In this episode, Nicky and Terry recap NABM’s Innovation Conference, and listeners will hear from some of the terrific presenters.
Intro Music (00:00):
(00:16):
This is the We are Randolph Shepherd podcast, promoting blind entrepreneurship and Independence. And now here's the dynamic duo, Nikki Geicos and Terry Smith.
Nicky (00:26):
Welcome to, we are Randolph Shepherd, season three, episode three. And once again, we can't do this without our sponsors. So let me give a shout out to the National Association of Blind Merchants Siteline Wealth Management, Coca-Cola Southern Food Service, Sodexo, PepsiCo, Tyler Technologies, RSA Management Group. And Next Level Water. You selected Blackstone Consulting, BCI and Canal. Kerry, how are you?
Terry (00:57):
I'm doing great, Nikki. And you know, that list just grows and grows and, um, you know, we've got interest from a couple more folks. Next, uh, when we get around to the next episode, we may be adding another name or two to that, and that's exciting that people wanna be part of this podcast. Uh, before I get started, I have to do something last, last, uh, month. I gave a shout out to my grandson who was turning nine. I've got another grandson, Fort Asher, turning five this month, or turn this week. So, happy birthday, dude. Love you. And not that he will ever hear that, but, uh, it makes me feel better.
Nicky (01:32):
And, uh,
Terry (01:34):
So
Nicky (01:34):
Are we are are, we are on this, uh, podcast.
Terry (01:41):
So, uh,
Nicky (01:42):
Pg pg to a lot. R uh, R to RSA and others.
Terry (01:49):
So, um, Nikki, we had a, just a fabulous conference. You and I got in yesterday. I got in late last night. Um, we're recording this on Leap year's day, February the 29th. And, uh, we, we just had an amazing conference down in Orlando, our Innovation Blast Innovation 24. You agree?
Nicky (02:13):
Oh, I agree wholly. And the emails and the phone calls that I've been getting since then, it just, just proves what, how great. Everybody just loved it. And then, you know, the challenge is on Terry, uh, November 19th to the 22nd, you know, a couple people said, oh, wow, if you thought that was good, wait till see in Nashville. So the pressure's gonna be honest to put together, you know, one of the best blast ever. We're just getting better and better with everything, one that we do, you know, a lot of people like the smaller ones, but, you know, 366 people or more, or whatever it was, um, around there, the trade show, the speakers, everything just fell to place. And it, it was just high energy. Uh, and, and, and everybody that I talked to just loved it. Even the, even even food options. So, very proud of our team. Very proud of you. Very proud of our team for coming up with that in, in less than two months to come up with a conference like that. And let's do it again soon.
Terry (03:05):
Well, uh, no, I don't know about doing it again soon, but, uh, yeah,
Nicky (03:08):
Yeah, yeah.
Terry (03:10):
I, I, I was laughing. I was telling people that, uh, I was literally wrapping Christmas presents the week before Christmas when you called and you said, we're gonna do a blast innovation conference. And I said, and you said you're gonna do it in Florida. I said, where? You said, well, I don't know yet. I said, when he said February, I said, when? In February? He said, I don't know yet. And here we are the week before Christmas, and we're putting together, you, you know, we're, we're working through the holidays and after the, after the first of the year, nailing down the contract with the hotel and the dates and, and putting together the agenda. And, you know, I told you we wouldn't have 125 people there. And we had, you know, we had pre-registered 280 and had 30, I mean, uh, close to 50 walk up registrations, which we, which we were not expecting in any, any, in any fashion.
(03:58):
And then you had throw in the exhibitors and, and, and everybody else. Uh, you know, I, I think we, the feedback has just, uh, really, really been positive. And we're gonna talk about the conference a little more. I'm gonna be talking about innovation a little later. But, uh, it really was, uh, a, a great event. And, you know, for Blast in November in Nashville, it's 500 are bust. And, uh, we are gonna be partnering with, uh, the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind. And we're gonna be doing a full day of staff training. So we expect to see a lot of SLA folks there on Tuesday the 19th. And, uh, we will have all the great training that people have come accustomed when with, with, with that brand name blast. And, you know, Nikki's done a really great job of building that brand. And, uh, it means something out there, Nikki, that when you say blast, that means something to folks.
