April 2013 NICA News

National Independent Concessionaires Association

April 2013

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CONTENTS APRIL 2013

FEATURES A Visit to the Florida State Fair

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The 2013 O’Brien Bowling Tournament Strikes Success! 18 Concessionaire of the Month Jerry & Glinda Price, Fiske Concessions

Supplier of the Month Fare Foods / Porter Foods

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NEWS NICA 2013 Strategic Goals 4 President's Message 5

By Tom Sattler, CCE

Executive Director's Report 5

By Alta Mosley

Director’s Voice 7

By Paulette Keene

2013 Calendar 9 Celebrating 20 Years of NICA 10 Survival Kits at the Florida State Fair 16 East Bound and Down 21

By Frank Parnell, CCE

Health Care Changes Follow-Up Article 23

By Steck Johnson

NICA From Coast to Coast 25

By Randy Reichert

ADVERTISERS A to Z Meats 20 Allied Specialty 16 Alpha Baking 17 Asset Preservation 24 Berk Paper & Supply 20 The Best Around 30 The Big Rib 22 Fanestil Meats 8 Fare Foods 29 Fontanini Meats 24

Heinkel’s Packing Co. 17 Midway Stainless 22 Mr. G’s Custom Meats 15 Pepsi 2 Roberts Restaurant 22 Rio Syrup 14 Swanel Beverages 15 WNA Specialty Cups 30

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2013 Strategic Goals NICA - 2013 LONG TERM GOALS PROFESSIONAL VOICE IN INDUSTRY Because NICA desires to be recognized as a professional leader in the Event Industry it will: • Develop a trained national speakers bureau that will present meaningful and relevant topics to industry events.

• Create a membership excellence program that measures the quality of operations by industry accepted standards, customer service, quality of product or service, overall presentation, operating procedures and observing safety standards.

REVENUE STABILITY NICA will continue to achieve annual financial stability by increasing revenue by 5% a year, by retaining and increasing membership, optimizing selling opportunities and developing donations and grants while managing expenses within the following formula; 60% day to day operating expenses including the publication of the NICA News 30% member / regional / educational events 10% reserves BENEFITS Recognizing that member benefits are important to NICA for membership savings, and organization revenue, NICA will use the buying power of its membership to annually: • upgrade or obtain one new and unique benefit, • increase member usage of benefits by 20%, • increase rebates by 25% MEMBERSHIP NICA will become a strong organization throughout the US and Canada with programs to increase the inclusion of all members which will lead to increase of the membership annually through: • recruiting new membership with a focus in a geographic area where there is limited representation.

• retention of current members • the establishment of regional councils that are responsive to regional issues.

• Retention of current members

SHORT TERM GOALS TO BE COMPLETED BY APRIL 2013 SPEAKERS BUREAU • Pick speakers and train them • Provide information to Fair/Festival Associations about speakers available • Survey the membership for topics of interest • Train members to conduct focus groups to collect information from membership throughout the US and Canada MEMBERSHIP • Continue developing regional councils • Survey former members to determine why they left NICA • Continue conducting focus groups to determine members needs from NICA FINANCIAL STABILITY • Review membership dues structure • Publish stories about specific benefits used by the membership • Grow the 501(c)3 foundation under the NICA umbrella to enhance educational programs to be offered to the members and the industry and enable charitable fundraising.

BENEFITS • Complete a survey of the membership on the use of benefits • Continue to explore a tire discount and wireless mobile discount benefit programs • Promote the new Speedway / Marathon / Pilot program

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OFFICERS President......Tom Sattler, CCE 1st Vice-President......David Penn 2nd Vice-President....Joe Potillo, Jr. Secretary.....Rose Marie Ash Treasurer......Paulette Keene

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Greg Miller, CCE

Directors: Don Kenna Stacia Markowitz Tim O’Brien, CCE Justin Sattler Tony Trafton, CCE

Past President’s Council Russ Harrison, CCE Richard Busse, CCE Tom Hodson, CCE Jim Hodson, CCE (deceased) Tim O’Brien, CCE Ron Smith Adam McKinney, CCE Mike Pence, CCE Jack Woods II, CCE Bob Hallifax, CCE Frank Parnell, CCE Larry Orme (deceased) Larry Sivori Rich Wright Bill McKinney, CCE Arthur Pokorny, Jr. Gene O’Brien, CCE (deceased)

