but they are gonna be coming back to the office. Those that are gonna be continuing to, and they're gonna be selling off. Some of the government buildings are gonna be terminating leases, and which means that you're gonna have more people, uh, working in a building where our guys have vending facilities located.
(29:55)
So there's gonna be better opportunities. So instead of having buildings with maybe one or 200, and they're gonna be back to seven or 800 or whatever they were prior, prior to covid. So that's a good thing. Now, like I said, there's gonna be fewer opportunities. We realize that, uh, but, uh, the ones that do, uh, survive, uh, could still be quite good. And we need to be prepared on how we can best meet their, meet their needs and provide the services that they want. Uh, you've heard about the general services administration. They're the ones who are selling the buildings and terminating the leases, but they also are losing employees. Uh, GSA has regional offices, and each regional office has a Randolph Shepherd liaison. And, um, the, your, your BEP director, uh, is usually in close contact with your GSA liaison on all things related to vending facilities on federal property.
(30:50)
Um, many of those g uh, GSA liaisons, Randolph Shepherd liaisons have been fired. Uh, some of the offices have been closed down. And so this is gonna put our state agencies at a disadvantage in dealing with, uh, with, with some of these, uh, uh, issues that pop up on federal property. I think another program that, um, is in, you know, gonna be in somewhat of a, at least in the spotlight, is the eight A program. We've, uh, you know, many times have talked about having a model similar to eight A, but, um, the govern, uh, the, the president has, um, reduced the target for, um, set aside programs, which include eight A from 11% down to 5%. So they're gonna be fewer eight A opportunities. Uh, and, um, you know, eight A is not seen on very favorably, uh, by the administration, uh, in Republicans.
(31:49)
So, um, you know, will that program still be here in a few years? Uh, we don't know. I can tell you that, uh, we have, um, you know, have had conversations with a small business committee in the Senate, and, um, but those conversations are probably not gonna go anywhere because we don't wanna be, uh, you know, associated at this time with the eight a program. Another thing the president did was he, he rolled back the minimum wage on federal contracts, federal contracts for $17 and 75 cents minimum wage. They rolled back to the Obama era years, I think it is. And, um, I think the minimum wage is somewhere around $15 now on that, on that. Um, and so if you operating a federal contract, then you have to pay that minimum wage. And if you're operating under a permit, it is still iffy as to whether or not you are bound by that $15 an hour, uh, uh, uh, requirement.
(32:52)
But, uh, we will have to see about, about that one before leaving. Uh, all the news related to what's happening in the, um, uh, federal, federal government, and on in dc there was a notice of proposal making that was published back in January by RSA, and the purpose was to, uh, define some new terms. Uh, defining vending machine was one of those. Um, they, uh, um, also gave some clarification of what constitutes a vending facility, giving examples like micro markets, you know, being, being avid facility, trying to modernize the term. Um, and so, uh, that notice was published. There was an opportunity for people to provide comments. Uh, we were disappointed that the definition of vending machine, that they did not clarify whether or not a vending machine or, you know, if, if, if an electric vehicle charging station is a vending machine. That's what started this whole process four years ago.
(33:53)
And here we are today, and, uh, we still don't have an answer to that question. Um, 67 people submitted comments. The National Federation of the Blind and NMS submitted joint comments. Uh, they went in under the name of NFB. And, uh, we, we submitted several pages, uh, of comment. I did not go through every single comment. Okay, I'm not gonna pretend that I did. Uh, they're very difficult to maneuver through, but I did read a couple of them. One was from the American Logistics as, uh, uh, association. This is an organization that represents companies that do a lot of contracting with, um, with DOD. Uh, and they made note that this, uh, this, if these rules pass, uh, then it would, it would hurt, uh, uh, veterans, it would hurt our troops. Um, it would expand the Randolph Shepherd program beyond what the law allows.
