This episode focuses on news related to Randolph Sheppard from across the country. You will hear all the latest happenings.
Intro music (00:00:00):
Intro music words (00:00:16):
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.
Nicky Gacos (00:00:26):
Welcome to year three, episode four [00:00:30] of We Are Rand Shepherd, and of course, we have to start every week by thanking our, our sponsors, the National Associated Buying Merchants, Coca-Cola, Blackstone Consulting, Southern Food Service, bright Line Wealth Management, Sodexo Tyler Technologies, RSA Management Group. You selected Cantaloupe and our newest sponsor, FSIG. [00:01:00] Before we get started, there's a big question I have, and it's not, did Bill Finley stop talking
Terry Smith (00:01:12):
Nicky Gacos (00:02:33):
Uh, well, I, I have to admit, I, I, I did see one movie, but you're gonna have to explain to me how Bill Eilish gets all these awards. I just don't understand
Terry Smith (00:02:48):
Well, I don't know what I, I can't explain what I don't understand. She's, she's very talented, though. I'll give her that. Okay. I'll give her that. Yeah.
Nicky Gacos (00:02:55):
Oh, yeah, I'll say that. But it just, I said, well, can I go to a and Be Bill [00:03:00] Oish to win this, this
Terry Smith (00:03:03):
You, you, you laugh about FanDuel. But, um, you know, when I was making my predictions, I was looking at the Las Vegas odds on who was gonna win. I mean, you could bet on anything and everything. And so they had all the odds laid out on every category. So maybe that, maybe rather than having an Oscar party, I just ought to put $10 down on each category next year,
Nicky Gacos (00:04:16):
That's right. And so we're excited about that. And, um, when, when this call, it will be close to the end when this call lands in April. And, um, next May when we do our next podcast, we'll find out where we stood.
Terry Smith (00:04:30):
[00:04:30] Yeah. In full disclosure, we are recording this. I was saying, in full disclosure, we're recording this, uh, the day the Sweet 16 starts. So we don't really know how the Sweet Sixteen's gonna work out, and who's gonna be in the Final Four. But, uh, as, as of, uh, the day the tournament is getting started, we're still alive
Nicky Gacos (00:04:52):
Whole lot. That's, that's what matters.
Terry Smith (00:04:54):
Well, I know everybody hangs on all of our picks, and we're, you know, I, I, I know people anxiously [00:05:00] await our picks every year. Um, so now baseball season is underway. It's time for you to pick who's gonna be in the World Series.
Nicky Gacos (00:05:09):
Okay, well, let me first say about baseball. I wanna say that if Pete Rose had an interpreter, he'd be in the Hall of Fame.
Terry Smith (00:06:28):
Oh, man. Well, [00:06:30] um, I thought we had agreed there'd be no drinking before our podcast. Um, but apparently you have been drinking to pick the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets. I mean, um, yeah, I'm, I'm a Cardinals fan. Uh, and, you know, I'm not so blindly loyal that I'm gonna go with the Cardinals. Uh, I don't think the Dodgers are gonna be there. I, you know, they, they, they've, um, dominated regular season three years in a row and haven't, haven't made it. I don't think they'll be there again this year. And I'll, [00:07:00] that will make me very happy. Although I'm a big Mooky Bets fan, but I don't like the Dodgers. Um, so I'm gonna pick, coming outta the National League, the second best team, uh, the Atlanta Braves, and I think they will play, um, and this isn't going out on the limb, but they will play the Houston Astros, uh, in the World Series, and the Braves will get 'em for the championship. So I'm going to Atlanta Braves, and, um, you're going New York Mets, [00:07:30] and, um, it'll be so long. It's a such a long season. Nobody will ever remember these picks. And we can just say, we got it right. No matter who wins.
Nicky Gacos (00:07:39):
We got it. Right.
Terry Smith (00:07:44):
So, Nikki, um, we always do our what's up section? So when you get the, just sort of tell us what's on your mind. Uh, so tell me what's up.
Nicky Gacos (00:07:53):
Well, you know, Terry, it's spring, um, coming up, and, um, which is a great time of year. I always, [00:08:00] you know, it's nice that the weather turns and the clock got put ahead and, uh, the Masters is coming up. And, you know, I, I enjoy watching that just as much as almost anything. And of course, the start of baseball. Um, but also that the schedule's starting to fill up. We're starting to make some progress in some things, which people will hear on the blitz. So, um, and I, and I, and I don't wanna say this too, you know, one of my goals as you, as you know, is to make sure we have one organization of the Blind for Randolph [00:08:30] Shepherd. Um, but we, we, we have, we need one. I've wanted one for a long time. It's my goal to make one. And let me also, um, to bring that point up, I want to thank the state of Florida for, uh, putting together our, helping us with our conference down in Florida for Innovation 24.
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They came out and droves and supported it, and were there staff and vendors, and what the committee chair didn't do in Florida. I wanted to thank all the blind vendors of Florida [00:09:00] for coming and being there, um, and being part of that, um, bill Finley and his staff, um, and the blind vendors, uh, Kurt and Vice Chair, and everyone, just thank you so much for doing that. It gets us excited when we put something together and we get such a nice turnout, and it keeps me going for a while. You know, it's, it's hard to believe that a year ago I said, this is my last podcast making an April Fools joke. And here we are, a year later on April Fools. But [00:09:30] I really hope that people realize what we're doing when they hear this blitz. And I hope that they can think of, um, making that effort happen to come together and, and work together. Um, and that we can make these dreams come true as far as getting money. And, and you'll hear about all of that in the Blitz. So that stuff with me, Terry Spring, and let's bring into a new relationships and new partnerships and spring into a better 24. And Innovation 24 [00:10:00] will turn into, um, when we have blast in, in Nashville. And then, uh, looking to, uh, jive in 25. So what's up with you, Terry?