Nicky (04:52):
Yeah, I think it's Blast. N-A-B-N-A-A-A lot correlation between the two, which it is. And, um, you know, it was funny when you said that we put out the first save the date right before like the 22nd or 23rd of December. And we, we knew the dates were gonna be February 26th to the 28th. We didn't have a hotel, we didn't have a city, we didn't have anything. And to come together and put that together, people looked at me and said, ah, come on, you planned this a long time ago. No, no. Just wanted to, you know, we wanted to merge with the other conference and put something together. The purveyors wanted to get their new innovative equipment, the hot dog machine, all that kind of stuff that just baked all those machines, wanted to get in front of the blind, uh, the IRS machine. And we had to, you know, get it out there for 'em. They didn't wanna wait till November. They wanna start, you know, getting this place in our locations that's needed. And, uh, so the turnout was great. The weather was great. Everything just came together. But I, I have one question for you about the conference. Terry has Bill Finley stopped talking yet?
Terry (05:55):
Uh, yeah. That, that's a, that's an inside joke. It's a joke. But we had Bill Finley, the BEP director from Florida, uh, do a welcome. And, uh, uh, we, we gave him a hard time. Bill's a good guy. He's a good guy. We, we,
Nicky (06:08):
Oh, great, great guy. And, you know, and learned more about Region one and Region six than I ever knew about Florida. But, you know, we,
Terry (06:16):
We know their entire staff.
Nicky (06:17):
We, we, we know their entire staff. And, and you know what, and Bill is a great guy. It was great to see other SLAs there and, uh, participating and stuff. So, uh, just a great time, great conference, and like I said, it was just perfect and onward to the next one.
Terry (06:32):
Well, Nikki, before we jump into, uh, you know, some, some of our, our, our more serious stuff, when we get, really get into talking about innovation and, and some of the speakers at the conference, you know, we did not make a prediction before the basketball season started. I mean, we made a, a football prediction on on, and, and we, we did okay this year as far as our football predictions are concerned, but we didn't really make a college basketball decision. And we're, and, and this is, uh, March Madness, the, uh, final Four, uh, just right around the corner. So we don't, we need to pick our final four. You have you got teams that, uh, that you, that you, you know, because obviously we, we don't have brackets, but who are four teams you're looking at to possibly be there?
Nicky (07:15):
Well, I'm gonna give you a few, because again, 'cause you just don't know about the brackets, of course, you know, my teams will be all in the same bracket. But, um, I'm gonna tell you that I really like Marquette. I like Iowa State, and I like Houston, and I like Carolina. And then some surprises are gonna be Florida, Dayton, and the University of Minnesota. Hmm. And then of course, watch out for Roll Tide. 'cause I love their philosophy of threes layups or foul shots. No twos. I like that. And I hope that, uh, and I think the big, the Big East is gonna be tough. Yukon, of course, they're, they've been number one or through the whole year. Um, but, um, I, and Marquette and Creighton and those kind of schools, I think they'll play well. But if I had to pick four, it would be Marquette, Iowa State, Houston and Carolina.
Terry (08:08):
Whoa.
Nicky (08:09):
That's
Terry (08:10):
Florida.
Nicky (08:11):
Florida, Dayton, and Minnesota. And roll Tide. So there you go.
Terry (08:16):
Oh, wow. That's a, that's a pretty bold prediction there. 'cause you, you did not go with all the number one seeds that are, are the teams that are projected to be number one seeds. Um, so, so out of those four, who's gonna win it?
Nicky (08:29):
I'm going with Marquette.
Terry (08:30):
Marquette. Wow. Okay. Uh, I actually thought about including Marquette in my list. My dark horse is, this is gonna surprise you. Really? You know, my dark horse is BYUI think, uh, I think they've got a chance to, uh, to make, to make some noise. And of course, when it came to football, I picked Tennessee to be in the final in, in the playoffs. That was just sort of a throwaway pick. And, uh, you know, out of, out of loyalty to my vs. Uh, but I really think Tennessee's got a chance to be in the final four this year in basketball. So I've got BYU I've got Tennessee, I've got, uh, Purdue. And, you know, you sort of stole my thunder with a roll tide. Um, you know, I'm, I'm, it's either Alabama or Yukon, but at the end of the day, I'm picking Purdue to win it, the big boys. 'cause he is, he is a halt. And when they get into tournament play, um, I think, uh, he, he'll, he'll make a big difference. Although, you know, they got eliminated the first round last year. So, um, um, you know, that they, they gotta straighten that out. But, so I've got Purdue, you've got Marquette. So let's see how that, how that works, works out. But, uh, so
Nicky (09:45):
Jerry, since we're talking about basketball, how's, uh, Fort Smith doing in basketball?
