In this episode, Nicky and Terry welcome Matt Bisenius from NAMA’s Government Affairs Office to discuss legislative issues facing the convenience services industry.
Intro Music (00:03):
We are Randolph Shepherd podcast. We're Randolph podcast.
Intro Music (00:16):
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.
Nickey (00:26):
Welcome to the August edition of We are Rand [00:00:30] Shepherd. And again, we need to thank our sponsor of the National Association of Blind Merchants Coca-Cola, Blackstone Consulting, Southern Food Site Line Wealth Management, Sodexo inReach, power Technologies, FSIG. You selected Cantaloupe Cure, Dr. Pepper and RSA Management. Terry, how are you
Terry (00:56):
Doing great, Nikki. We're sitting here recording this on the evening of July 30th, [00:01:00] and I'm sitting in Marshtown, Tennessee and we are having some great storms. So my hope and prayer is that we get through this before the power goes out and we get this thing done because the weather is really, really hitting us good. But hey, we'll get it done, Nikki, before I go any further, I really appreciate it. We got a lot of fact checkers out there. When we say something people, they check us out to see if we're telling the truth. And I made a mistake [00:01:30] on the blitz last time and got caught and I was talking about the Marine contract and that the states in the east were combining to go after that in a couple of years. And the states in the west were, and that California and Arizona were going together and Arizona was taking the lead. And I knew better than that. My brain wasn't, and my mouth didn't say the same thing. I said Arizona was taken the lead. That is not correct. California has taken the lead and I appreciate that getting pointed out to me and [00:02:00] so good to have that people checking us up, checking us up.
(02:09):
So Nikki still got blast in the works and a lot of things happening with that. There are,
Nickey (02:17):
And we're filling up the agenda very quickly. It looks like we need to jam a lot of things in two and a half days. And the attorney and SLA training looks really great and people getting excited [00:02:30] about it. And again, make your reservation for your rooms, they're going very fast. And people said, we felt bad about the registration price. A couple people said something to me, I said, Hey, you get a reception, you get a lunch, you get a banquet, you get another reception, you get a breakfast. I said, it's all worth, it's almost inclusive and it's amazed that the agenda's coming together so well, thank you so much for helping do that and put that together and something new [00:03:00] too. We will be doing a little mini blast at Atlantic City with the Vista Show this year. A number of people called me and the Vista Show is Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday this year instead of a Thursday, Friday, we will set up a registration.
(03:16):
There is no charge for the registration, registration and we will be doing a little thing on Tuesday night and then a little training on Wednesday. We have breakfast and lunch and then a reception on Wednesday night. The trade show is [00:03:30] 12 to five on Wednesday at nine to one on Thursday. And we have committed Lauren MCC Carney and Joe Chique and a few others to come and speak to us on that. So we just want to get the people together and they've added new states this year. They've added Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota to the buying group and there. So it's a lot bigger and we will put that together. So we will set up a registration [00:04:00] so that when people come and take advantage of the grapevine, they'll have over 200 booths this year. So we're very excited about that. And again, we're not going to charge you registration for that come and if you're a blind vendor that's in that area, could take advantage of the Vista buying and save a lot of money, come and we'll do some networking and a little bit of training.
Terry (04:23):
Yeah, that's in September. I'm focused really heavily on the November event in Nashville and [00:04:30] I'm waiting. Nikki talked about the agenda. When you plan a conference with Nikki, you get everything set and then he says, I need to fit 15 minutes in. I need to fit 10 minutes here. So that'll start happening here before long and love planning conferences with him because he keeps you on your toes. Also, Nikki, I've been getting a lot of questions from vendors about whether or not SLAs can pay for travel for blind vendors [00:05:00] to go to blast. The answer to that question is absolutely yes. Blast qualifies as upper mobility and either set aside dollars can be spent under management services or federal one $10 can be spent under management services to send blind vendors to this training. I wish every single state would take advantage of this because this is one of a kind training.