NICA OFFICE Executive Director Alta Mosley - alta@nicainc.org

Office Manager Jill Omel - nica@nicainc.org

Graphics & Marketing Director Kaitlyn Loos - graphics@nicainc.org

NICA WEST Office: Executive Manager Rey O’Day imreyqoe@gmail.com 2130 Walnut St. La Verne, CA 91750

President’s Message The Spring schedule for the NICA Board is full of meetings, fundraising, planning sessions and workshops. The first is our annual Spring Workshop. At this meeting, which is one of the three face to face meetings held each year, we will make plans to attend the State and National conventions. It is also the time we choose topics we would like to present at the various meetings our representatives plan to attend. I have every confidence that the Board will accomplish many things for the good of NICA. This year, we are a very diverse group from all areas of the industry who bring many new points of view. These points represent the needs of all members and partners. As a Board, we will push to strengthen the existing partnerships which have been formed over the past years and work to forge new ones with others in our industry.

Tom Sattler, CCE

As a Board, we are proud to represent all of you and we look forward to hearing your suggestions.

As always remember, “Together We Can”.

Executive Director's Report Thank you so much for the warm welcome I’ve received from this great NICA family. I do appreciate the phone calls, the kind words and the support from you.

We have an amazing staff in the Office, Jill, Kaitlyn, Christine and SanDee. Rey, in the NICA West office, is never ending source of new ideas. It is a pleasure to work with all of them, to share ideas and hear their thoughts, knowing that this process will improve our ability to serve you, our members.

Alta Mosley

Many times changes are made, that at the time we think will make everything better. It’s what I think of as “ Theory vs. Reality”. Last year the Membership renewals were all moved to October 1. This change has not worked well for the members or the office staff. The Board recognized the issue and asked that it be resolved. Dues will no longer be prorated, if you paid your renewals by the October 1 deadline, you will continue to renew on October 1. All others will renew on your regular renewal date. We sincerely hope this will resolve any issues. New members will renew on the month they join NICA. The folks who came out for The O’Brien Bowling Tournament had a great time.

It was good to see everyone enjoying some much deserved relaxation time, and there are some pretty serious bowlers in the group. It was good to see Bob & Rosie Ash enjoying a night out. Be sure to check out the pictures in this issue.

Continued on Next Page>>

National Independent Concessionaires Association, Inc. Dedicated to strengthening relationships with the Fair, Festival and Special Events Industries through effective communication, benefits, leadership and solutions.

NICA is a Florida Corporation with Editorial and General Office located at: 1043 E. Brandon Blvd.

Brandon, FL 33511 (813) 438-8926 • Fax: (813) 438-8928 www.nicainc.org The information contained in this Publication is based upon sources believed to be reliable.

Readers should not act without professional advice.

Cover to Cover Copyright All Rights Reserved. ©NICA

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(Continued Executive Director’s Report) Jill, Kaitlyn & I took an afternoon off to visit the Florida State Fair where I founda friend I had not seen in several years. I first met Griff Gillette at the St. Lucie County Fair where he had the big BBQ pit and his brother Brian had a Pizza trailer. Has it really been that many years? As we continued on our visit, I had the opportunity to get to know Rusty Groscurth, and we found Evan Colglazier and the Pickle Barrel crew busy as usual. Also had the opportunity to talk with Rick Paschal, Sissy La Fratta, and so many more along the way.

I visited the Pasco County Fair where I saw more old friends. Mike Broad and I also met at the St Lucie County Fair where he was just getting started with his Roasted Corn. I also had the opportunity to talk with some folks that I hope will join us soon. NICA was very well represented at the Pasco County Fair and we appreciate their support of NICA. This week I went back to the Southwest Florida-Lee County Fair. This one really pulls the heart strings, this was, no, this is my extended family.

Thanks to two of our State Reps, Dannie Moreland & Mike McGrath for organizing a NICA meeting and to those people who attended. There were several people who wanted to learn more about NICA. We welcomed Dick & Kerry with K&D Seafood and Andres & Pat with Dres’ BBQ Place as new members. It was good to see Art Carroll, Howard (Moon) and Bev Kilgore, Bob & Diana Moreland, and Brian Gillette just to mention a few.

As I make my way around the Fairs, my thoughts are of how many of these independent businesses are continuously owned by one family, of how they have raised and educated their children and then passed the business on to them, to watch the same process begin again. Can you think of any other business that can offer such a diverse course of education? Where else can you learn Finance, Marketing, Business Management, all types of mechanical skills from small engine to full diesel to air conditioning, not to mention the lessons learned on dealing with the public. There’s also the ability to drive the rigs that gets you from one place to the other, and the electrical skills, the fabrication and the list goes on. Where else can you make square pegs fit round holes perfectly? Only life on the road can teach you so much and give you on the job training at the same time.