Terry (09:51):
So, so, so Ford's my 4-year-old and, and, and, and 4-year-old basketball is, is interesting. He played, he played his first game. And, uh, now I, I know you've got a granddaughter that's, you know, she's faired pretty good. You know what they're playing what? Trying tore repeat as state champions for the second straight year or something like that. Yeah.
Nicky (10:10):
Big, big get section finals tomorrow night.
Terry (10:14):
So, uh, you know, but, but my grandson, I mean, I hate to one up, you, I mean, you know, it's, I winning two back to back state championships is, is, is, is is something. But, uh, playing in a, a 4-year-old youth basketball league,
Nicky (11:06):
Terry (11:08):
But, uh, and, and it's so funny, I've got the video and I watched it over and over and over and over. I mean, you, you, you can just imagine these four and five year olds and they're all just clustered in the, in the lane. And then all of a sudden you see Ford dribbling around the side. And, and I, I would say he drove to the basket, but that would be an exaggeration.
Nicky (11:37):
Great. That's
Terry (11:38):
Great. So tell me, uh, Jasmine is in, uh, let's see, when, when we record this, she'll be playing in the sectional finals, you said?
Nicky (11:46):
Yeah, the, the sectional finals are the 1st of March, uh, playing a number two team in the state. And that somehow they're ranked ahead of them. They're not ranked ahead of in state, but in their, I don't know how that works, but, um, it's a home game. So it's good. It's six o'clock tomorrow night. I'll be there at five o'clock ahead of time, make sure I get my perfect seat. And, um, you know, it's loose and she's done for her career. If she's not gonna play in college, she doesn't wanna do anything with basketball. He wants to be an entrepreneur and she's getting ready to go to college next year. And she's very excited about that. So we're very excited for her. And, um, if they win, then they have another game, which the central plays the south. And if they win that, then they play the winner of the north, the two divisions of the north. So possibility of three more games to be two time state champions.
Terry (12:33):
Well, I, I wish you luck, and I know Nikki was anxious to get back from Orlando last night to see her play in the semifinals. 'cause he was afraid it was gonna be her last game, and they just barely squeaked by by 34 points. I think you're right.
Nicky (12:47):
Terry (12:48):
But congratulations and, uh, uh, you know, keep I, I hope, I hope she goes all the way. So, so Nikki, let's, uh, uh, uh, let's do our WhatsApp section when this is a time when you can talk about anything you want. Uh, so Nikki, what's up?
Nicky (13:04):
Well, what's up with me is that the, uh, this, this the 29th of March that we're recording this, and the clock calendar turns to March 1st. And, um, you know, it's, it's, it's funny, after the Super Bowl, it seems like everything slows down a little bit and you get this cold kind of boring kind of days in February. And now all of a sudden, you know, like in another week from Sunday, the clock goes ahead and daylight comes out and spring comes and, you know, a lot to look forward to, a lot of traveling coming up and that kind of stuff. I'm getting very excited for it, you know. Um, blast was a lot of work, as you know. Um, but the energy from the conference has me just very excited. Um, the, uh, the, like I said, the remarks. So spring is, is a great time of year, and I'm looking forward to spring. That's what's up with me. What's up with you?
Terry (13:58):
Well, March is, uh, it more than March madness. March is Oscars month. And, you know, I've talked about it to folks, know I'm a movie buff and my wife and I go to the movies all the time. And every year we have a our own little private Oscars party where we predict all the winners. And so, um, that's coming up in a couple of weeks. And, you know, I won every year for several years, and then she won for two or three years in a row. And then I finally got back on the winning track last year. So I gotta start a new streak this year and do a good job of predicting the winners of, of, of the movies down years, as far as I'm concerned, as far as movies go. Oppenheimer's probably gonna dominate, but hey, uh, I gotta gotta take a look at all those and, and, and, and get my predictions already so I can get me a streak going again and, and, and, and establish my dominance all over again.
Nicky (14:53):
Is is it Barbie? Barbie up this year?
Terry (14:56):
Yeah, Barbie is up. Barbie, Barbie
Nicky (14:58):
Up.