(05:24):
We haven't done a big full blown blast in six years. It's a shame that we we're going to have [00:05:30] people at home not attending some because of the money when the state agencies can easily pay for that. Now I realize there are state requirements and they may have to do different things to make it happen, but really wish we'd have more states. I mean, I probably shouldn't do this, but shout out to Kentucky. They're sending a bunch of vendors, Indiana sending a bunch of vendors. Obviously Tennessee is sending a bunch of vendors. I'm leaving some folks out and the state agencies are picking [00:06:00] all that up and wish we'd have more states that would take advantage of that. Also, want to plug the Tuesday training for state attorneys and BEP staff. If you're listening, please make sure your state attorney knows about this training. We do not have a mailing list to reach out to them.
(06:17):
This is going to be an outstanding training. We've got every Randolph Shepherd attorney in the country that's going to be there, that's going to be presenting and it's a great opportunity for your state attorney to learn about Randolph Shepherd [00:06:30] and to also get some CLE credits. And as far as paying for travel, I mean that goes for just about any training we put on because our trainings are all very substantive, a lot of topics presented. And so looking forward to seeing everybody in September and in November, Nikki, also July, we had our convention in Orlando, Florida [00:07:00] and said there was an election and see who got elected president. I can't remember the guy's name. Oh, is Nikki Gako. Nikki Kos got elected president again. And I know you're looking forward to a new term and I'm looking forward to working with you, but you also got to welcome four new board members.
Nickey (07:20):
We did and very exciting. A couple of new ones. Willie Black from Utah, Belinda Banks from South Carolina, Scott GE from Indiana, and Michael Talley from [00:07:30] Alabama. And Alyssa Smith from Tennessee stepped up and took over from Sean. Fred, who was a longtime board member to be secretary. And also we want to thank those that served Joe Hayman from Indiana, a long time vendor who served Wanda Miranda from Oregon, Chad from West Virginia. And I said Sarah and Treadway, we thank them for their service and we're looking forward. We're getting off to a big storm. We got a lot of travel coming up in the fall, so we'll meet a lot of board members to help [00:08:00] travel and do that. A lot of state conferences coming up in the fall besides, like you said there, this is the first blast we're doing in six years and it's almost like, did we do that or did we do this? Did we do that? And this. So plus some new exciting things and the old stuff that made blast what it is. So I'm very excited about the agenda and really looking forward to seeing record breaking crowds in Nashville in November. And
Terry (08:27):
Nikki, I just want to say, I won't say anything else about Blast, [00:08:30] but if you know Nikki, and if you know Nikki and me both, Nikki always wants the wow factor. He wants people to walk away from a session or to walk away from the conference and say, wow. And we're working on a couple of wow factors for blast. So please make sure that you're there and you are participating. Nikki, before we get onto the meat and the potatoes here, just curious. We're right in the middle, the Olympics, are you watching?
Nickey (08:58):
I love the Summer Olympics. I was a little upset [00:09:00] a little bit with some of the opening ceremonies, but I've been to Delphi in Greece where the first Olympics were ever held. And it always was dear to my heart because even in the old days when the Spartans were fighting the Athenians, the Greeks would stop the wars competing in the Olympics. And I think we need more of that in this world today. And Terry, I don't know I ever told you, but [00:09:30] 1972 I was with my mom and dad. We were on a plane in Athens heading to Tel Aviv, Israel to visit in Israel, and that was the day that the Israeli athletes got shot in Munich. A lot of people won't remember that, but that did happen and they took us off the plane and I never made it back to Israel, which is someplace I've always wanted to go.
(09:51):
But love the summer Olympics, love to see the gymnastics, the swimming, basketball and stuff. And so I am watching [00:10:00] and it's great to see some of the victories already and love to know, I always said being an athlete, if I could win a Super Bowl or NBA championship or the Masters, the one thing I would always love would be to stand on that podium and get that gold medal around my chest and play the national anthem. And that's something that I've said that would be my biggest dream. So I am a big Olympic fan and join it. Don't like it so much when it's ahead, you hear some of the results. [00:10:30] But besides that, I try not to hear 'em. I get in front of TV and watch it. Do like it. Terry, what about you? You've been watching?