Terry Smith (00:10:10):
Well, um, first of all, I was prepared for your April Fools joke this year. So you, so, so now that, now that you've let the cat outta the bag, I, there's not gonna be one, hopefully. So, uh,
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And they have a big midway. They have three different carnivals that come together. It's so big, uh, and, um, um, and, and, and then they have the, you know, great food. And then they have the rodeo, and then they close it out at, you know, at night with a concert. And, you know, it is really a, a, a, a good time. Um, you know, the concert was the Jonas Brothers, which isn't very, doesn't sound like a rodeo, but they set a record. They had 72,000 people, uh, in the stadium [00:11:30] to, to see the Jonas Brothers. And we didn't stay for the whole concert, but, um, uh, we stayed 'cause we had the kids with us. Uh, but it was, uh, you know, it, it was, it was a good concert. And, uh, but my favorite part have, have you ever been to a rodeo? I have, heck, I have been have, have you seen the mutton busting where they put the four and 5-year-old kids on the back of those sheep, and they sheep take off running?
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I mean, it's like, it's like, uh, Bron and, uh, horses for, for kids. And it is the funniest thing. [00:12:00] And they put those four and five, 6-year-old kids on the back of these sheep, and they just take off. I mean, they're going fast, and the kids are trying to hang on, and, you know, half of 'em fall off, and some of them are crying. And, um, so they, so, and then they, they crown the champion and the little 6-year-old boy, and they said, what are you gonna do when you grow up? And his aunt, he said, nothing,
Nicky Gacos (00:12:52):
I'll say, go ahead. I'll tell you my rodeo story real quick. Um, you know, everybody knows, and you know, Terry, I lived in Colorado and we had restaurants [00:13:00] out there, and the majority of our customers were Texans. You know, we actually had, uh, t-shirts made up. It said that God had met Texans to ski. He would've moved, uh, Dallas between Fort Worth and Vail. I mean, he would've moved Vail between Fort Worth and Dallas. And of course, then the other one was, if God had met Texans to ski, he would've made bullshit White. But, um, those were our things. But we had a lot of T customers. And, um, you know, we had this customer that came in all the time, and he, we had a good relationship with him. And he said, [00:13:30] yeah, but you gotta come to Houston. I want to take you to the rodeo.
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I got a box. I got this. And, and you know, you, and like I said, um, they were talkers. They're big talkers and stuff. And they said, well, we're gonna take you up on that. We're gonna come down, we're gonna come down, okay, you gotta come down. I'm gonna take care of everything. Don't you worry about everything? I got all the money in the world. Don't you worry about anything. So we went down, and I gotta tell you, he had a suite in, in the old Houston Astrodome. And like you said, there were concerts going on all day with, [00:14:00] uh, Mickey Tillis singing Coca-Cola Cowboy, and all these song. And I never had such a good time in my life. It was a party, it was fun. It was one of the best things I ever did. Not only seeing the rodeo, but I remember the, the stock show, seeing the bulls and the prize bulls and the Texas Longhorns. I mean, they were like, I, I, I, I thought they were fake, but they were real, you know, they were so shiny and so everything. So I actually went to one, it wasn't Houston, it was at the Houston House film years ago, [00:14:30] and it was a lot of fun. And, um, I, I enjoyed it. I don't know, you know, I go back, but I did it once, and I really enjoyed it,
Terry Smith (00:14:37):
That that did it. Boy, from Jersey enjoying the Houston rodeo. But you see, I see, I forgot the Colorado connection. I should have realized being in Colorado that you would've been exposed to, to the rodeo out there. And, uh, uh, yeah, it, it, uh, uh, we, we had a good time. But, uh, uh, Nikki, before I know you're gonna,
Nicky Gacos (00:14:56):
Any of your grandkids get on those, any of your grandkids get on those sheep
Terry Smith (00:15:00):
[00:15:00] No, no, no, no, no, no.
Nicky Gacos (00:16:03):
Yeah. He was a good guy. And you, you know, he was honest. He was straight up and honest, and I liked that one in person too. So I, God, you know, God bless. Um,
Terry Smith (00:16:11):
And he's the one that got us the funding. You know, we did the national conference in 2010, and, you know, he, he, he's the one that got us the funding for that. He's the one that got us the funding for the 2012 training we did on DOD. Uh, he's the one that put the work group together to create standards for, uh, state licensing agencies [00:16:30] that, you know, people probably don't realize that we developed performance standards for the state licensing agencies. Um, and then they never were implemented because RSA said they didn't have the authority and the law to do that. Uh, but, um, so that was, uh, you know, gonna miss Tom. And then another one from RSA that we lost was Joe Cordova. Um, Joe was with, with, with RSA for a number of years. I think he was the director in Oklahoma and in Hawaii. Uh, another good guy,
Nicky Gacos (00:16:59):
Another great guy. [00:17:00] Lot of respect for Joe. And I think Joe is responsible for helping with the active participation.
Terry Smith (00:17:06):
Well, he put together, you know, he's the one who headed up the task force somewhere around 2001, 2002, they put together a task force to develop a tack on active participation. And, um, um, you know, that we, I was on that, on, on that work group. And, uh, you know, it never saw the light of day because it went too far in terms of, uh, you know, authority. [00:17:30] It gave the vendors. Um, but, you know, it just shows a difference in time when, you know, they were wanting to put together a attack. They did a task force, they got all the, you know, input from the, from the stakeholders. Uh, you know, and you compare that to today when you know that they tell you, we can't tell you what we're working on. And, you know, just a totally different, uh, philosophy, you know, and, and that, that's not, that's not a, um, that's not a shot at RSA, uh, today, but it's just sort of the different times and the way, the way, the way things operate. [00:18:00] There a lot more transparency, uh, back then, and a lot more of a partnership than, uh, than you seen Now.