Terry (15:12):
So Nikki, let's talk a little bit about, um, you know, we had an innovation conference, but before we talk about the conference itself, you know, the conference was just born out of the need for, for innovation and this program, you know, really needs to innovate. And, and, and I mentioned this in Orlando, you know, our bi our blind vendors need to innovate in their facilities. Our state programs need to be innovative in what they're doing with, in their states. And then we need to be innovative and, and how we approach the national program. And, you know, innovation is just crucial now, if, if, if our program is gonna survive and thrive into the future. You agree?
Nicky (15:53):
Oh, absolutely. And, and it, it goes from everything from, again, from the blind vendors to the SLAs. And, um, you know, that's where it's gotta come from. It's gotta come from the blind vendors. And when we first put this together, everybody was talking about, oh, he, I'm sending him 'cause of the technology. I'm not into the technology. And I said, no, it's not about technology. It's about, like we've said many times, it could be going from a small bag of chips to an LLS and graduating from an LLS to a XVL bag to make more profit to give the people what they want. Um, you know, it could be, it's not the next million dollar idea. It could be just selling a better product. And I think people got onto that. 'cause I had a lot of questions. Yeah. If I have a rest area, if I put the big bag in which you say, we'll sell better, make more profit, how many more times do I have to fill it?
(16:36):
How many, you know, uh, how many bags will fill in a machine? So I, I think we said before, uh, COVID that, uh, apathy was one of the biggest things going with blind vendors. And I think the people that are back working now and getting excited about work are, are showing a lot of enthusiasm. And I saw that at the conference. So, um, you know, to talk about the technology, but also to talk about what products they could put in that are innovative, that people are eating, that the customers are eating, that type of thing. So I think that that was very exciting to me.
Terry (17:09):
Well, I think the thing I, I really liked Jesse Harlow's message from RSA and I think a lot of times we look to RSA to solve our problems for us. And, you know, that's, that's in some respects not fair. I think, you know, the message from the, the, and you and I tried to, to, to reiterate this to the, to the group that was there, is that the federal law allows for innovation. It's not the federal law that is holding us back. States have the opportunity to be innovative now and to do some things that are creative and outside the box, so to speak. So, you know, it, as, as you just said, it's up to our vendors. It's up to our, our, our state agencies to, to lead the way in innovation because the world we're working in today, not the world we were working in five years ago.
(18:02):
And, uh, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's it's innovator die, so to speak. And, uh, you know, you and I have, you know, we've had some conversations and there'll be more about this later on, about trying to get some funding for innovative pro innovation projects, but that's on down the road. And, but you know, a lot of things can be done, uh, without, without additional funding. And we'd like to see, see some, see some of that happen. And so we had some real con good conversation, uh, and Nick in the trade show,
Nicky (18:58):
Well, thank you. And, um, you know, they were, um, the comments were, this was the best show I've been to in years, including nama, that type of thing. Uh, somebody said, boy, I went to NAMA last year, spent a lot of money and, and I got more leads outta this conference. Um, and, and not, you know, but it come, the, the other thing, again, a lot of the purveyors told me they love the questions that the blind entrepreneurs give 'em. They know their business, which is something we've always heard when we do the show as a blast. And, you know, we really haven't had a trade show. 'cause the last couple trade shows have been with, it's been the Vista Trade Show, so it hasn't been our trade show. So, to, to throw this again and get our guys in front of the new technology, the robo burger, the hotdog vending machine, the just baked machine, the scan and go from, from USI, uh, the natural to go was, was good.
(19:49):
The IRS machine that does the, um, it, the instant retail market that's like a micro market, but put your card in, which just great smart soda, uh, the innovative stuff of Dr. Pepper, ke, Dr. Pepper, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, red Bull Shasta was over the moon with all their new products with the response they got. So it was exciting. But again, the response to the blind vendors, the questions they asked, how much is this? What, where, who was selling the best? We'll fill in this vending machine. Joffer were their new creative machines. So it was just exciting. And of course the energy in the room was unbelievable. So very exciting about that. And you know, they all signed up for November 20th November 19th trade show on November 20th in Nashville, Tennessee. They were signing up that afternoon with Barbara. So excited about that.
Terry (20:38):
Looking forward to that. Did any, any particular speakers stand out? We had, we had a tremendous lineup of, um, you know, speakers and PA lot of folk folks who aren't traditionally the, you know, speakers that we would normally have. Any, anybody stand out to you?