My hat is off to each and every one of you for the pleasure you bring to lives of so many people, for your never ending willingness to lend a hand, many times before you’re even asked.

NICA Executive Regional Councils NICA WEST COUNCIL Don Delahoyde, CCE Jennifer Giordano Judy Henbury, CCE Lucky Henner Don Long, CCE Dan Lusenhop Dale Smith Tony Trafton, CCE

NICA State Representatives Duane Fischer Judi Gruver John Harkey David Higginbottom Charles Ivory Tom Kiermaier David Koepp Bruce Kozelou Stacia Markowitz Mike McGrath Kevin McGrath II Dannie Moreland Etta Pence, CCE David Spann Ed White

NICF Board Chuck Dugan Russ Harrison, CCE Lisa Hinton Donald Kenna SanDee O’Brien, CCE Olivia Orme Bill Wrabiutza

Travel Safe my Friends,

Alta Mosley Locate the NICA handshake in the pages of this magazine and you just might win HIDDEN OBJECT the April NICA News Prize! Find it?

Tell us where by going to: nicainc.org/pages/hiddenobject.

Find the handshake!

Or mail a postcard with the the page number and your name, address and phone number to Hide & Seek, NICA, 1043 E. Brandon Blvd, Brandon FL 33511. All entries must be in the office by May 1st, 2013! Inspired by Taste of Home Magazine.

ACTIVITY!

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Faith, Family Friendship, and Fairs Director’s Voice article by Paulette Keene “Faith, Family, Friendship, and Fairs” was the title of Gary Slater’s speech at an IAFE session in Las Vegas. I am using his title because it really hit home for me. You know sometimes you wonder “why am I doing this? Working so many hours leaving home and family? Wearing my body out?” Well, this is the answer: the rewards we receive from being in the fair business. That is it takes, faith, just like farmers, to know God is going to take care of you by providing contracts for locations, providing the right weather for the event to open and be successful, keeping us safe as we travel, and providing enough for us to continue our business.

When we arrive at the fairs we are always looking for the familiar faces in certain places. Sometimes we don’t know each other’s names, but we know what you sell and where you sit. For the fair employees it’s the same, we know where you work and what you do and are so glad you are there and have done all the preparation for us and the public. It’s our family on the road. We really appreciate everything everyone does to service us after a long day of traveling.

It’s wonderful to have familiar smiling faces welcome us and have things ready for us to set up for our trailers and campers. Some people refer to Florida week, but I refer to going to Florida as the Florida month.

Arriving in late afternoon and greeted by the friendly ladies at the campgrounds who get us situated with camping and electric, we are settled into our new home for the next three weeks. On Sunday I will drive to the Embassy Suites to join my fellow Board Members who have become good friends, and I am particularly glad to have our new Executive Director, Alta Mosley on board with us.

I had the opportunity to get to know Alta at the NICA Fare Foods Food Show and workshops and, at the O’Brien Bowling Tournament. It’s rewarding after all the work the Executive Board put into hiring her, to see her as the face of NICA at the office, and at the Tampa fair, where she was greeting old members and recruiting new ones to join us in growing our organization and strengthening our industry’s voice.

While attending the workshops I accumulated some more friends. I was able to hear Francisco Acuna bring us up to date on DOT regulations. There was not really time to get to know him personally, but he was very informative and pleasant to listen to.

The next workshop I attended was the Soda Machine Repair Seminar and I was priviledged to introduce and become instant friends with Michael Curci. It’s like we had always been friends, so we made each other comfortable in our positions to speak.

Michael has worked with soda machines for over 30 years and now has his own business. He literally knows fountain machines inside out. He asked does anyone ever have trouble with flat soda? His goal was to show us how to insure we have a quality product. We all know the temperature of the water is essential, but he gave us ideas of how to cool the water down before it hits the machine, and how with cooling plates there are many different ways to do this. The pressure of the water and CO2 is important. He showed us how to check the gauges and also how to check the carbonator. I really enjoyed Michael’s relaxed and fun filled session. If he comes next year , be sure to sit in on his session! I am sure he has a lot of helpful tips.