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I wanna also
Nicky Gacos (00:18:09):
Quiet and loved his pop, loved his pop peppers, loved his hot peppers. Yeah.
Terry Smith (00:18:15):
I also want to, uh, uh, ask folks. Uh, I, I, I know many of, many of our listeners remember Ray Dennis, who was the, uh, BEP director in Alabama for many, many years, and, you know, just a really good guy, uh, [00:18:30] retired a few years back. Um, and, you know, he's having some tough times. He, he, he recently lost his wife under some tragic circumstances, um, and is dealing with a lot of difficult issues right now. And so I would just ask that, um, you know, those of you who knew him, if you don't, didn't know him, you know, say a prayer or send positive thoughts, whatever it is that you feel good about doing. And, uh, keep Ray Dennis, uh, in, in, in your, in your thoughts and prayers. So, um, [00:19:00] all right, Nikki, you got anything else? All
Nicky Gacos (00:19:02):
Right, Doug. Nope. I think you're gonna, um, tell 'em everything we've been doing and, um, over the last few months, and I think it's a lot. So I'll let you sit back and, and, and let the people hear what we, what we've been doing, and, um, look forward to being everybody soon, and talk to you next month. Thank you, everyone.
Terry Smith (00:19:21):
All right. Talk to you later. So, um, we're gonna jump right into the Blitz, as you know, every third episode of the We Are Randolph [00:19:30] Shepherd podcast features The Blitz, which is all the news. That is the news in Randolph Shepherd. And, uh, gonna gonna run through some things that, that, that's happening in, in, in the Randolph Shepherd, uh, field. Um, Nikki mentioned the Innovation conference that was such a success in, in, in Orlando. We are still getting positive feedback from that. Um, lots of follow up, uh, you know, from some of the speakers that were involved. And, um, uh, you're probably [00:20:00] gonna hear some of those guys on Future podcast, uh, when we, um, um, 'cause 'cause several of them have committed, and so you'll probably be hearing them, uh, on, on down the road. But that was a, a tremendous conference. And as Nikki says, the pressure is on for us to do something bigger and better in Nashville.
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We had mentioned the listening session that NABM did with the Office of Special Education Rehabilitation, and I don't think we really spent a lot of time telling you about it. Um, we had [00:20:30] that session back in February, and it was an all day listening session, and we brought in several of our, our, of our vendors, and we brought in, um, our teaming partners, and we brought in some of our state agency partners and, uh, had a chance to go in and, and, and talk with RSA about a number of issues that, uh, you know, are, are of concern, uh, to, to us. And then we follow that up with about five or six pages [00:21:00] of, of notes and, and suggestions and, and, and, and recommendations. And I thought it was a really good session. We got to meet the new commissioner, Dante Allen, uh, which was, which was good, and, you know, get to meet him in person and, you know, establish a relationship.
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And we've had some follow up with him. So that was, that, that was, that was a positive thing. We had a lot of conversation about, um, you know, issues and, you know, we, you, you know, you, you've heard us talk about the issue about the $1,000, [00:21:30] uh, threshold for making purchases and some of those stuff and how they treat inventory. And so we, we were able to provide a lot of input into those issues, and we were also able to talk about a lot of DOD issues. Uh, but the best part of it, and, and RSA will say, the best part of it was hearing from the vendors. We had several vendors there who were telling their stories. Melba Taylor, Jimmy Cunningham, Doris Jones, um, were, were there. Brenda Beatty was there, uh, Michael Coburn, ed Birmingham. [00:22:00] Uh, hearing, hearing them tell their stories, I think probably had a greater impact than any of the things that we were saying in terms of policy issues.
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Uh, some, some policy things or legislative things that are sort of, uh, you know, out there sort of simmering as far as what we are try to do. Uh, the National Federation of the Blind, we are working with NFB on some, some legislative matters that we hope that, uh, [00:22:30] uh, can make be advanced this year. Uh, one, we, we are, we are going back again and asking for the innovation dollars, uh, that can be given to states, um, and asking for, uh, money that would be, you know, given to states based on, uh, the number of vendors they have so that they can do some innovative projects. So, uh, we're, we're revisiting, re revisiting that. Uh, we've had some conversations about the idea of a [00:23:00] tax credit for private companies that will allow blind vendors to operate in, uh, their facilities. So, um, we've, we've had one meeting and one call in regard to that.
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And the other thing is we're talking, uh, to the small business committee and, and, and to the small business administration about this issue of how Randolph Shepherd contracts are treated. They're treated as if they were the same as giving it to [00:23:30] a large major corporation. Uh, and, and the contract officers are actually penalized because they have a quota, and they have to give so much of their, some of their contracts have to go to small businesses. And since we don't count as a small business, they sort of get dinged on their performance because they're not able to meet their quotas. So, uh, um, we are trying to see what we can do to fix that ability. One, you know, they enjoy a little different, uh, situation there, [00:24:00] where, where it doesn't ding them, it doesn't even count, doesn't count for them, it doesn't count against the contracting officer, whereas we count against the contracting officer.
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So you just think about it, here I am a contracting officer, and I'm, I'm being judged and, and my performance rated based on me meeting this quota. And if I give it to Randolph Shepherd, I'm not gonna meet the quota. So what happens? I wanna do what I can not to get Randolph Shepherd the contract. So, uh, you know, that's one of the sources of conflict between us and DOD. So, um, we're, [00:24:30] we're, we're working on that. Uh, and it, that's a really difficult, uh, piece to try to try to figure out. But we are, we, we, you know, working through the National Federation of the Blinds, um, uh, legislative offices to, to have some conversations about those things. We were active in some of the, the state meetings this, this past quarter. Um, I know that, uh, I was in, um, South Carolina for their, for their annual conference, and Nikki was in Virginia [00:25:00] at their annual conference.
