John Hickey
John is known as one of the pioneers and leaders in technology related to the automatic merchandising industry. As MIS Director, then VP of Operations, he led key projects for The Answer Group including the system development and implementation of the largest remote monitoring vending machine network in NY City at the time. The network monitored real time inventory and machine health. In 2007, John joined Next Generation Vending to lead a change management initiative to develop and implement a remote monitoring and dynamic routing system that was just a vision at the time. As VP of IT, John saw this project to fruition in Boston with a diverse team of IT and operations professionals to achieve unmatched service metrics, inventory and cash accountability and data intelligence. As VP of Operations John led a management team that improved profitability and cash position via short and long term improvement projects geared at improving procedures.
John possesses a BS in Computer Science from St. John’s University . His education includes Software Development, Information Systems, IT Infrastructure, Lean Six Sigma, Project Management, Change Management , Business Management, Internet marketing and Web technologies.
Don Bates
Don has over 25 years experience in technology solutions and vending having worked at Pepsi for 23 years as the key resource in system integrations and process improvement and automation projects. Don managed IT for Pepsi Batavia and for Loose Ends Vending managing the development and implementation of route accounting systems, service call systems, Business Intelligence Systems and many data integration applications. In 2008 Don joined Next Generation’s IT team and immediately made an impact on the capabilities of the NGV IT team. As a leader in application development, network infrastructure and operations, Don drives process improvement and automation throughout each department in the organization. As VP of IT at Next Generation, Don has led the development and implementation of many technical and operational process improvement projects. Don encompasses the desirable traits of today’s CIO with a technical education, hands on experience and real world business acumen. He is one of the industry’s leading experts in VendMax and maintains one of the largest VendMax database at peak performance.
Don’s education includes Software Development, IT Network Infrastructure, Data Management, Project Management and Change Management.
Morgan Frazier
Morgan has been involved in computer hardware and software throughout his college and professional career and has been enamored with how technology could play a role in vending from the beginning of his first position at Toms Foods in Dallas Texas. For the past 14+ years, Morgan has been exposed to and has assisted in shaping the latest and greatest hardware and software technology that the vending industry has to offer.
Soon after starting a position at All Seasons Services in North Texas he managed the installation and support of a new technology of Vending Telemetry devices from Florida to Maine. His feedback is respected by electronics and software engineers for improvements on devices and supporting systems. As Sr. Remote Monitoring Technician at Next Generation Vending, Morgan was exposed to a plethora of new technology. He has been responsible for the installation, maintenance and improvement of over 10,000 M2M devices. Morgan also played a key role in supporting Diji-Touch, the world’s first interactive touch screen vending machine from its field testing and development phases to its commercial deployment.
Morgan is an industry leader in remote communications and machine 2 machine hardware communications. Morgan has improved communications in the toughest of places to connect including city infrastructures and government secure facilities. He continues to be a go to resource for hardware and software manufacturers and communications device companies for advice on connecting vending machines to the Internet.
Darryl Perkins
Darryl’s vending and technology career began 25 years ago as a service technician. Since then and prior to joining the Tech 2 Success team, he rose in the ranks of operations, most recently holding the position of General Manager at A&B Vending in Massachusetts.
As service manager at US Refresh in the late ‘90s, Darryl was part of a team that was a pioneer in the development and testing of remote monitoring telemetry hardware and back office applications. Later, in a lead role on the Special Projects team with All Seasons Services, Darryl worked closely with the software vendor to develop and a handheld application for data collection.
Since, while working for All Seasons Services and later Next Generation Vending, Darryl managed the installation of over 15,000 telemetry devices. In addition, he was responsible for the implementation of pre-kit picking systems, beta testing of new vending machine hardware, process development for dynamic scheduling and dynamic routing, pre-kitting, and managed the build-out of two new facilities which served as a distribution center for over $20M in vending revenue fully remotely monitored and dynamically scheduled and routed.
Darryl’s experience includes project management, an array of technologies and applying them to the acceleration and automation of operations process using lean process improvement methods. He recently served on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Vending Association.