(34:51)
Uh, and, and they were specifically referencing micro markets. They do not think a micromarket is a vending facility. And so that is, um, um, you know, a very interesting interpretation. But, uh, they were opposed to the regulations to say the regulations are fine the way they are. There were some other comments that were really, really negative toward, uh, Randolph Shepherd, and I don't remember what they all were. Some of them were anonymous. Um, one of them talked about that the program, uh, was tired and antiquated and no longer needed. Um, so, you know, when you, when you submit these things for public comments like that, um, then it is, um, you know, you have these an opportunity for people who are not supporters of yours to submit comments and, and, and, and try to get people's attention. The other thing that RSA did, they, they did release their, the last of their Randol Shepherd tax that they promised the technical assistance circular, they released one on management services and how you can spend federal dollars for, and, um, it's out on the website.
(35:55)
It, it, it's certainly not as, um, you know, earth shattering as maybe the first two were. So I'm gonna spend a lot of time talking about it. Uh, but it is out there and it address again, addresses, you know, what constitutes management services and what you can spend money for. Let's turn to, uh, the Department of Defense. And there's a lot of news report. You know, they, they, department of Defense, although they represent a very small percentage of our overall number of facilities, uh, there is a lot going on. Nikki mentioned earlier, Fort Stewart. Yes, the Georgia SLA is transitioning. They will be taking over the Fort Stewart, uh, uh, military dining contract. ECI is the teaming partner there. This will be their first Randolph Shepherd, uh, endeavor. Uh, that was a ca at that location. The Army bid it out, did not recognize the Randolph Shepherd priority because it was not full food.
(36:49)
It was a dining facility contract. And, um, uh, then when Georgia filed for arbitration, they, they reconsidered, they said, we will recognize the priority, and they ended up giving it to this Georgia SLA. And they are now in the process of, uh, of, of taking that one over. Uh, March the 13th, uh, the Hawaii Agency went back into Schofield Barracks. Uh, they got that facility back. Ted Chin is the, uh, the blind vendor there, and we're very happy to have that one back in the Rand Shepherd community, the Minnesota Agency, uh, you know, round of applause for the Minnesota Agency. Uh, they are all visiting, but they decided to venture off into the military dining, uh, arena, and to their, uh, credit, uh, they got Camp Ridley Ripley, uh, in, in Minnesota. Uh, Mike Coburn is the vendor there. He is partnering with Southern Food Service.
(37:51)
And so they're already, uh, up and running there. More good news at Fort Wayne Wright in Alaska. I think we had reported previously that that contract had been awarded. Well, now it is, uh, up and running since March the first, uh, Ashley Maximus is running that again with Blackstone Consulting. So, uh, congratulations to Ashley and the, uh, Alaska, S-L-A-S-L-A used to have some military dining, got out of it, uh, lost the contracts, did not have any for years, and now they are back, and they also got their second one. I guess that Wainright is really their second one. They got kechika, um, in December. So, um, within, basically two months of each other, they started two military contracts up there. So congratulations to them, and congratulations are in order to Virgil Stinnett and Blackstone Consulting at K Bay in Hawaii. They received the Nay Award, uh, ey, the NA award for the best galley in the Navy.
(38:59)
So, uh, congratulations. It's always great when we can shed positive lot like that on, uh, Randolph Shepherd. Looks like good news coming at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. They are in the competitive range in, they're negotiating, and so, uh, hopefully we will have that one in the Randolph Shepherd fold soon. Mississippi is directly negotiating. They've been in Keesler Air Force Base for a number of years, and, um, they are, the Air Force is not soliciting. They are directly negotiating that, and those negotiate negotiations are underway. So let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that they can get a, an agreement reached out so that we can keep that one, uh, for the Mississippi SLA, um, good news in Idaho, Idaho, another state that is venturing into the military dining, uh, business, uh, they are directly negotiating, uh, with the Air Force over the Mountain Home Air Force base, uh, air Force base there.
(40:00)
And, uh, Tony Bridges is the blind vendor there, and he will be partnering with, uh, Blackstone Consulting, uh, as well. Also in Georgia, we mentioned Fort Stewart, where the Moody, uh, uh, air Force based sources sought is out. Uh, and we're optimistic that that too will be coming Randolph Shepherd's way at some point. Uh, but, uh, so, so many good things happening, as Nikki said. So there, you know, uh, amongst the chaos, what we are seeing at DOD is a lot of, um, multi-state, uh, contracts. And, uh, the Army wants to change the way it serves food. They are, they have an RFP out, it's a five state RFP for campus style dining. They're wanting, uh, to be like a college campus where you go to different, um, kiosk or go to different, uh, branded concepts and, and, and, and order your food. And, uh, that contract is out.