Nicky (20:55):
You know, Terry gotta say, most times when we do these conferences, there's some guys that are just okay and there's other guys that are really good. I gotta tell you, I thought the content was very good throughout the whole show. Uh, I, it was the most exciting I've been to hear a number of things, a number of different speakers, um, you know, uh, Jim mc Mickel, um, Kel Mickel, I forgot who pronounce his name. I'm Perry Apologize. But, um, you know, with his, he, he, he apologized, he said, I'm not very good, but just to have the robot dog there and, uh, to talk about robot vending and coffee machine was very exciting, even though, you know that. But you know, it started off with such a good thing on Monday afternoon with our speakers. Um, and then of course, Chris, Angie, I thought was great on the ai.
Terry (21:38):
Yeah, we started Monday with, uh, Jimmy Newsom from, he, he, he's had a New York and he, he, he's a small business guru, as I call him. He does things globally all over the world with, with, with small businesses, with, uh, uh, moving forward small business as a company he, he founded and, and he, he really got us off to a, a good start. I thought Stephen Shapiro, who was our keynote opening speaker on Tuesday, really did a good job. We'll hear from him in just a minute. Um, I, I think you're right, Chris Kenji, who spoke on, on artificial intelligence, and we'll hear from him too, um, I think he really had people's head spinnings with all of the potential and all the possibilities that artificial intelligence has for, for our industry. And, and that that was really great. And, and of course, Jim Michael, uh, with, with the potential, with the, with the robots.
(22:30):
And he, he had his robot, uh, dog there, hopefully at blast, they're gonna have the robotic cafe there, and that's gonna be great if, if he, if he can have that. So, uh, really, really looking forward to that. But yeah, the, I, I agree with you. I thought the, the, the speakers were, were, were excellent and, uh, really, um, really, really enjoyed it. So, so Nikki, let's sort of move in. I, I, I did some snippets, uh, just little 62nd interviews with, with some of our speakers. And so if it's okay with you, let's hear from a couple of 'em. Okay.
Nicky (23:05):
Sounds good to me.
Terry (23:07):
So we, we mentioned that Jimmy Newsome, uh, you know, he got really excited, I mean, uh, about, about coming down and spending time with us. Uh, you know, he, he, he did it, uh, didn't charge us for it. Uh, he came down and, uh, on just, just us paying for his travel and, and he's, he, he's really wanting to, um, you know, be involved with us. He's wanting to do some online webinars for our folks on innovation. He's wanting to be at Blast, and he's just really excited about it. And, and, and he's a high energy guy that, um, uh, you know, brought, uh, a lot of energy and, and was, was really the perfect way to, to kick off our pre-conference session on, on, on Monday afternoon. And, uh, you know, let, let's hear from him, uh, to what he said after it was over. So we're here with Jimmy Newin, who kicked off our Blast Innovation 24 conference and, and, and got us off to a great start talking about small businesses and, and innovation. And, and Jimmy, if, if, if there was one thing that I, I guess what I'm asking is what power does the small business owner really have, uh, to innovate in today's environment?
Jimmy (24:21):
Um, great question, Terry. And first of all, thank you for having me here. It was an amazing opportunity and an incredible blast. And the people here were amazing. Um, when it comes to power, um, I think they have a lot of power. They have the ability to really lay down the groundwork for their own path. It's just about seeing, looking further into the future, understanding, you know, the competition, you know, because the competition is, does something that is amazing. They pay tuition on your behalf. And at that point, if you can understand what they're doing, see what they're doing right, see what they're doing wrong, immediately you can start to get some ideas of what you can do better. There's, you don't necessarily have to recreate the will. You just have to make the will better than the, than those that before you.
Terry (25:05):
So Nikki, I, I really like what he says about learning from the competition. And, and, and, and this is another case of where we, where, you know, it's not all about technology and that kind of stuff. I mean, he's saying, you know, you don't have to invent things from scratch for it to be innovative. You can, you can learn from your competition. And, uh, you know, that's a, that's a, that's a good way to learn and let them do the hard work for you. And, and you, you, you put it to practice, and that's a, that's a good principle to have.
Nicky (25:34):
It is. And I'm gonna tell you one thing I I that I liked about Jimmy was that he spoke on Monday afternoon, but he stayed Tuesday to get to know our group, to to, to know them and to do that. And that was very, I was very impressed by that. Yeah, you know, that's, that's, that's, you know, sometimes speakers go great, especially when you're, you know, they're, and I'm outta here type of thing. But he was there, he was at the trade show, he was all over the place on Tuesday, and I thought that that, that, that got my juices flowing too, that he was there and, and participated and got to know our guys. And I thought that was very good.