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Uh, I presented to the Alaska folks, uh, virtually, uh, which was, uh, WW which was good. Um, been doing some training, um, on the, um, to, to, with committees of blind vendors and sort of like words getting around. But, uh, doing the, uh, it's, it's usually in most states, it's a two part, um, series where we do Randolph Shepherd 1 0 1 doing, this is a virtual training. We do Randolph Shepherd 1 0 1, which is a, you know, we try [00:25:30] to keep it under about 90 minutes. And then the second session is, is, is about being, it's about active participation and be, and being the committee that Congress envisioned and how to run effective meetings and, and, and those kinds of things. So, uh, most recently, we, you know, I did the training for the Massachusetts Committee of Blind Vendors, and, uh, we've done, uh, we've done the first session for, uh, the District of Columbia, uh, [00:26:00] uh, Randol Shepherd 1 0 1 part scheduled, uh, in April to do the Georgia Committee training.
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And Kansas has indicated that they are interested in that to, so, you know, if you are one of our subscription states and you would like to, um, you know, do something like this for your committee, then we can certainly try to, try to get it worked out, uh, just reach out to me or Nikki, um, and we can arrange that. Um, [00:26:30] a lot of, we sent out a lot of information about the Corporate Transparency Act, and, um, you know, I know, you know, we, we made it clear that, you know, this is a legal, uh, matter, and you need to seek legal advice. Uh, but, you know, it is pretty clear that if you are registered with your Secretary of State, uh, either as a LLC or C Corp, or whatever, whatever it is, um, then you have to register. Now, there have been some court challenges to [00:27:00] this, and, um, so in some states, the requirement, I think has, there, has been put on hold, but I'm not sure whether that's gonna be for everybody.
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I'm not clear, clear on that. But you need to keep, keep track on what's happening with the Corporate Transparency Act to see if in fact, you're gonna have to register your LLC or whatever it is. If you're just a sole proprietor and you're not registered with your Secretary of State, then you probably do not have to, uh, [00:27:30] to register. But the deadline for registering is December 31st, and, uh, we, you know, we will continue to provide information about that as it becomes available. But as of right now, uh, it looks like that, you know, most people are gonna be expected to do that. Uh, if you have an LLC, we mentioned the RSA and, uh, RSA, uh, you know, you recall they issued a few tax in the last couple of years, a technical assistance circulars, a [00:28:00] technical assistance Circular 2102. The one about federal unassigned vending is the one that most people can identify with and know, and, and know, know the best.
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Well, they're gonna be issuing three additional, uh, technical assistance circulars this year, uh, one each quarter, uh, in in 2024. So here, where this is being recorded on, uh, you know, in the very end of March, the, uh, 28th of March. So, [00:28:30] um, uh, it would not be surprising that if the time this actually hits the air on April 1st, that it has come out already, uh, if not, then it should be coming out in the next day or so after this is, is released, the first technical assistance circular will be on initial stock and supplies. We've expressed a lot of concerns about some of the interpretations on, on, on how initial stocks [00:29:00] and supplies are being treated, uh, that we spent a lot of time discussing it when we had our listening session with, uh, with RSA. And so we are hopeful that, uh, some of our, some of what we said was, was heard.
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Obviously, we're not gonna get everything we wanted out of that and don't expect to. But, uh, hopefully most of what we, we said was heard. And, and, and that will be reflected in the first tack that is issued. And then probably, uh, you know, in this, this, probably this summer, the second [00:29:30] tack will come out on acquisition and operation of vending facilities. And that's gonna talk about how you, what you can do with, with, uh, set aside and VR dollars and what funds you can use when opening a new facility and when renovating a facility, and, uh, you know, those sort of things. And as well as the, you know, the, the ongoing operation of facilities. So, um, I, I don't think that's, that's gonna be interesting because they could go a number of ways. [00:30:00] And, uh, again, we provided some input on this as well in terms of, you know, when, during the listening session and the, uh, final tack, which will probably be in the fall, um, maybe late summer, but probably fall, you're looking at one on management services and set aside fees.
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So, uh, you know, I, I think we have a pretty good handle on the set aside issue, but, uh, but that's what the last circular will be about. [00:30:30] So, so we'll see how that, uh, how all those turn out. Um, we will certainly be getting information out to everybody about the impact that these have on you and your operations and, and, and, and your, and, and your state program in general. So stay tuned for those. So new opportunities to report Congratulations to the state of Kansas. Uh, Kansas will be soon taking over, uh, the, um, uh, dining [00:31:00] contract at the Leavenworth Army, uh, prison, uh, in, in, uh, in, in Kansas. And so they are, they are teaming with, um, uh, Cico that, uh, they have a Randolph Shepherd contract in South Carolina. I think that's the only Randolph Shepherd contract they have. They had bid with Georgia back a few years ago on a multi-state Army hospital contract that they did not get.
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But, um, so, but C Rico and [00:31:30] the agency are, um, gonna be taking that over. I don't have a start date, but congratulations to Kansas. As soon as we heard about it, we got the information out there to them, encouraged them to, to apply for it, and, uh, I'm happy that they, that they pursued it the way they did. Also, happy, um, that, um, Southern Food Services is gonna be partnering with the, uh, district of Columbia, uh, for a new cafeteria contract at the Defense Intelligence [00:32:00] Agency. And so, um, you know, the, the DC program is, is really heavy into vending, and, uh, but this is gonna be something really good for them in terms of partnering, uh, with, with, uh, with Southern. Southern is one of our sponsors. So we're, we're happy for them. We're happy for, for the DC program that, that is, that is pursued this, this location.