Terry (10:37):
Yeah, I'm watching a little bit of it, keeping up with it. There are some good storylines and I haven't watched it as much in recent years as probably watching it more this year than I have. And I definitely remember the 1972 games you're talking about. And with everything happening in the world, that was the first thing that in my mind about [00:11:00] these Olympics. You think back to what happened then and could it happen again? And so hopefully we get through these games and we don't have that. Also, I was talking to my son, my granddaughter is huge into gymnastics now, and so maybe, who knows, just maybe she'll be standing on that podium one day and there's no pressure on her. She's not going to get into it to that [00:11:30] extent, but she certainly loves it and is going to start competing here now for the first time in the next few months. So I do have some trivia for you. Lemme just ask a couple of questions and you just answered the first trivia question because more about this than I realize. So you may be able to get these questions, and I'm not going to ask some of them. There's no way you would know. But the first Olympic games were hosted in 7 76 BC in what country? Greece. Greece. Good Greek man. Geicos ought [00:12:00] to note, we're not going to miss that one.
(12:04):
This one surprised me. The first city in the United States to host the Olympics. I know you probably don't know this one, but it was St. Louis. I would've guessed New York, Los Angeles, but St. Louis actually was the first US city to host the Olympics. Now if you've been watching, this is a test. Where [00:12:30] were the first Olympic winter games held in 1924?
Nickey (12:34):
Woodlin?
Terry (12:35):
No, France. They've been talking about it on the show. It's been a hundred years. Now here's this one. I surprised me.
Nickey (12:47):
I met French, I met France. I did mean French.
Terry (12:52):
Did you realize that in the ancient Greek times, Olympic athletes competed naked, nude? [00:13:00] I did not know that they were all male athletes back then.
Nickey (13:06):
No, no Greek jokes now. So let's move on.
Terry (13:12):
Okay, let's just skip on. In 2024, there'll be 32 sports represented, which I actually thought there was more than that, but it says 32 sports women were first allowed to participate in the Olympic Games in 1900. [00:13:30] So we went all those centuries with just male athletes. And in 1900 the women started. Now here's one being from Jersey next door to New York making its debut in the Paris 2024 Olympics. This sport is based on a style of dance introduced in New York City. You know what that is?
Nickey (13:53):
What is it? Hip hop or something?
Terry (13:55):
Break dance breaking. I can't believe that's an Olympic sport. [00:14:00] Break dancing. No.
Nickey (14:01):
And they took out softball and
Terry (14:04):
Yeah,
Nickey (14:04):
And baseball, right? Yeah. Lemme ask you this question. Surfing is an Olympic sport this year. Where are the surfing chips being the Olympics in France?
Terry (14:16):
It's not Tahiti, I don't think. Titi. It is Tahiti. I knew it was over there somewhere. And the oldest male athlete to ever win an Olympic gold medal [00:14:30] was in 1920 at the age of 72. So I'm going to start training and I think I'm going to be at the 28 Olympics. What do you think?
Nickey (14:44):
Okay, let's do it together. Let's
Terry (14:45):
Do it together. Synchronized swimming or synchronized diving or what you,
Nickey (14:52):
Yeah, maybe volleyball, maybe beach volleyball.
Terry (14:58):
And just a side note. [00:15:00] See, the first games that were broadcast on television were 1936 in Berlin. That's the famous Adolf Hitler in the Jesse Owens incident where he was so upset with Jesse Owens being there. And who was the renowned athlete that opened the Atlantic Summer Olympics? You know this one? Muhammad Ali? Muhammad Ali, yeah. That's where they had the bombing down there and Muhammad Ali was the one. So anyway, [00:15:30] let's just going to move on. I just thought some
Nickey (15:33):
Of that when the Olympics are over, Perry's football starting already too.
Terry (15:38):
Hey, and people, let's just go ahead and give an advertisement now on our next podcast. You're going to be wanting to listen because Nick and I will be making our predictions and after being so bad for so long, we were good last year. So you may want to get your FanDuel app pulled up and tune in next month when we give our football [00:16:00] predictions. So Nikki, before we move on to
Nickey (16:05):
12,
Terry (16:06):
What's that?
Nickey (16:09):
I said it's 12 teams this year instead of four, right?