Terry (26:06):
He was literally the last one to leave the reception on Monday when I left, when I finally walked out the door, there were like three people still left in the room, him talking to two other people,
Steven (27:15):
Well, I think the key thing is, is to recognize that the questions we ask are going to give us the solutions. And so whatever problem we think we're working on, we need to often change the question, change the problem to be able to see it in a different way. Uh, so as a, as a small business, one of the things we need to do is make sure, like, for example, instead of asking how can we use technology, how can we use automation, how can we use ai? In many cases, what we want to do is ask ourselves, what does it make possible? What's the result of it? What are we looking to achieve? And by just even some of that simple questioning can have a big impact on the types of solutions you're going to see.
Terry (27:51):
Nikki, he talked about, you know, asking the right questions and, you know, sometimes, um, you know, it's just how you ask the question because I mean, I, I liked what he says about, um, you know, the question's not how do we use technology? The question is, you know, how do we better serve the people? Or how can technology help us better serve the people? You know, using technology is not, is not the solution. I mean, you gotta, there has to be a, a, a reason for using it. And, and, and, and, and constantly questioning. I like that way. He, he kept talking about questioning, um, what you're doing and how you're doing it, I thought was, was, was really good.
Nicky (28:32):
And it's proven, I mean, back when credit card readers started, right? How many people are against it? It's how to use your technology like credit card readers to improve your sales. It started from basic that and takes it right up to the, you know, uh, I thought the most impressive thing was when he showed the clip of taking the tires off at the, uh, in 1.9 seconds when he took tires off and put new tires on, on, on. Um, the car racing was just like, wow,
Terry (29:06):
Jim Mako was there as you, as you mentioned, and, uh, he had his robotic, uh, dog spot there. He said he'd like to, to do more research and, you know, help turn this dog into a seeing eye dog. So that was, uh, uh, or a guide dog, and I thought that was, uh, you know, pretty interesting. But he, he had a, he had a dog that walked around and danced and, and, and, and did all kinds of stuff. But, and, and that was a nice little side side lot. But you know, the, the main message from, from from Jim was, you know what, uh, you know, what lies ahead in the way of robotics in our industry? So let's hear from, hear what Jim had to say. We're here with Jim Michael, who, uh, spoke today at our Blast Innovation 24 conference in Orlando, talking about robotics and vending and, and wow. He, he, he had us thinking a lot, Jim, uh, if, if you look into your crystal ball, what, what do you really see as far as robotics in the vending in industry down the road?
Jim (30:05):
You know, as things change and additional technology comes out, as well as we have, you know, various vending machine options, um, I foresee everything from hamburgers to a steak being made with a robotic arm to, um, you know, vending becoming more and more popular and needed as these robots are, are making more additional things. I think the, the vending industry, it's going to change the vending industry completely because everything would be operated remotely with our vending machine. Um, everything would be operated remotely and and corrected remotely. And we supply an apprentice that fills up machine up daily. So it's, it's kind of like the old vending machine now has kind of taken from a model T Ford to a Lamborghini kind of thing, is what I look at it as. Uh, how the technology is changing rapidly on a daily basis.
Terry (31:01):
So, Nikki, the, um, opportunities are endless as far as what robots are gonna be off doing as part of our industry in the future, and I think we need to be prepared for it.
Nicky (31:10):
Oh, I think you're right. I saw, you know, a company that wanted to come, they were enamel last year, was a robotic barista making coffee drinks where it makes the drink in front of you. It looks like a real person's making it, but it's a little, um, kind of it, um, miniature barista type of thing. So it's the show too, but the coffee's phenomenal and that they've downside it to, to where it's a robot, but it's not the show that you don't get. And they wanna place him in our facilities. They, they were upset that they found out so about the show. Um, but robots are gonna be here. I hope that Jim, you know, says he is gonna bring his robotic, um, fresh food machine or his, uh, fresh coffee, uh, you know, robot coffee machine. I think that's very interesting. You know, it's a price of labor nowadays. Um, you know, and then it's open 24 hours a day, those things. And I think that's just, I just love it.
