Three BBI leaders honored with Legends of the Year Award by Automatic Merchandiser

On March 13, the Automatic Merchandiser publication announced the 2023 Legends of the Year award recipients honoring Unattended Retail and Office Coffee Service leaders with 25 years or more in the industry. This prestigious honor highlights individuals whose continued commitment, exceptional leadership, involvement, achievements, and contributions have positively impacted the industry.

Automatic Merchandiser's team studied the nominees and selected the Legends of the Year award winners featured in the February/March 2023 issue. Three outstanding BBI leaders were honored – Robert Taylor (CEO), Pat Grant (President), and Paul Van Vleck (Vice President, Unattended Retail), having shown dedication to our company, our clients, and the industry.

Robert Taylor is a business executive, philanthropist and the Chief Executive Officer of Burdette Beckmann Inc. Taylor joined BBI in 1983 and has since taken the Florida-based family-owned company to become a national agency in 50 states. He led the acquisition of 34 companies giving BBI a substantial edge and the scale needed to service Fortune 500 companies such as Kraft, Mondelēz, General Mills and Conagra, to name a few.  Taylor is actively involved in corporate philanthropy by partnering with nonprofit organizations

Pat Grant BBI President is is a Florida-based professional with over 34 years of experience in finance and sales leadership roles at major retail and sales organizations. Grant leads a cross-functional team and oversees traditional retail segments (c-store and grocery) and client services (finance, accounting, analytics, technology, marketing, telesales and human resources). He is skilled in mergers and acquisitions, as he has been involved in the process several times during his career. He also excels in strategic planning, P&L management, cross-functional team leadership and forecasting.

Paul Van Vleck is the Vice President | Unattended Retail overseeing the largest team in the segment. He manages and plans all the national manufacturers and BBI operations. Van Vleck joined BBI in 1999 with 11 years of prior experience in the industry. His expertise is rooted in small format: convenience services, vending, micro markets, office coffee, hospitality and corrections. Van Vleck is a NAMA NCE5 certified executive and has won several Manufacturer Broker of the Year Awards in addition to being a Pros to Know recipient. He has served on various industry boards and committees (SEVA, ACE, AMAF, GMAC, AVA and TNVA).

Paul Van Vleck stated – "I hope I will do justice to the Legends of the Year award, it's an honor, and the recognition is very much appreciated."

This is a significant achievement for BBI and its leaders as it recognizes their commitment to promoting innovation and growth in the Unattended Retail, Vending and Convenience Services industry. BBI has built a reputation for excellence and the recognition from Automatic Merchandiser further cements the company's position as a leader in the industry.

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Automatic Merchandiser serves the business management, marketing, technology, and product information needs of its readers, including vending operators, coffee service operators, product brokers, and product and equipment distributors in print.

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