Terry (16:11):
Yeah, exactly. So Nikki, we get to this section and get to talk about whatever's on your mind. And so we call this what's up? So Nikki, what's up
Nickey (16:24):
Terry? Again, I know I say this every time, but it's amazing how fast everything's [00:16:30] going. It's orders first in a couple of days and the next thing you know and how busy it's been, too exciting, busy, a lot of things going on and stuff, but it's a month before Labor Day and then September changes a lot of things and stuff in football season. What's really up with me is trying to regenerate and come out with a convention, think about the role that we're going to play in the next two years of changing people's lives. And [00:17:00] today I did a call with a company that wants it's nationwide to open up micromarket and vending at High-end condominiums and apartment complexes. And I said, where were you last week for our training that we did on private sector? And I want to say too that I thought that Patricia Cowen did a great job from Rainmaker last week. So little regeneration, Terry, because it's going to be a busy, busy fall and a lot of positive things happen, which I'm very [00:17:30] excited about. What's up with you?
Terry (17:31):
Well, the old adage that age is just a state of mind. You've heard that I do,
Nickey (17:39):
I believe.
Terry (17:40):
Well, I proved it wrong. I had all the grandkids in town after we got back from convention and I had four of them for three days, and then I took two of them to without mom and dad, just Omar and Pops went up to the Gatlinburg [00:18:00] Sevierville Pigeon Forge area. And I can tell you that old men were never intended to be riding roller coasters and water slides and I was beat up, banged up, and literally the first day that I got back to town after they were gone, I was in the chiropractor's office, but had love
Nickey (18:25):
For love, love of family
Terry (18:27):
Love. Yeah, you wouldn't [00:18:30] do it for anybody else, but yeah, we had a great, great time with them. But yeah, my body paid the price. Nikki, we have a special guest today I had a chance to interview and we're going to get to that in just a second. It's Matt SIUs from the Government Affairs Office with the National Automatic Merchandising Association. You got to go to the fly in, that was just last week in Washington DC with nama. [00:19:00] What was your take on that? The
Nickey (19:03):
Attendance was a little better than I thought. It was over a hundred people this time, close to 150 people, which was great to see. There was a lot going on. Of course you plant these things way in advance, but on the Wednesday of when we were going on the hill, the Israeli PYA was there, so there was a lot of protests in the city and everything, but we got through it had to change some of the calls to Zoom, but people were [00:19:30] receptive and also made a great connection with the SBA who came and spoke to us. The person who's their congressional delegate to Congress from the SBA was there and spent a half hour talking with her about some of the things that were going on. So it was just great to network and we play a major role with NAMA now and they even planning next year's coffee, tea and water, and they asked me what blast was next year because they didn't want to have the data around the same [00:20:00] time because they know the crowds that we get and the professionalism that we have now and the relationships that we've built.
(20:09):
So it was really good to be there and network and see a lot of people and do more operators. There was good and all the response was good from the Hill too. So very excited about that. And Matt, I can tell you I've been a breath of fresh air since we lost Eric Bell and he's been [00:20:30] outstanding. If you know him, he came to Innovation Blast last year in Florida and he'll be in Nashville this year in November, and we want to thank him for doing this podcast and for all the work that him and his staff are doing up on the hill for blind vendors and blind entrepreneurs.
Terry (20:45):
Let's just get to the interview now. This is Matt SIUs, government Affairs Office of the National Automatic Merchandising Association. Hey Matt, welcome to our podcast.
Matt (20:56):
Hey Terry, thank you so much for having me on today.
Terry (20:58):
Looking forward to talking with [00:21:00] you. This is Matt SIUs with the National Automatic Merchandising Association as we like to call nama. Matt, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into this business and exactly what your role is with nama.
Matt (21:14):
Absolutely. So as Terry you said, I'm Matt SIUs. I'm the Vice President of External Affairs here at nama. That means I'm work on government relations and I handle both our state and federal portfolios along with the rest of my government affairs [00:21:30] colleagues here at nama. It's a very fancy way of saying we are lobbyists on behalf of the industry. So for my background and how I got to where I am today, I came up through politics and policy. I spent about a decade on Capitol Hill working for a member of Congress, Congressman Jimson Brenner of Wisconsin. I worked in various legislative capacities for him ultimately being his final chief of staff for his final three and a half years in office before he retired [00:22:00] at the end of 2020. Sprinkled in my career as well, I've spent times as a lobbyist at other trade associations including the National Propane Gas Association and most recently the American Cleaning Institute. So I have a very good understanding and knowledge base of both sides of the advocacy relationship as a legislative staffer and on Capitol Hill and as a lobbyist. I think that has really empowered us at NAMA [00:22:30] to move forward and do good things that I know we're going to talk about here in a little bit, but it's been a lot of fun. I started at NAMA a little bit over a year ago, and so I feel like I'm much more comfortable with the vernacular, the people, and generally the vibe that is convenient services.