Terry (32:00):
Well, artificial intelligence is the buzzword of the day, and you know, it, it, it just fascinates people. And, you know, we were able to find Chris Cange, who's, who's, who's got connections with the industry, and he, he came and, and shared with us about the artificial intelligence and we're, what the, the potential for, for the industry. And as I said, he had people's heads swimming. Let's hear what, uh, what, what Chris had to say about the, the future of artificial intelligence in the vending industry. I see a
Chris (32:35):
Broad array of practical applications of AI in the vending industry over the next five to 10 years, and it's, uh, gonna be a pretty exciting time. The first is dynamic pricing where vending machines will change their prices on the fly based on observed demand. Uh, uh, another example is facial recognition technologies that can determine a customer's age for restricted products, or even provide personalized recommendations based on somebody's past purchases. There's also smart merchandising capability that will help us to strategically decide when, where, and how to sell products to maximize sales and profitability. Predictive maintenance is also a neat field to think about. AI sensors can monitor vending machines as components and detect anomalies or potential issues well before they even occur. There are also things like smart device connections that will allow you to order that bag of Doritos for collection tomorrow afternoon, if you'd like. Think of power management solutions where the machine will adjust its lighting and temperature based on usage in environmental conditions. I also know of intelligent driver rerouting capability that will change a delivery driver's course based on weather and traffic conditions. Another really neat area is AI powered machines that double doubles gaming platforms where customers can compete for prizes, and this will result in high engagement levels and provide entertainment avenues for marketing. Uh, of course there's smart inventory management and the list goes on and on and on.
Terry (34:06):
There's opportunities and, you know, it's, it's, and it's time to really do something about food trucks and, um, you know, not just talk about food trucks, uh, discussion about, you know, ha Randolph Shepherd having its own franchise. I thought, um, you know, is is something that, um, uh, is, is, is, is a good thing to do. Um, we talked about a lot of things about a na more of a national approach with, uh, more of a national license or reciprocity about a nominee national nominee agency, something that you have talked about for, for, for a long time. You know, you know, tho those were the kinds of, you know, things, things that, um, ca came up and, um, uh, you know, getting into the private, uh, sector was, was something that, that, that was big. Maybe changing the model to, from Randolph Shepherd the way it is now to more of an eight a approach.
(35:00):
You know, we'd have to sort of flesh that out to see what that might look like. But, you know, that was an idea that was proposed hopefully by the, um, by the time we do the blitz next month, we'll have the list from all the groups. They all haven't sent in their, their list just yet. So, uh, it's really hard. But, uh, those, those were some of the things that, that I heard in the group that I was, uh, uh, leading. So, uh, a lot of good ideas and, and, and it just, it just shows that there's, there are so many things that, that, that we can do and we just need to get serious about doing it.
Nicky (35:35):
You're right, Terry. One of the things that, that I brought up and heard from another people too were, was seniority. And, um, you know, I, I told some of the senior operators from states that there was seniority a hundred percent. I said, listen, if you come to blast and you go to trainings and you go to n and you stay on top of your business, it doesn't matter about your seniority, you're still gonna do well what, you know, promotions and transfers and, and that type of thing. But if you get a state that's senior already, only how we, one of the things we've always talked about at a lot of conferences, how do we recruit new people into Randolph Shepherd? Well, in a senior already state only, you're not gonna recruit people that say, wait a second, I know technology, I know customer service, I know food, but yet I gotta be behind 30 other people before I can move up to get a nice location.
(36:19):
You know? And so that's something that we really have to think about. And, you know, we threw a couple of things. One of the things I heard was, can Randall Shepherd vendors committees or vendors unionize like Starbucks is doing now to move the arbitration process along faster? So, you know, those ideas are, are things that you, you talk, you throw 'em out, and then you discuss 'em. It's better to have a lot of those different ideas than I don't, you know, the bitching of the SLA this and the buy vendor this, and we gotta get over that and start talking about this new thing. But one thing, innovation does, Terry, it costs money. It does cost money. And, um, you know, it's something that we're working on. I know if you want to discuss that or wait for that for next month, but, um, I think it, it needs money and, you know, it's something that we, you gotta go after both. So, um,
Terry (37:08):
Yeah, and the, you know, on the money side, you know, we're working with the National Federation of the Blind and Jeff Klock out of that office, and, you know, revisiting the issue of getting money for, for the state agencies to, to do some innovative projects. And, um, we'll be calling on folks on down the road if, if, if, if that thing gets any momentum, it may not get off the ground. I don't wanna, you know, get people's hopes up. But, um, you're right, it does, it does take money. And we saw some just incredible machines, machines that cook the, um, you know, the, the controlled access coolers that, that you were talking about, all of those things, they cost money. It would be great. I mean, those, those hotdog machines, those robo burgers, they could really make some folks some money. Uh, but they're not cheap.