On Tuesday we had the Ladies’ WIN Luncheon sponsored by our good friends at Fare Foods, Ron and Laura Porter and Audrey Poole. It was good to have Laura, Audrey, and the office girls, Amanda, Jen, and new-bee Danielle, we all know so well, with us at the lunch along with the spouses of all the Board Members.

I was privileged to sit at a table with some visitors, Marlene Pierson-Jolliffe, CFE, IAFE Board Chair, Lisa Hinton from the Florida Federation, and past Board Members.

Following the luncheon on to the next session: Fairs, Concessionnaires, and Community Involvement where Marlene was one of the speakers. So see all the friends I am making this week? Marlene has set a goal for us for 2013. The following is a quote from her article in the IAFE Directory that she shared at the IAFE Convention: “I am inviting all of you to ‘dream big’ this year as we undertake our first ever industry-wide social awareness campaign and have a set goal of raising 20,000,000 lbs of canned food. Yes it’s a big goal, but I believe our network of fairs and associate partners will join together to achieve this goal.” This is exciting to me, so Norm and I are donating canned goods and our pick up truck to haul the goods to a pantry at our local fair. I hope all of you will do the same. What a great way to show our community we want to give back to them.

Continued on Next Page>>

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(Continued from Paulette’s Director’s Voice Article) Last but not the least of friends I have listed this one impressed me the most, because I did not think he knew us well enough for his gesture of kindness. As Norman and our crew were setting up at the Florida State Fair, our Kawasaki (mule) decided not to move (characteristic of its name) LOL. The part we needed would take a week and was very expensive. I was sharing or complaining about the situation, a friend overheard, and instantly offered his golf cart to us for the duration of the fair. This good friend is Ted Wentz, we are thankful to him. It made it so much easier to stock the trailers and to get home to the campers at night. My daughter, Chantelle’s feet were really appreciative, since we are not used to standing all day again. Thanks Ted for all you do for NICA in the Hospitality Suites and always; this is what NICA is all about.

Together We Can!!

1. Help fellow concessionaires out.

2. Help strangers out, you will make a new friend.

3. Stand with our industry partners in food drives or in sharing with your state legislators problems effecting our industry. Labor issues are big right now.

4. Work with our fair partners in producing a good fair with a positive atmosphere for all fair goers to have a good experience at the fair.

See you at the fair!

Your friend or soon to be, Paulette Keene

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NICA 2013 Calendar APRIL

April 1: NICA Scholarship Applications due in the office.

April 4-6: Mid-West Fairs Association Annual Convention, Renaissance World Golf Village Resort, St. Augustine, Florida (For Mid-West members and invited guests only.)

April 18-20: IAFE Zone 1 Annual Meeting, Holiday Inn By the Bay, Portland, Maine April 25-28: IAFE Management Conference, West Palm Beach Marriott, West Palm Beach, Florida

MAY

May 16-18: Combined IAFE Zone 2 Meeting and Florida Federation of Fairs & Livestock Shows Inc. Annual Convention, Naples Grande Beach Resort, Naples, Florida May 17-19: Kentucky Association of Fairs Annual Spring Meeting, Barren River Lake State Park, Lucas, Kentucky

JUNE

June 1: NICA Board of Directors nominations due in office.

June 25: NICA West Council nominations due.

JULY

July 15: NICA Board of Directors election ballots go out to voting members.

July 31-August 2: The 19th Annual Florida Festivals and Events Associaton Convention and Trade Show will take place at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, FL

AUGUST

August 15: Directory Updates due in office.

SEPTEMBER

September 30: Board of Directors election ballots due in office.

OCTOBER

October 25-26: Manitoba Association of Ag Societies Annual Convention, Victoria Inn, Brandon, Manitoba

NOVEMBER

November 13-16: Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs Annual Convention, Parkway Plaza Hotel, Casper, Wyoming

DECEMBER

December 8-12: 123rd Annual IAFE Convention and Trade Show, Paris Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada December 8-12: At the IAFE Convention - NICA Board Meeting, WIN Wine & Cheese, NICA President Elect Reception and Regional Meeting December 13-15: Association of Iowa Fairs Annual Convention, Airport Holiday Inn, Des Moines, Iowa

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL UPDATE Members who paid their dues by October 1 will continue to renew in October of each year.

All new members and those who are rejoining will be due in the month that you join.

You may log in to Members Info at www.nicainc.org to verify your status. See Executive Director’s report for more details. Don’t hesitate to call the office (813 438 8926) if we may be of any assistance.

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Celebrating 20 Years of NICA Our History (Continued from March Issue)..