(41:02)
And, uh, uh, let's see, I think it's Colorado, New York, uh, Georgia, Texas and North Carolina are the five bases that are involved with that one. Uh, Colorado, uh, is taking the lead in that particular bid. If they get it, they will be the SLA, uh, they will be partnering with Sodexo. Um, and, and this does require a teaming partner. It takes literally tens of millions of dollars of investment to build out. They have to build out the food court at all five bases, and there's no state agencies that can do that. But, um, so they're partnering with Sodexo. We're optimistic with the Marine contract. The marine contract is, uh, due out bid in 2026. Uh, that is a seven state, um, contract, uh, five in the east and two in the west. The two in the west are California and Arizona. And, um, uh, it looks like b based on the latest intel we have that that's gonna be one contract.
(42:10)
And, uh, so, uh, uh, hopefully we'll be able to have, uh, somebody step up as the SLA and, uh, bid on that Marine contract and maybe, hopefully get it. 'cause um, what we're being told is gonna be 12 or 13 different blind vendors. Also, the, uh, there is a, a source of sought out for an Army Hospital, uh, contract. This came out about five years ago. Georgia bid on it with Bob Tusk. Uh, Sarco was the teaming partner. Uh, they did not get it. They weren't in the competitive range, and they did not challenge it. Well, it's time for that, um, that bid to come out again. And so it's another opportunity for a state to step up and be the prime, uh, for, uh, these Army Hospital contracts in five states. Those five states are Georgia, New York, Texas, California, and Kansas. So hopefully one of those states will step up and take the lead.
(43:06)
So, like I said, a lot of good news happening. Um, good news, bad news, I would call this one, uh, Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. Um, the bad news is that the SLA, uh, would not bid on Fort McCoy, um, in, in their state. Uh, they did tell Minnesota that Minnesota could bid in their stead, uh, and, and utilize their priority, but Minnesota was unable to do so, uh, because of some, uh, technical things at the very end, uh, not for lack of effort. They tried everything they could to try to be able to bid on that contract, and they did not get it. Um, they weren't able to bid on it. So it went out on a competitive bid basis, uh, and was awarded to a small business. And that small business happens to be, uh, a blind vendor that is, that is operating that.
(43:57)
So, uh, even though it's not under Rand iis Shepherd, there is a blind vendor at Fort McCoy. So, and that's their second contract. They're operating under eight a. So congratulations to them. Um, we're gonna see how many more opportunities like that. I told you, eight a, uh, contracting percentages or, you know, numbers are going down. So I don't know if that's gonna impact that in the future or not, but congratulations on that one. Not so good news. This is going to get to the bad news. Our lawsuit, NABM lawsuit against the Army Air Force Exchange Service was, um, dismissed. And we had filed a lawsuit arguing that afe, uh, was interfering with the priority that blind vendors have on military basis. Uh, afe argued that we could not sue them, that only a state agency could, and the judge agreed with them. So it's in the hands of the state agencies if they want to challenge them.
(44:52)
We are working on a strategy now, uh, and we'll have more on this later, but we're hoping that we can get multiple states to file a grievance at the same time, uh, and have them combined into one, or have one suit filed on behalf of multiple state agencies. And, um, um, and see if, uh, see if we can't get this thing resolved. We, our legal arguments were solid. We we're, we are a hundred percent convinced that our priority trumps anything that they claim they have. But, um, um, you know, you gotta go through the process, so it's not over. Um, we knew it was a Hail Mary when we filed the lawsuit. Uh, they opened the door for us, but they, uh, judge slammed it shut. And so we're back to, um, to, to trying to, to, to get some of the states to, to do that.