Terry (22:52):
I can't imagine us having a listener out there that doesn't really know what NAMA is, but in case we do, can you just sort of tell us what you're all about?
Matt (22:59):
Of [00:23:00] course. And Terry, you're doing the right thing because it's always important to level set with the listener. Start the story at the beginning, not assume that everybody knows what I'm talking about and if I'm ever getting caught running through acronyms because that's what government folks are want to do, please stop me, have me reset, have me break it down what I'm talking about. So NAMA is the National Trade Association for the convenience services industry, vending micro [00:23:30] markets office, coffee and Pantry, the machine manufacturers, the payments providers, everything in the value chain. That's who we're representing as an industry. We are nearly 35 billion in economic impact, right? There's 160,000 employees in the convenient services ecosystem. And so what NAMA does is we provide, I would say three really important values [00:24:00] for our members in the industry, and that's advocacy, education and research. Advocacy is obviously where me and my team get involved, and that's the lobbying side where we're doing two functions. We are playing defense, combating against harmful regulations, stirring up our guys against bills that may impact their businesses negatively. And we're also playing offense. We're [00:24:30] trying to find paths forward that help operators that help manufacturers have a prosperous business environment. So not necessarily someone's trying to harm us, but we're trying to find allies that are willing to help us.
Terry (24:43):
That's awesome. Obviously over the last few years there's been a really strong partnership that has developed between the blind merchants, particularly the National Association of Blind Merchants and nama, of course, Nikki Gecos. Nikki [00:25:00] Gecos is the president of NABM and he's also on the board of nama. I'd like your take on why that relationship is important. I could give you, I think it's important, but I want to hear why you think the relationship between our little segment of the convenience service industry is important to NAMA and the overall industry.
Matt (25:26):
And it's a great question. It's almost self-evident at times. [00:25:30] You mentioned Nikki who serves in leadership roles with both entities. I think he highlights that we do have a lot of shared members, and so right as nama, we're always looking to work on behalf of our members and they might be the same members that you have. Terry. I think the other thing here is as an industry and as an association, we've really seen the value of the Randolph Shepherd Act and how it has empowered blind entrepreneurs [00:26:00] over the years. And so we as an industry know that that creates a degree of value and a degree of advantage for blind merchants. And we know that that helps the overall ecosystem. And so the stronger the relationship between our two organizations is the better off everyone's going to be. We know that we're all fighting towards the same goal and that's a prosperous, convenient services industry. And so whether that's the folks [00:26:30] at NABM or the folks at nama, we know that our success is very closely linked.
Terry (26:36):
I think sometimes when we get focused on National Association of Bond Merchants and National Automatic Merchandising Association, I think I've seen some of the greatest benefit to the partnership is what happens on the state level. Because when there's a state issue that comes up, in most cases, it affects all of us the same, whether we're blind vendors or whether you're a [00:27:00] private vending company out there. And when issues come up in the state legislature, I've seen that call to action time after time after time where our members unite with your state folks and really make a difference in the state legislatures and as you said, protect against bad laws or help promote good laws. And I think that's something that we sometimes overlook a little bit because involved with you guys [00:27:30] nationally for the most part, but I see a lot of benefit on the state level.
Matt (27:34):
Yeah, Terry, and I'll echo what you're saying, right? As I said at the beginning, my background has been at the federal level, and so that's often where I jump to just instinctively or naturally. But you are absolutely right. We do a lot of work at the state level and we have a great team here at NAMA that is spearheading that work. And the political kind of gridlock or log jam [00:28:00] of federal politics of national policy has really opened the door for more at the state level. And that's why we need to continue to be active and frankly be more active and more collaborative because the states, they can whip up regulations much faster than they do at the federal level. And so we have to be mindful of that, and we do a lot of good work in terms of grassroots efforts and things of that nature. But yes, [00:28:30] I think that we can and will continue to find ways to work together on those issues.
Terry (28:35):
We really appreciate the support of NAMA when we have conferences. You guys are there. We do virtual trainings. You guys participate when we do podcasts like this. You participate and you will be at Blast in Nashville, Tennessee, November 19th through the 22nd, is that right?