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And I understand there's, there's another one now they are pursuing. We won't say where that is just yet, but, uh, there may be another opportunity [00:32:30] up there for them to get a cafeteria. So, so let's go get 'em. Um, some, a lot of things to report, as always on the Department of Defense. And, uh, I wanna start with an update on the lawsuit against aphis. Um, people are constantly asking me about this. It is, uh, it's a slow process, okay? So, um, you know, after they were, uh, after it was filed, um, there, they had 60 day there, there's a, the first, the first, uh, [00:33:00] time barrier was 60 days. I'm not gonna get into what all that meant, but, um, uh, the bottom line is, um, that after that 60 days, which will come up in April, then they have, you know, 21 days or whatever it is to respond and up, obviously asked for a motion to dismiss.
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So this is gonna, we're in, this is a long game. It's not a short game. This thing's not gonna be resolved anytime soon. Uh, in case you're not familiar with it, the National Association of Blind Merchants has filed a lawsuit [00:33:30] against the Army Air Force Exchange, uh, service claiming that it is interfering with the Randolph Shepherd Act on, uh, military basis. And so we're, we're gonna see where, where, where that goes. We think their manual is illegal. We think they do, they do not have any type of priority over a Randolph Shepherd, and that the military basis need to be coming to Randol Shepherd first and a second instead of the other way around. And interesting, just [00:34:00] not long after we filed the lawsuit, and they're not related. Okay? I'm not gonna take, we're, I don't think we need to try to take credit for it, but, um, I mean, they may be, they may be aware of it.
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So maybe there's more of a connection than I'm, than, than, than I'm realizing. But at Fort Greg Adams in Virginia, uh, really interesting development there, where finally we had a, a base commander and the attorneys on that base who actually looked at the law and told APHIS that you do [00:34:30] not have priority over Randolph Shepherd. Uh, and there, you know, there's a, um, real reaction from APHIS to that. Uh, the army is, is, is talking with the SLA about anywhere from six to 10 new micro markets and other operations on that army base, which is exactly what we are hoping that our lawsuit, uh, will, will result in. And so congratulations to, um, [00:35:00] to Virginia. And, uh, you know, it's not done yet, but, uh, you know, it's just so encouraging that we, you know, that we finally have a, a, a base commander and their attorneys who, who actually read the law and say, Nope, you don't have the priority, and it goes to Randolph Shepherd.
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So we're excited about that opportunity, uh, need to congratulate state of Colorado, Colorado, uh, seeing a trend here. We got, uh, you know, the third [00:35:30] new facility coming on board is, uh, the, uh, Evans Army Community Hospital. And the state Colorado will be partnering with FSIG and Steve Hickey will be the blind vendor. And so we're excited. That's gonna be a brand new opportunity that we've never had before. So we'll add that to, to our growing list. And, um, the same thing, we need to congratulate Virginia again, uh, because they were just awarded the Yorktown Coast Guard facility. And, uh, Doris Jones [00:36:00] is the blind vendor there. And, uh, Blackstone Consulting is the, um, um, is, is is the teaming partner. And what makes that one really interesting is that, you know, that is a dining facility attendant only contract. And so the Coast Guard, um, you know, recognized the priority and recognized that the bid submitted by the state of Virginia was, um, was fair and reasonable, and they awarded that [00:36:30] contract to the state of Virginia.
(00:36:33):
Uh, we're hoping for good news coming outta Utah at the Hill Air Force Base. Uh, the Utah had taken, taken hill to arbitration over that. Uh, it's now, it's not the SLA had that location years ago, lost it. It went to arbitration. They won in arbitration. And as a result of that, they are now in, in direct negotiations. Um, and to, to, for the agency to take that facility [00:37:00] back over, uh, the agency is partnering with FSIG, Willie Black, um, who is a board member for, um, NABM, will be the blind vendor out there running that. So we congratulate Willie for, uh, getting that facility and congratulate FSIG in the state of Utah for fighting a good fight. And hopefully, I think we're on the very, I think we're on the verge of getting that one back into the Randolph Shepherd family, which is, which is, which is great news, not so great news, uh, in [00:37:30] Florida at the Tyndall Air Force Base.
(00:37:32):
The, uh, that was another DFA contract. And, um, at first they did not include the priority, and then they sorta came back and, and, and included the priority, but ended up awarding the contract to the, uh, to, to, to another bidder. It didn't appear to even create a competitive range. They, a, they awarded it based on the lowest price, technically accepted. And, um, so [00:38:00] I don't, I don't know that anything, uh, I'm pretty sure nothing has been filed yet, but I suspect that one's going to end up in federal arbitration, and I think there is an excellent chance that the SLA will will win that, um, win win that arbitration. Um, we had the same issue, or in, at, at Stewart. Uh, they, they issued, uh, an RFP for a DFA contract, and they did not include the Randolph Shepherd priority, which is shocking considering [00:38:30] they had lost an arbitration the last time around, uh, on this issue.
(00:38:35):
And, uh, the court or the arbitration panel ruled that the priority did apply. And then when they rebid it, they still don't include the Randolph Shepherd priority. And, uh, at this point, uh, no litigation has been filed to my knowledge, but, um, stay tuned. Hopefully that one will be going to arbitration as well. We've had a lot of conversations on, on, on this podcast and outside about the 10 vendors [00:39:00] at Fort Jackson. Um, you know, that that project is moving forward. They're partnering with BCI, you know, the SLA is the incumbent there, and, uh, they were supposed to take over on April the first, the 10 vendors were, and, um, taking over for the two vendors that were there previously. So they're going from two to 10 as we go to press with this thing. I can't say for certain that it's gonna happen April [00:39:30] the first, but it is happening very, very soon.