(45:40)
So, more bad news is that, uh, the Virginia SLA lost the Greg Adams contract, um, that say they lost it. The, the Army elected not to, uh, renew an an option year. And, um, so, uh, and they have, uh, awarded that contract at least on an emergency basis to someone else. So, uh, that was a little, a little disheartening, but we've seen something similar. It's a little different, but at Herberg Air Force Base in Florida, the Air Force is elected not to exercise the last year of the option. Uh, they are bidding it out, and they are including Randolph Shepherd priority in it. So, um, but that, that, but that we were making some changes in the contract. We don't think the changes were were significant enough to warrant terminating the, or or not renewing the last year of the, the last option year. Uh, but they did it.
(46:39)
And so it's gonna be out, back out bid. And the, um, Florida SLA and FSIG will be, um, bidding on that. Let's get to some of this news on the state level. Uh, shoot through some of this pretty quickly, uh, in Nevada, Chris Maza, the BEP director has resigned, uh, and as, as, as has, uh, gone back to Missouri where he is from, where his family lives, and thought a lot of Chris and wish him the very best in Illinois. The BEP director, Calta Brown, uh, is no longer in her position as the BEP director there. Uh, she was only there for a short while, less than six months, I think. And so, um, uh, we, we wish her well. Uh, we still have openings as far I know, in, in, in North Carolina and Kansas. Um, but, um, I'm, I haven't heard anything, uh, that would suggest otherwise.
(47:39)
Colorado does have a new BEP director, so we need to welcome a board, Jeff, uh, I mean, leaf Jacobson. Uh, and I had an opportunity to meet, meet Leaf yet, or talk with Leaf, but, uh, we do want to welcome him. Um, aboard interesting, uh, development in the state of Kentucky. The State of Kentucky Senate passed a resolution, uh, regarding the menu at the Blind vendor's facility, asking that the state bring back fried bologna. And, uh, so I, I, I, I couldn't help but laugh when I read it, but apparently at the snack bar there, the blind vendor used to sell fly, uh, fraud, bologna, uh, bologna, I guess, as you technically say it, down south, we say bologna. Uh, and, um, but he was doing so without the proper equipment, uh, had to stop. And the, the, the state Senate has passed a resolution wanting their fried bologna back.
(48:45)
So, uh, that was a first on me, and I, I, I couldn't help, but, uh, we'll laugh at it. Uh, so news in North Carolina, North Carolina has a request for information out. They are seriously looking at, at going a nominee route. So, um, they are, they are looking to see what the landscape looks like as who can come in and possibly serve as a nominee in North Carolina, uh, which is ironic. 'cause at the same time, North Carolina is looking at going to a nominee. Georgia appears to be eliminating their nominee. Uh, this podcast drops on April one, and the nominee in Georgia, the co Georgia co-op, as it's known, uh, will be out of business on, uh, April one. So, uh, that's a, um, I, I, I think they underutilized that co-op and could have done a lot with it. I think the co I think nominees offer a lot of opportunities for states to do things that they couldn't normally do, but they didn't take advantage of that, and so they're going a different direction.
(49:45)
Speaking of Georgia, we, uh, I think Nikki and I did mention that the committee chair there, Michael Armstrong had passed away. Uh, he was at Blast, uh, was in good health, um, had a, had a, had a episode at Blast, was in, was taken to the emergency room, um, thought he was out of the woods, but then passed away earlier this year. Uh, Valerie Hester is now the committee chair. Some news coming from Tennessee. First of all, um, the National Association of Blind Merchants will be contracting with the state of Tennessee again this year to do their annual training conference later this fall. Uh, we've done that for three or four years, and we look forward to, to doing that again. Uh, we have a great relationship with the vendors there and enjoy bringing that training to them. I mentioned the Kentucky bill while there was a bill introduced in the Senate and the house in Tennessee that was a little more serious.
(50:38)
Um, that bill, uh, was basically a three strikes, you and you are out. And the bill said that a blind vendor, if they get three complaints, the state, the state agency had to remove them. Uh, obviously the vendors, uh, you know, objected to that. Um, and the bill was revised to include, um, uh, to basically say that the department must, uh, uh, promulgate regulations on how complaints are to be issued, and that if there are complaints against a vendor and they are, uh, determined to be legitimate, that a plan of action will be done, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And, and all of that was fine and good. I don't think the vendors really objected to that at all. Uh, but then when it came back with the revisions, it had something quite shocking in there. They want to, any fending facility that is not operated or that a blind person chooses not to operate can then be operated by a person with a disability other than blindness.