Matt (28:56):
That's right. I came down to y'all's [00:29:00] conference in Orlando and I did such a good job that you invited me to come back. That's right. I'm really looking forward to it. Really looking forward to connecting with you guys in Nashville, and I think it's going to be a really great program that you have there
Terry (29:13):
That will be two weeks after the election. And when you speak, you can tell us how you knew all along who was going to win. How's that?
Matt (29:21):
That's right. That's right. I've got the name written down and locked in a sealed envelope in my office, and I'll bring that down and open it up on stage for you guys.
Terry (29:30):
[00:29:30] That sounds good. So you guys just finished this week, you're flying, you guys do an annual flying and usually I'm there and participate, but this year I had a conflict. I had to be in Arizona, which ended up getting Delta flights got canceled with all that outage stuff that happened. So I ended up not going to either one. You guys had some excitement up there and they say life, everything in life is timing. And you guys had a little bad luck in timing with the Prime Minister [00:30:00] of Israel showing up on the day that you're on the hill, right?
Matt (30:04):
Bad luck isn't the eye of the beholder. It was just a wrinkle that if anything, Terry showcased the flexibility and adaptability of this industry. You are correct. We had our fly in this week. It was Nala's 10th annual Washington DC Advocacy Summit and Fly-in two day event where on Tuesday we [00:30:30] had a series of panel discussions that were talking about various issues affecting the convenience services industry. We had some guest speakers. Our keynote address at dinner was Jim Vande, hey, who is the founder of Axios and formerly the founder of Politico who had a lot to talk about in regards to the election and Trump and what happened with Biden and now Harris. And so our guys were very amped, which was great because on Wednesday, [00:31:00] as you highlighted, prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel was giving a joint address to Congress in the middle of our fly-in.
(31:09):
And so we planned this months in advance. We picked our dates in November of last year, and about a month ago when it was announced that Netanyahu was coming, we said, well, that's not ideal for us. That's the exact date we're going to be there. But as we rolled into it, Capitol [00:31:30] Police increased the security presence. There were some scheduled demonstrators and protesters, but our guys, they pulled through, they persevered. We had over a hundred meetings that ended up taking place. Several of them had to end up becoming virtual just by the nature of the security situation at the Capitol. But our members were so adept at rolling with the punches and staying dynamic and fluid with the logistics that we're changing sometimes [00:32:00] by the minute. And we ended up having a very successful event. I think our members walked away feeling pretty satisfied and pretty happy with the events. And ultimately it's one for the books. I doubt we'll do another one that's going to coincide with such a high profile guest speaker. And so I'm glad we were able to check that one off our bingo card.
Terry (32:22):
Well, I'm sorry I wasn't with you. And having been in this industry as long as I have, I'm not a bit surprised at the way [00:32:30] the people there adapted and responded accordingly. So really pleased with that. I know you guys had what issues you were talking to members of Congress about.
Matt (32:41):
Yeah, that's right. So we were pushing for three legislative priorities, federal priorities during our visit this year,
Terry (32:50):
Just high level. And then I want you to highlight maybe one or two of them, but high level just 1, 2, 3. What were those issues?
Matt (32:59):
Yeah, [00:33:00] so our top one, and this has been an ongoing one for nama, is supporting SNAP acceptance within the convenience services industry. Another one was delaying or repealing the Corporate Transparency Act. And then our final one is discussing the importance of extending business tax provisions in the upcoming tax policy fight as some of these provisions have either already expired or largely are due to expire in the coming year.
Terry (33:30):
[00:33:30] So regards, and those are three issues that all those affect our members obviously. And you've been working on the SNAP and for the UO folks that have been around, that's the old food stamps program. How's that going? I mean, you're basically trying to get to where our vendors can accept the SNAP benefit cards or whatever. Is that correct?