(37:54):
And so, uh, you know, we, we need states that are willing to commit the resources to go out and buy those kind kinds of machines. I thought the, I thought the positive thing, you, you mentioned about the meeting, there wasn't a lot of complaining and griping about, um, you know, the agencies aren't doing this, the agencies aren't doing that. I mean, we heard some of that, uh, but you know, it, it, it was, I think people were there to learn. People were there to share people, people were excited about the, the, the innovative ideas. And, you know, that's the kind of, you know, that's the kind of excitement and engagement we need if we're going to move this program forward. And we talked about it, the, you, you and I have sort of a bet going on on once RSA finishes the numbers. What's the over under, I think we set it at, um, 1425 as is, what's the over, you know, somewhere where we're gonna be?
(38:50):
Uh, and so we're down 450 vendors since the, since the pandemic and the numbers are gonna continue to decline. And if we don't innovate, um, we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna be sitting here talking about a program that is no longer relevant and, uh, you know, we just can't do do it the way that the, the same way that we used to do things. So, you know, this, this was sort of the start of it. People are already asking us to do another one of these, or, you know, but you can only do so much. But certainly, uh, I think innovation will be a big part of blast in Nashville. Um, and, and as Nikki said, these folks who were at this conference, uh, will, will be there and they will have their machines there, hopefully because, and a couple of, a couple of those guys didn't have the actual machine there, but, um, when we come to Blast, we're gonna see a lot more in the way of, uh, the, the technology right there that you can see, touch, and see, see how it works. So stay tuned for, for all of that. And, um, let's, you know, let's get to work. Let's, let's make this program better. Let's, let's, let's preserve it for future generations and let's help it become the, the, the, the, you know, the program that it, the congressman envisioned for it to be.
Nicky (40:02):
You know, a couple things, Terry, before we close, is that one exciting thing was some people said their buildings are starting to get bus a little bit busier, a little bit busier, starting, you know, a couple buildings in DC that I talked to vendors said, oh, people are starting to come back. So that was exciting. And other thing was, again, I didn't hear much at all, but I got to see a lot of SLAs and blind vendors walking through the trade show together, talking about equipment, having meetings together. So maybe innovation brought a lot of people put together, and let's keep that going. Uh, you know, we got Nashville, we're gonna do some things, you know, whether we do during the year, whether it be webinars or whatever, but there's some other things planned, so stay tuned. 'cause as if there's excitement there, that gets us excited to do more things. Another thing too is I did have a lot of state, um, committee chairs and committee people say, Hey, how can we do this in our state? You know, and we, we discussed it, you know, you need to be embedded, you need to make sure the blind vendors are there, you need to make sure they're involved and stuff like that. So, um, just overall up and down, it went from apathy to excitement, and that's what excited me.
Terry (41:11):
Well, we'll have more to report next month. Uh, our April, it'll be time to do the blitz in April. And as I said earlier, Nikki, several of these speakers that, and people who were at the conference have agreed to be on the podcast. So we're gonna have some really good guests, um, coming, coming down the pot in, in, in some of our future ones, and really look forward to ha having some conversations about innovation, about artificial intelligence and, and, and, and some, some of those things that we discussed at the, at the conference. So I guess it's time we get outta here for, for, for this one. Looking forward to being back in April, uh, for episode four of season three. Can't believe season three, Nikki. That's crazy. But, uh, yes, isn. Yeah, it is, it is. But I guess I will be talking to you then. Okay.
Nicky (41:57):
Okay, Terry. Goodnight now. I'll talk to you soon.
Terry (41:59):
All right. Goodnight everybody. Thank you, Josh, for the job. You do. And this one was even harder than normal, but you did. I'm sure you did a bang up job with it. And we will be talking soon.
Nicky (42:10):
Thank you. And thank you Barbara Badger for all you do. Thank you.
Terry (42:13):
Oh, she made the conference for us.
Nicky (42:16):
Terry (42:17):
Okay guys, we're outta here.
Nicky (42:19):
We're outta here.
Out tro with sponsors(42:21):
The we are Randolph She Podcast would like to thank our sponsors, the National Association of Blind Merchants, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sodexo, you selected Southern Food Service, Tyler Technologies, Anderson Food Service, RSA Management Group, Siteline Wealth Management, and Cantaloupe.
Support info (42:46):
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 kos@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.