(00:39:33):
Um, I think there's just some dotting the i's and crossing the T's and getting some contracts signed and that kind of thing. So we are very, very close. And I would be shocked if, um, when we do this podcast next month, that that's not, uh, not done. Uh, a lo very disappointed, uh, that, uh, you know, last month we reported about Wisconsin not going after McCoy Air Force Base, and, uh, we lost [00:40:00] an opportunity there. Um, I'm hearing now that, uh, the state of Arkansas did not go after the Little Rock Air Force base, so we missed out on another opportunity there. And that's just unfortunate when we have SLAs that, uh, just do not go after these, these locations. So, uh, you know, that's something we have to fix. And so that, uh, you know, we can keep these in the Randolph Shepherd, uh, family.
(00:40:23):
Uh, Fort Chuca in Arizona, we're an arbitration. I say we, the state of Arizona, um, [00:40:30] they were disqualified. Their bid was disqualified on technical reasons, and, uh, uh, you know, they were actually had too few staff, the, or they claim, which they, uh, you know, they'd been operating the SLAs, been operating it for years, so they should know how many staff it takes. But the, uh, uh, the Army said they did not have the have enough staff, and so they, they, they, they basically disqualified 'em. And that's an oversimplification of the issue, and I understand that. [00:41:00] Um, but, um, but anyway, um, the arbitration was held, um, just in the last week. And, uh, so it'll probably be a couple more months before we know that's a, you know, that's a good size contract. Scott Weber is the blind vendor there. He operates it without a teaming partner.
(00:41:20):
And so, uh, uh, we got our fingers crossed that, uh, they're gonna prevail and keep that one in the Randolph Shepherd community. I know that, um, [00:41:30] Andy Freeman and Brown Ghosting and Levy are representing the state in that one. And, um, so I think that, uh, speaks well for their, their chances. We're still waiting to hear on the big ones, you know, still waiting to hear on Fort Moore in Georgia, and Fort Sill in Oklahoma, Fort Moore in Georgia. Uh, the state agency is the incumbent that's, uh, with, uh, Blackstone Consulting, and Bob Matus and Wayne Dye are, are the two blind vendors on that contract. Fort Sill used to be Randolph [00:42:00] Shepherd, and, you know, that's in Oklahoma. Oklahoma lost it, and now they are partnering with Southern Food Services and, uh, trying to get that back into the Randolph Shepherd family. And, uh, so we're still waiting to hear.
(00:42:15):
We should have heard, uh, you know, that's one of those things where you could hear just about any day now what happens. So, uh, hopefully it won't be too much longer. Before, before we know, uh, before leaving the DOD, uh, we have had multiple conversations [00:42:30] with folks from AbilityOne and Service Source, which is the nonprofit that, uh, that they work, that they work with, um, and Source America Source America Service Source. Um, you know, one of them is the, um, the nonprofit. One of them is actually a, um, a not Is, is actually the company that, that is on, had boots on the ground employing people and running contracts. We've had conversations with both of them. Um, and, [00:43:00] you know, we're, we're, we're looking at, at, you know, where, where there is common ground, how we can work together. And one of the things that, that where, where there's common ground that we can work together is on these kiosk that the Army is going to.
(00:43:13):
Um, and the Army, and I think we've reported this in the past, but the Army at Fort Carson, and, and the plans are at several other bases. They're gonna be closing the mess halls or some of the mess halls at night and on weekends and on holidays, and they're gonna, oh, they're gonna start a grab and go [00:43:30] where the food is, where the soldier just shows up and, you know, picks up, grabs the food, swaps it like, you know, from a micro market and takes it with them. They will also be able to buy other products in, in, in that kiosk. Clearly that should be Randolph Shepherd. Um, but since the food's being prepared in the mess hall, um, you know, we'd be sort of difficult for us to do that. So we gotta figure out, uh, but Ability [00:44:00] one is at Fort Carson now, and they fear they're gonna lose a lot of jobs and, um, uh, you know, through, through, as a result of, of, of this new concept.
(00:44:11):
'cause they're being cut out of the kiosk process. So they're, you know, they're wanting to have conversations about how we can work together so that the Randolph Shepherd priority is recognized and how, um, they can prevent, uh, losing jobs for people with disabilities. So these conversations have, you know, we've had multiple conversations, but [00:44:30] they're still a long ways to go. And, um, so, um, you know, and everybody is aware of the history between Ability One and Randolph Shepherds, so nobody's naive about this. But, um, you know, having conversations, uh, never hurts. Quick update about the National Council of State Agencies for the Blonde. Um, have the, uh, they're having their spring conference April 10th through the 12th in Bethesda, Maryland. Uh, we have agreed that we will participate being we being NABM, [00:45:00] and, uh, I will be presenting, uh, on a panel discussion, talking about getting into the private sector.
(00:45:07):
Uh, N-C-S-A-B is devoting a full day of their agenda to Randolph Shepherd issues. And, um, one of the topics, and I'm not on the, on the panel, but I'm really anxious to hear, you know, a discussion on a panel about, um, uh, performance based promotion. Uh, in other words, get away, get away from seniority, and folks who listen to this know how Nikki and I [00:45:30] feel about seniority. Uh, but that's gonna be, uh, one of the, uh, um, one, one of the topics that is, that is presented. Uh, after that, we're gonna be helping support N-C-S-A-B and doing a monthly training, uh, that will be for, uh, staff and vendors. And, um, you know, it's gonna be like a 60 to 90 minute call once a month on a number of key topics, and you'll hear more about that as we get closer. [00:46:00] They will not start until May and get through the N-C-S-A-B and all of that.
(00:46:05):
And finally, we will be doing, working with N-C-S-A-B at Blast, and, uh, make sure that all SLA folks know that we will be doing a full day of training for SLA staff and attorneys, uh, and we're gonna work it so the, so the attorneys can get their continuing education credits, uh, CLEs, I think it is. And, um, um, so we did, [00:46:30] we did that the last time we did that was in 2014 in Austin, Texas. And so it's been a while and we're gonna bring it back. And so hopefully we will get a good response with that in partnering with the, uh, state agencies bring you up to speed on some state news. Um, RSA is gonna be getting out and doing their first monitoring in a, in, in a while. Um, they are going to be in Wisconsin, excuse me, I [00:47:00] think that is in, um, either the end of April crossing over to the 1st of May, but right in that timeframe somewhere, they will be in Wisconsin, uh, looking at, um, um, that, um, that, that program, there are lots of issues in Wisconsin right now.
