Automatic Merchandiser - 33

hen prohibition
ended in 1933,
an entrepreneur
named Fred Nackard
applied for a liquor
license and started a business distributing alcohol in northern Arizona. Nackard ran the business out of his home
with his wife, Monica, who managed
accounting while Fred handled deliveries with the company's single truck.
Fast forward 87 years, and The Nackard
Companies' territory covers 40,000 square miles
in Arizona, home of some of the world's largest
tourist destinations, including the Grand Canyon. The business has three distinct branches: a
Pepsi bottling franchise, Hi-Line Refreshment
Services (vending, micro markets and coffee
service) and Legacy Beverage (beer distribution). The company remains in the family; it is
currently run by Fred and Monica Nackard's
son, Patrick, with Patrick's son Palmer serving
as vice president.
BOOTCAMP, BOOZE & BOTTLING

Two years after Fred Nackard launched his
liquor distribution company in Flagstaff, Ariz.,
he expanded into the bottling business with his
brother Phillip. They acquired Dr Pepper and
Nesbitt's franchises. When Fred and Phillip were
drafted during World War II, Monica and Phillip's
wife Bessie kept the business going.
"When my grandfather was drafted, he
wanted his wife, Monica, to run the business,
and at the time Dr Pepper didn't agree with
that," explained Palmer Nackard. "There weren't
women that owned bottling facilities at the time,
so there was a disagreement, and he cut ties with
Dr Pepper and started a Pepsi franchise. He
signed the franchise agreement around the time
he went to bootcamp."
After returning from the war in 1945, Fred
Nackard moved away from liquor distribution
to focus on beer distribution and Pepsi bottling.
He expanded territory over the years, purchasing seven acres of land in Flagstaff, which he
initially used for storage space. This was eventu-

ally transitioned into a production facility, office
and warehouse.
Fred and Monica's only child, Patrick, grew up
in the company, working various jobs throughout
the bottling line, warehouse and the office. Upon
Fred's death in 1984, Patrick was named president
of the company.
EXPANSION INTO VENDING

By the early 1990s, the company had one full-service
vending route. Jim Bushnell,
the company's vice president
and chief financial officer,
said that while Pepsi was
handling the route at the
time, Patrick Nackard was
interested in expanding
the vending business and
separating it from Pepsi
to create a standalone
Fred Nackard with his
first delivery truck in
company.
the late 1930s.
"In 1992 we answered
an RFP from Northern Arizona University, and had
not a clue that we would
Monica Nackard,
be awarded the contract,"
pictured in the early
1940s, managed
Bushnell recalled. "But we
accounting for the
were, and this took us by
company and ran the
surprise. Within 90 days we business when her
had equipment coming in,
husband, Fred, was
drafted during World
but we had no software and
War II.
no computer programs to
handle this."
Bushnell and Nackard quickly figured it out.
Northern Arizona University became the company's
first major vending account,
and Hi-Line Snack and
Vending was born.
"We had Palmer's dad
and mom, Patrick and Julie
Nackard, and myself, and the The Nackard Companies'
headquarters in Flagstaff, Ariz.
general manager Gary Hummel
all filling vending machines in
the wee hours of the morning to get ready," Bushnell said. "Our service department was setting up
the equipment. But we made the deadline. And
we've been operating ever since, expanding from
one account."

June/July 2020 * VendingMarketWatch.com

http://www.VendingMarketWatch.com

Automatic Merchandiser

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