(51:37)
Uh, this is concerning on a number of fronts. Uh, and I, I, I won't get into it, but, uh, you know, on the surface it sounds like, well, if a blind person doesn't want it, why shouldn't somebody else have it? And, uh, you know, I understand that, but there's a lot of, you know, the devil's in the details and how, how all all of that plays out, and what does it mean if a blind vendor chooses not to operate it. So basically, the way the bill is written, Tennessee will be operating two parallel programs, one for, uh, the blind, uh, and have, who have priority on state property and federal property, and one for other disabilities who can operate only if the blind choose not to. And so they gotta, they, and, and the bill calls 'em to set up a training and licensing, uh, process for people with other disabilities.
(52:25)
I don't think it's ever gonna amount to much. Um, but, uh, we shall see, uh, you know, how that, how that plays out. Um, you know, it was concerning to see that it even, that it even made the floor. Uh, it looks like it will. I think there's a better than good chance that it will pass. Um, but, uh, it's, it's still working its way through the, uh, through the, through the process. Um, in talking to Mike Colburn in Minnesota, um, Mike tells me that, uh, Minnesota is seriously looking, uh, at establishing a, a dog grooming facility as a vending facility. And, you know, we got the technical assistance circular from RSA about all the things you can do with, uh, with, with federal money. And Minnesota's taken 'em seriously. Still a long ways to go, but, uh, they are, uh, at least, uh, in the preliminary stages of doing a dog grooming vending facility.
(53:22)
Um, looking, I'm gonna be doing some Randolph Shepherd one-on-one training in Louisiana. Uh, that's gonna be virtual training for the vendors, uh, there, looking at doing some staff training in New Jersey as well. Haven't been to New Jersey in a while. Get to go up and see Nikki, um, some not so good news from Iowa. I don't know many people on this pod who listen to this podcast, don't, probably don't remember, but Craig Slaton, um, who was the former director of services, the Bond, or the Department for the Blind in Iowa, uh, recently passed away. And I knew Craig from many, many years ago. He was a really good guy. His son Kevin, is a blind vendor in the Iowa program. So we send out our thoughts and prayers to Kevin and his whole family. Um, we had a few state meetings that we've been to. I think I mentioned earlier that I was in South Carolina, and Nikki said he was in Virginia.
(54:16)
Uh, we got coming up, I think next up are, uh, Kansas and Alaska. Uh, you know, those, those, those are coming up. Um, you know, pretty, pretty soon. But remember, if you are a subscriber to the NABM uh, services, then you get a free speaker at your, uh, conference. And, uh, so, uh, please get reach out to Nikki and let him know that you want a speaker, and if there's something in particular you want, let him know that as well. Some other Randolph Shepherd News just to share with you real quickly before we go, uh, the lighthouse for the Blind Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, who, who, who handles our, uh, licensing and training program for new vendors, uh, received a grant. Nikki and I helped them get a grant through the, uh, uh, department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Disease Control, uh, regarding healthy vending.
(55:11)
Uh, and under this grant, they will be developing for training modules, uh, on healthy vending. And these will become part of the entry level training program that all blind vendors take, but they'll also be available for other vendors to take, uh, who just want to learn about healthy vending. Um, part of this grant is many of you know Scott Cas. Scott is the instructor. Um, so he will be writing these, uh, these modules and it's gonna take a lot of his time. So they are now looking for a part-time instructor, uh, for one year time, uh, to work 20 hours a week to pick up the slack from, uh, the, you know, for, to help with the, uh, training on the online module. So if you know of anybody interested, have them get in touch with, uh, Colleen Wonderlich at the Chicago Lot House. And, um, we will, uh, and then she will certainly can share more information about that job.