(00:47:17):
A lot of issues between the committee and the agency. Uh, a lot of questions about the nominee. I'm sure RSA will be looking at those. And, um, so we're anxious to see what comes of that. Speaking of [00:47:30] nominee agencies, Montana has, uh, they've had a nominee for a number of years. They only have three blind vendors, but they have, uh, they did not renew their contract with the nominee agency, so they brought the program in-house. So, uh, the, the nominee in Montana is gone, so now we're down to, uh, four, I guess, uh, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, and Virginia are the only ones using nominees that I [00:48:00] know of.
(00:48:03):
The Kansas, uh, uh, committee blind vendors and SLA are, are, are, are now participating in dispute resolution through, uh, through RSA. And, um, I participated in that first session. Uh, it, I think it went very, very well. Um, and, um, you know, we'll see where that goes. It'll be more, more, more calls, more follow up on that. I would encourage, you [00:48:30] know, committees out there that are having issues, you know, it is something that's available to you to explore it. It's not right for everybody, but explore it to see, um, what if, you know, if it's an option for you. Um, some news on, lots of news on the, on the director front, um, in Kansas, Andy Martin is gone, and that position is vacant. Matthew Miller, who used to be in the position is interim, uh, I expect that position to be filled in the coming weeks in Texas.
(00:49:00):
[00:49:00] Jim deas has left. And, um, you remember Jim was a former blind vendor in, uh, Ohio and Michigan, who took the job as a BEP director. And so he is gone. Jim McManus in Massachusetts, or Jim McManus of Maine, then dc then Massachusetts, uh, has retired. So, uh, Massachusetts is looking for a, uh, director Virginia. The, um, uh, cha ka Kock Knick, I can, [00:49:30] having trouble with the name, um, is leaving as the director of the nominee. And that's a big loss for them. Uh, they are doing a search, and I'm sure they'll come up with a good candidate, uh, to replace Champ. But Champ's a good guy. Mississippi does have a new director. Bobby Harrelson is the new BEP director replacing William Merchant. Uh, William is, uh, currently doing the training until he retires. And I guess it's okay to announce on here just [00:50:00] between friends that, uh, he plans on leaving, uh, and retiring this summer.
(00:50:05):
And so Bobby is sort of doing some transition work with him, and, uh, we are doing some work with him to, with some, some training and mentoring, so wish them luck. Bobby comes from, um, a long history with Wendy's, uh, in store management. So we wish him well in Mississippi. So based on the best we can tell, there are vacancy still in Kansas, Texas, [00:50:30] Massachusetts, Tennessee, North Carolina, Hawaii, and Illinois. And I'm sure I missed one or two in there that I just, that I, I just didn't think of, you know, lots and lots of turnover in, in, in the BEP directors and which got me to thinking, you know, who's been around the longest. And, um, you know, you, you, you start thinking through you, you know, you don't have a whole lot of those people who are, you know, 20, 25, 30 year people. Um, but, uh, I would guess [00:51:00] looking at, based on what I've been able to figure out, Lockett Phillips in Indiana has got 20 years in, right at 20 years.
(00:51:07):
I think he must be the senior guy. Um, John Hewlett in Minnesota was probably second. Um, now if we count Fred Jones, Fred is in Vermont now. Fred's sort of the agency director. They don't have a BEP director. I think he's sort of a, he, he, he does it all up there. Uh, if we count, if we count that, you know, then, then Fred's [00:51:30] probably the, the, you know, the number one tenured guy in the country. So, uh, anyway, uh, thought that was interesting and congratulations to to, to those guys that have been around for a while. And, uh, you know, it's good to have people like that so their peers can look to them for advice. And, um, you know, that kind of stuff. Hit a couple of things in the industry news. I, I hope you will, uh, look at the, you know, go to the NAMA website and look at the industry [00:52:00] consensus report, some really good information in there.
(00:52:04):
Uh, the, the, uh, it's a census report, the NAMA industry census report. And, um, you know, the industry as a whole has returned to, uh, pre, pre pandemic, uh, revenue levels. And, you know, that's sort of discussed in there. Uh, the cover recovery is very, val is varied according to, you know, what part of the, um, the industry you're looking at, [00:52:30] the growth area, no surprise has been in micro markets. Um, and, um, um, you know, micro markets doubled in revenue in 2023 compared to 2019. And I'm, I'm, I'm happy that we've got several states now that are finally getting it and, and, and, and starting to really open up some, some micro markets. But we still have some states with no micro markets. Uh, and, and we have some states who don't believe [00:53:00] in micro markets. Well compare that to five star vending, which is out of Chattanooga.
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They current, they just opened up their 4000th micromarket. Uh, if micro markets were not good business, you would not see private sector vending companies operating 4,000 of them. So, uh, no surprise in the, you know, in the census report that, uh, micro markets are, um, you know, really surging. Um, vending is [00:53:30] still the largest segment within our industry. You know, even with, even with all the, uh, micro markets, vending is still, uh, the leading segment. Um, and, um, but it's taken a little longer for the, uh, vending side of it to bounce back. Uh, vending revenues are about where they were 2019. Um, you know, um, uh, before they're, you know, they're just a little below [00:54:00] 2019, so they're, they're getting back, but they're not quite where they were, uh, pre pandemic. Um, the report says that future growth will be driven by technology acceleration and return to the office trends.
