October-November 2021 - 28

convenience services and technology's
effect on the channel's
customers. The vending operation
has deployed Vagabond's cashless
products and consumer-engagement
applications at several accounts.
Before fastening the operator's
Legend's vice president of operakeyring
to his belt, Loughran cut his
teeth in the corporate world at Cvent, a
software-as-a-service company specializing
in meetings, events and hospitality,
and PricewaterhouseCoopers, one
of the Big Four accounting firms.
Duda worked in the accounting
field, too; he's a CPA and CFA. Prior
to starting his vending career,
his job was identifying coinvesting
opportunities at
a family investment firm,
which had an office coffee
and pantry service. At
Allie Humphreys
is Legend's
account
executive for the
Virginia territory.
the time he did not know
there was such a thing as
a professional " pantry "
service, but nevertheless
he experienced how
top-shelf snacks and coffee
amenities, available in a
communal environment
where coworkers can
meet, can bring joy to the
workplace.
" As I got closer to the
Mike Allen
is Legend's
senior account
executive for the
Maryland region.
unattended convenience
space and better understood
its value, I realized
how impactful our
products can be, " Duda
said. " Having had these
end-user experiences, they focus us
on the wellness of employees and the
products they want. "
Micro markets can be a powerful
productivity and incentive tool for
employers, Duda emphasized.
" They're an opportunity for the
employer to recognize employee excellence,
which creates occupational
wellness, and an opportunity to lead
in physical wellness by providing easy
access to quality hydration, nutrition
tions, Kevin Koehr, spent the first
decade of his professional life in military
service, specializing in logistics
and operations for the U.S. Army.
Afterward, he gained valuable business
experience working for government
contractors. He joined forces with
Loughran when Legend made its first
Anthony Comegys assembles a " prekit "
bin at Legend's Linthicum Heights, MD,
warehouse.
acquisition in Connecticut.
" The most enticing aspect of joining
this industry was the ability to be
creative, " Koehr said. " With so many
new points of sale and products coming
to market, it's an exciting challenge
to find the best combination of
that for the best customer experience
- done efficiently. "
His military mindset - " situational
awareness " in army lingo - allows him
to see how every operator, customer
and market are different. For Koehr,
Legend's acquisitions allow the company
to grow its expertise by assimilating
the experiences of a company's
team and the lessons they learned.
Customer acquisition is a key part
Legend Food Service's Lillian Spratley (l.)
and Allie Humphreys review items listed
in a location's order.
and caffeination that employees need
and want, " he said.
" There's also an opportunity
for social wellness in the ability to
gather in the breakroom, " continued
Duda, recalling his years as a corporate
office denizen. " With camaraderie
comes purpose and belonging
- ultimately engagement - which
drives profitability. "
In that sense, Duda never left the
investment industry. At Legend, his
job is to find ways to create value for
employers by delivering wellness and
cutting-edge breakroom services to
their employees. " We know we can
excite and delight through the breakroom
experience day in and day out,
which makes us a trusted partner, "
he said.
28 Automatic Merchandiser * October/November 2021
of Legend's growth strategy. As chief
revenue office, Ben Adams is spearheading
that effort. Adams spent 15
years in the real estate world, working
at some of the nation's largest property
and development firms, including
Grubb & Ellis in Washington, DC, and
Kane Realty Corp. in Raleigh, NC.
" While I've worked on many
different types of transactions from
office leases to developing grocery
stores in the Northeast, my main
focus was business development, "
Adams said. " The skill sets I've
always needed in the past are complementary
to those needed to lead
and scale the sales and marketing
function at a fast-growing business. "
DEMAND SHOCK
Few industries were able to escape the
rapid demand shocks brought on by
the coronavirus crisis, especially service
organizations. Demand shock is
October-November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October-November 2021