Matt (33:57):
That's right. So the law [00:34:00] doesn't explicitly state we can accept it, but it also doesn't state we cannot accept it. And so that almost ambiguity means that USDA, they need a little help from Congress, they need a little bit of pressure from Congress to say, go forth and work with these folks on becoming approved SNAP retailers. And so that's exactly what we were asking for Congress this week is Congressman Barry Moore of Alabama is leading a letter [00:34:30] to the USDA saying convenience services can provide a lot of flexibility, can provide a lot of convenience, can provide nutritious options to snap beneficiaries, and we want you USDA to be a working partner with them. And so our members were up trying to drive additional co-signers to that. The letter's still open. And so we have our guys doing follow-up work. We are reaching out to offices that they met [00:35:00] with. We've launched one of our grassroots initiatives for folks that couldn't attend the fly in to send a letter up to their congressman saying, join Barry Moore's efforts support convenience services in SNAP
Terry (35:14):
And on the Corporate Transparency Act. Are you getting a sense that's something that definitely affects our people, and I think a lot of our guys are probably going to wait till end of December. I think that's the deadline for filing the report this year. [00:35:30] What kind of sense are you getting in terms of our chances of getting that repealed?
Matt (35:34):
Yeah, Terry, I think the problem is we find a lot of people don't even know that this exists, that they have obligations under the Corporate Transparency Act to file their businesses with the Treasury Department. And so I think that momentum will continue to build as the year progresses and members of Congress here [00:36:00] from groups like nama that their members need more time. And so our members are very, again, flexible is I think a key word here. And we were talking about delay or repeal. I think when this law was passed, it was done so in a good faith effort to combat money laundering and elicit trade. But the devil's always in the details as they [00:36:30] say, and we're finding is that it's coming at the expense of small business and small businesses who are just going about doing the right thing are going to run afoul of the law because of inadvertent action.
(36:46):
And so we were pushing for that. In fact, one of the things that was a little bit fortuitous is while our members were up talking, we learned that Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and Senator James Langford of [00:37:00] Oklahoma were filing an amendment to the defense authorization bill to delay the CTA for a year. And so we said, this is perfect. Our guys are up here advocating for it. We want to support your guys' amendment. And we joined actually a large coalition of folks supporting the Scott Langford amendment to the defense authorization bill. And so you have bills that have been introduced, you have amendments that are moving. I think members of Congress are continuing to hear, learn, and respond to the needs of the business [00:37:30] community.
Terry (37:30):
Yeah, you talk about how people don't know. I think despite our very best efforts, we have really canvassed the vendor community letting them know that this was out there. And I know that still a lot of them don't really know that the requirement is out there. And then on top of that, they seem to get a lot of bad information about what it really is required. And it's really important to [00:38:00] be on top of that. And I think that in itself, all the misunderstanding, it's justification for at least delaying it for a year and then give folks to either adjust to it or to repeal it completely. But appreciate you guys being up there and you certainly have our support to make that thing go away or at least slow it down. Now, the third issue you talked about, I'm not as familiar with. Can you give us a little bit more detail on that one?
Matt (38:29):
Yeah, [00:38:30] so nothing is permanent, at least in federal policy. And so the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the big Trump tax bill had sunset provisions for some of the things, whether it was the marginal tax rates that passed through entities pay the estate tax levels, section 1 99, a qualified business deduction. [00:39:00] Another thing we heard a lot about is bonus depreciation, the r and d tax credit. These are things that companies and businesses within the convenience services industry throughout the value chain, right, from operators, up to machine manufacturers, payment providers, everyone have taken advantage of and have planned their businesses around. Well, 2025 is the year when a lot of these things are expiring. And so we know that Congress [00:39:30] is going to hear a lot about this in the coming 18 months, and we want to make sure that they recognize our industry convenient services as a part of that discussion, right? They're going to hear plenty from a lot of businesses, but we wanted to get a jumpstart on making sure they're aware of how important extending these provisions are to our industry and that we want to be a part of the conversation as they're debating their extension next year.
Terry (40:00):
[00:40:00] Well, I'm obviously aware of the 2017 tax cuts and that they were expiring, and I guess I didn't make the connection that that was exactly what you were referring to. Yeah, no,
Matt (40:11):
It's also one of these things, right, Terry, you're right to not necessarily have your head in that place because we're thinking about so many things, something that's expiring 18 months from now. Well, is that really where we already have to be looking? But sure enough, that's what we got to start doing.