(00:54:15):
They're predicting that there will be trends of people starting to return to the office, and there will be a new focus on new customers, um, uh, customer segments. So just some interesting reading in there. I would encourage you to, uh, go [00:54:30] to the NAMA website and, and, and, and, and check that out. A couple of other things. Uh, in California, there's been a bill that would regulate vending prices at the prisons. Uh, guess who operates the vending at the prisons? Yep. The California blind vendors. And, uh, working with a nama uh, organization out there. The California Vending Council, uh, the blind vendors, uh, have been working to, um, uh, to address that bill in the, uh, in, in the legislature. [00:55:00] So some things happening out there in the private sector, technology wise, you know, NAMA has reported that Sam's is gonna start using artificial intelligence at the exits.
(00:55:08):
All you Sam's customers that have stop and you have to show your ticket and they have to look at your basket and market off, well, that's going away. And a lot of Sam's, it's all gonna be done by artificial intelligence. Japan is really leading the way in some of some of the technology stuff. The family mart, uh, is gonna start using robots to clean, to do their cleaning over there. [00:55:30] Um, and speaking of Japan's seven 11 is opening in unmanned C store in, in Japan. So, um, you know, a standalone store. So that's gonna be interesting. See, and, you know, we're gonna see more and more of that. And if, and if you were at the, our, our show in, um, Orlando, you saw some of that stuff, and it's just gonna be more and more technology. Um, you know, as, as, as we move down the road, Bucky's, Bucky's is, uh, you either love them or hate 'em.
(00:55:59):
Uh, for [00:56:00] those of you who don't know, Bucky's is sort of like a convenience store, a truck stop on steroids, and, uh, they are taking over in the south. And, uh, our blind vendors hate them because a lot of folks would rather stop at Bucky's where you have, you know, great selection of food, you've got the cleanest bathrooms in the world, and, uh, it's, um, you know, these things are huge. I think they, you know, have 120 gas pumps at some of these. Um, so the, you [00:56:30] know, I think the vendors who have rest areas near Bucky's have, uh, probably felt an impact from, from that. You know, some people wanna avoid Bucky's. If you just wanna, you know, grab a drink and go to the bathroom, then stop in the rest area is still gonna be faster. Uh, but if you're in North Carolina at that, uh, interstate 40 and 85 juncture, uh, you're gonna have a Bucky's coming in there.
(00:56:52):
Um, and um, the first one is coming to Arizona. Uh, they recently opened one in [00:57:00] Colorado and the one, and they're starting now. Not only do they have 120 gas pumps, but now they're starting to add ev charging stations. So, um, that's not good news for our interstate rest area guys. And, you know, the good news is they're not everywhere and, you know, it's not like on every other exit kind of thing. So, um, you know, hopefully they'll, they'll, uh, not have too big of an impact. Um, department of Labor in January published, uh, final rules on [00:57:30] what constitutes independent contractors. Now the big thing about, about this is, you know, if, if somebody is, is an independent contractor, then you know, they're, they're, what they make is based on, you know, the profits that they generate. Um, and, but if they are, if they are an employee, even if they're a contracted employee, then you gotta make sure you guarantee them, uh, minimum wage and you guarantee them overtime.
(00:57:55):
Um, or pay them overtime if they work more than 40 hours, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. [00:58:00] Uh, they, the Department of Labor has changed the previous rules. I don't wanna get into it 'cause it's pretty complicated. Um, but the bottom line is, you know, um, there has to be an opportunity for profit or loss. If there's not an opportunity for profit or loss, then the person is probably, um, you know, your employee if they're, you know, there also has to be some sort of investment, uh, by the, by the vendor, such as providing their own equipment and that kind of stuff. We've always cautioned you guys [00:58:30] that are blind vendors to make sure don't cross that line. I mean, if they're employees, then treat them as employees because it can be, um, um, difficult if you, if, if you don't. Um, also we talked about, uh, you know, 25 states increase their minimum wage in January.
(00:58:47):
And if you're in one of those states, you know, uh, the federal minimum, the minimum wage on federal contracts is now $17 and 20 cents. So, uh, if you're out there operating a federal contract, uh, [00:59:00] you're supposed to be paying the minimum wage of 1720. Before getting outta here, I wanna hit give you some of the upcoming things that are happening. April 10th and 12th as mentioned, the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind Spring Conference in Bethesda, May 7th through ninth, the National Automatic Merchandising Association, uh, NAMA Show in Dallas, Texas, July 3rd through the eighth, the National Federation of the Blind National Convention in Orlando, Florida. [00:59:30] And, um, I think the merchants are meeting on the fifth, but I can't swear to that. Um, on July 23rd and the 24th, NAMA will have their annual fly in, in Washington DC um, October 7th through the 10th, the National Association of Convenience Stores will be having their show in Las Vegas, November, and I did not look up the dates.
(00:59:57):
I don't know if they've even been published yet, but [01:00:00] NAMA will be having their coffee, tea, and water show. And then the one everybody wants to attend will be November 19th through the 21st or 22nd. Uh, is our blast conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The 19th will be, uh, all day training for the staff, and there will also be breakout sessions for other people who are, who are attending on that day. So that concludes all the due, that is the news. Uh, I thought it would be fast, [01:00:30] but it was took longer than, than even I expected. Um, so those of you who are still awake, you know, I wish you a, uh, happy spring and have a great April and we'll be checking back in with you on the 1st of May with the next episode of the We are Randolph Shepherd podcast. Thank you, Nikki. Thank you Josh. We will talk soon.
Sponsor info (01:00:54):
The we are Randolph Shepherd Podcast. Would like to thank our sponsors, the National Association [01:01:00] of Blind Merchants, Coca-Cola, Blackstone Consulting, Southern Food Service, Siteline Wealth Management, Sodexo Tyler Technologies, F-S-I-G-R-S-A Management Group. You select it and cantaloupe.
Terry Smith (01:01:19):
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. [01:01:30] 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.