(56:11)
Um, also a couple of other things on the national level. Uh, bureau of Prisons. I've gotten several calls recently about, uh, the, the federal prison charging the employee club charging an escort fee for blind vendors on their, to, to, to, to, to service vending machines in their prisons. Um, there's a lot of, uh, layers to this. Uh, and, and so we would, uh, we would ask that if you or somebody in your state that you know of, um, if, if, if you are charged, uh, an escort fee by the Employees Club, we'd like to know about it just so we can make sure we have all of our facts straight. Another thing that many of you may have heard about the, uh, the, the, the lawsuit invol involving section 5 0 4, the Rehabilitation Act, uh, it was Texas versus Kerra. I think it's now Texas versus Kennedy, I'm not sure.
(57:07)
Um, but, um, you know, that Texas and 17 states have filed a lawsuit, um, and it is over the fact that gender dysphoria, uh, is, uh, being characterized as a disability. And this is something that the Biden administration, uh, passed. And, uh, so 17 states have, uh, Texas and 17 states have filed a lawsuit, um, uh, in that regard to, to, to challenge that. Now, the, the bad news is they're challenging the constitutionality of section 5 0 4 and section 5 0 4 is the law that requires, uh, public entities to provide equal access to people with disabilities. So, um, that I don't think any of the states that was really necessarily their intent was to kill section 5 0 4, but that's the basis of their lawsuit. So there's a lot of talk about revisiting re, you know, revising their lawsuit or dropping their lawsuit. We don't know. But, um, uh, that's something to, to, to keep your eye on because if they, if, if, if they did by some rationale, um, d determine that section 5 0 4 is unconstitutional, the consequences and the ramifications would be incredibly negative for, for all people with disabilities.
(58:36)
And it could have far reaching impact. If you wanna know, if you're state, one of the 17, the states are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia. So those are the states that are, that are doing this. And like I said, it's not, um, they're not trying to necessarily, uh, challenge, um, the, um, uh, 5 0 4 in, in its whole, but that's the, the, the effect of the case. Just a couple of things on, uh, the NAMA front. Uh, we are gonna be, uh, you know, at nama, Nikki talked about that earlier, so I won't spend any time on that. But the, the president and CEO, um, Carla, and I don't even Bao b Bachi, I don't even know how to say her name. Um, anyway, she's been the re the chairman or the president for some time.
(59:32)
She is retiring, she's gonna stop by and see us, um, on, on on May the sixth. So we look forward to that and given her a, a sendoff. And another thing to, as far as NAMA goes, is that they are going to be doing, they're fly in in June this year instead of j July. So, uh, and a number of issues that they will be addressing, uh, they haven't identified those issues that I'm aware of, but, uh, certainly, uh, if you're available and you want to participate, you are encouraged to do so. So I'm gonna cut it off there. There's, uh, you know, there I could go on for another hour about everything that is happening, but you know, those of you who are still awake, I'm sure you're ready to, uh, not hear my voice anymore. So we are gonna bring it to a close and wish you a happy April Fools Day today. At least Nikki didn't announce his retirement and, um, like, like he did a couple years ago. And, um, so, uh, we will be back with our regular scheduled podcast on May 1st. Nikki told you earlier that we're gonna be back at Nikki's Bar and Grill, so, uh, hope you will tune in and listen to that. So until then, we will see you and hope you have a wonderful month of April. April showers bring May Flowers. So let's hope that is true. Goodbye everybody.
Sponsors (01:00:56):
The we are Randolph Shepherd Podcast. Would like to thank our sponsors, the National Association of Wine Merchants, Blackstone Consulting, Southern Food Service, Sodexo in Reach, Greenway Paper Supplies, Coca-Cola, Siteline Wealth Management, Tyler Technologies, FSIG. You selected Cantaloupe, Keurig, Dr. Pepper, commissary services of Nashville.
Terry (01:01:26):
If you would like to support the We Are Randolph Shepherd Podcast, we would love to have you on board. Corporate sponsors may contact Nikki gecos@nikkicolorado.netscape.net. Individuals who would like to support the podcast may do so by donating to the National Association of Blind merchants@www.blindmerchants.org. We would love to have your support.