Terry (40:27):
Definitely. You have to be looking down the road [00:40:30] and we appreciate your work on that. Matt, I'm going to let you get away, but I'm going to ask you one last question before we do. You're up there in DC and you're advocating for the industry. Obviously Namo wants a strong convenient service industry. How do you feel about where we are and how do you feel about the future of the industry as a whole?
Matt (40:57):
Terry, I've been with this industry [00:41:00] for a little bit over a year, as I said earlier, and I'm excited being at the NAMA show in Dallas, walking the trade show floor, saw a lot of excitement, saw a lot of innovation, where the industry is going, where the technology is going. You walk around imagination way on the NAMA show floor, and there's a lot of cool stuff happening in the future. And so my job as a lobbyist, as government affairs is [00:41:30] drawing the connection about the cool things we can do with the needs that government has to do to address society's problem, right? So this is exactly what we're talking about when we're talking about snap acceptance. SNAP has inefficiencies. It has, people aren't able to use their benefits as easily as we think they should be able to. Well guess what? This industry can meet that need. And I really think that that's because of the entrepreneurial spirit of this industry. That's what this industry has done [00:42:00] time and time again. It's how it started. It's meeting the needs of people. It's identifying the need and meeting it. And that is just such an exciting place for us to be in the convenience services industry.
Terry (42:14):
Matt, we appreciate you being with us and we're really thankful that we've got you in Washington trying to help advocate for all of us. All of our listeners out there strongly encourage you to get involved with NAMA on the national level, but also to get involved [00:42:30] with the state affiliate. And because what affects them affects us and what affects us affects them, it is not really us and them. We're all part of the same industry and strongly encourage our folks to get involved. And again, Matt, thank you and we appreciate your support.
Matt (42:49):
Terry, thank you so much for having me. If anybody needs to get in touch with us, nama now.org and we can take it from there.
Terry (42:58):
Awesome. Nikki, I really enjoyed talking [00:43:00] to Matt. He does a good job in that environment, put a microphone in front of him and he can really communicate. And that was fun. And I think the important thing to point out here is that the role that the blind vendors now pay play in the convenience industry and play in NAMA cannot be overstated these days. And the fact that you are on the board of [00:43:30] NAMA speaks volumes in terms of the respect that our community has with that organization. So I know you're not going to disagree with that, but what are your thoughts about the role that we're now playing role in the industry overall and with nama?
Nickey (43:47):
Yeah, and Max Dote, one of our board members was there from California and he plays a major role and has a great relationship with Representative Aguilar for years. [00:44:00] I've been telling since I've been on the board, get involved with your local nama, get involved with your local legislation. Everything's local in politics, and we are respected. And if you remember Terry years ago, we were the hated ones taking locations like rest areas and post office and those that have become our sponsors now and stuff, we've really built a great relationship. They respect us, we respect them, we're partners, and [00:44:30] it's come a long and it's only getting better. So again, I want to thank Matt and Carla and the whole team at nma, and we'll be seeing them next year when we do a little blast right before the NMA show in Las Vegas, May 7th through the
Terry (44:45):
Ninth. And I do remember those days, Nikki, when we were the hated ones and private sector vendors hated us. We weren't very well thought of by nama. And that is turned around and we work well with [00:45:00] the private sector and NAMA realizes the value. And when you go to the trade show, all the purveyors, they want to see our guys there. And so we've come a long, long way. And the fact that their issues are our issues and our issues are their issues in most cases. And it's really great to be able to team up and work together when those issues do come up.
Nickey (45:22):
Well, Terry, start prepping your football picks and everybody else.
Terry (45:26):
That's right. Getting 'em ready, Nikki. And [00:45:30] we're four weeks away. I have a lot of research to do, but I'm going to give you a surefire winner come September 1st, so we will see you in September.
Nickey (45:43):
Alright, see you in September everybody. Thank you everyone.
Terry (45:45):
Thank you. And thank you Josh for the job you always do and we will see you later. Guys,
Sponsor info (45:50):
The we are Randolph Shepherd podcast. Would like to thank our sponsor, sponsor areand, the National Association of Line Merchants Coca-Cola. We are [00:46:00] Blackstone Southern Food Service, Siteline Wealth Management, Sodexo Tyler Technologies, F-S-I-G-R-S-A Management group. You selected Cantaloupe, Keurig, Dr. Pepper.
Terry (46:19):
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. [00:46:30] 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.