NICA’s initial membership drive was so successful (as shown by the fast growing numbers) due to the hard work and dedication of its membership committee headed by Shelly Patinella, Lou Pacifico and Tony Pacifico. This was the first committee formed. Their contribution was as significant as was that of the Board.

The big day came and what a turn out we had for our first meeting! More than 200 people attended from all over the country. One hundred and twenty-five of these signed as members, a clear indication of the need for this organization. Those attending the meeting had the opportunity to express their concerns by completing survey forms. The results revealed a broad

Blast from the Past:

Can you guess the members in this picture?

spectrum of issues. However, the most frequently voiced concerns were: insurance, deposits, rents, percentages, bookings, appropriately priced services, long term contracts, assignable contracts, D.O.T. regulations, and some method to ensure balanced opportunity for concessions.

Now we were ready to represent independent concessionaires. Our number had grown to 160 by the time NICA board members participated in the Florida Federation of Fairs Annual Meeting in May 1993. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME ANYONE REPRESENTING AN INDEPENDENT CONCESSIONAIRE HAD SPOKEN ON HIS BEHALF! NICA began immediately to make plans to take an active part in the IAFE Convention in Las Vegas in November.

Order your custom collector basket today to celebrate NICA’s 20th Anniversary!

Call the NICA Office 813-438-8926 or visit nicainc.org

$40 10

In the NICA Community New Members Karl Ensign................Brothers Best, MO Scott Swanson .........Event Food Services USA, CA Chase Lewis .............Fifty Fountains, ID Jimmy Baballe ..........Lucky 7 Foods, CA Mike Hoffman ...........Midway Grill, OH Ashley Heelein ..........Parnell Foods, Inc., IL Ron Reeder ...............Sid’s Corn Dogs, IL Cynthia Reeder .........Sid’s Corn Dogs, IL

SEND US YOUR GRADUATION ANNOUNCEMENTS ...For a chance to

be featured in our June issue of the NICA News. Please send your graduation announcement with photo, graduation date, and name of school, to NICA at 1043 E.Brandon Blvd, Brandon, FL 33511 and we’ll feature you in our upcoming Graduation Section.

Please make sure all materials are in the office by May 1st, 2013.

Artwork by:

Dannie Moreland, ‘13

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A Visit to the Florida State Fair

Kylie and Jill Omel ready to have some fun!

Kylie saying “CHEESE!”

Alta Mosley and Griff Gillette, Polar Bear Homemade Ice Cream Parlor

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Sissi La Fratta, Perfection Confections, Inc.

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Kylie Omel on a racecar ride

Tammy Omel and Kaitlyn Loos on a ride.

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Survival Kit at the Florida State Fair NICA would like to give a very big THANK YOU to all the people who helped to raise $2550.00 for a Survival Kit at Tampa. It was sponsored by Richie George, Jimmy LaFratta, O’Brien’s Food Service, The Best Around and Greg Miller. Many kudos go to the ticket sellers, Janie Harris of The Best Around and Kenny White of O’Brien’s Food Service. What a job they did!

The first place winner of the survival kit, was Ted Wentz. Terry Gardner of Carousel Foods won $50 cash for second place. Terry Desin won third place for $20 cash.

Janie Harris and Ted Wentz

Purchase Your Fundraising Deck of Cards Today!

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We must also be sure to THANK all of people who purchased the tickets to make it such a success!■

$10 per deck! To get your WIN Cards now, contact the NICA office (813) 438 438-8926

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Dena, David, Tim, Justine, Carla, SanDee, and Dean O’Brien

Justin Sattler, Tom Sattler, CCE, Tim O’Brien, Alta Mosley, and Jill Omel preparing for the tournament.

Coke Polar Bear Winner

The hats were a hit!

The O’Brien Bowling Tournament

STRIKES SUCCESS!

The O’Brien Bowling Tournament was a striking success for those hearty souls who were able to work all day and play well into the night knowing they would have to be up bright and early to work the next day! Joe Potillo, Jr was a very energetic MC awarding the variety of prizes along with cash for “the next strike or even a spare”. Everyone was given 5 tickets that were used to award the prizes. Each winning ticket allowed its owner to choose from the selection on the table. The Grand Prize, a 7 Day Vacation at a resort of one’s own choosing was won by Dena O’Brien. In fact, “the Luck of the Irish” was with her, as she won on 4 out of her 5 tickets! The Pickle Barrel Team was the most entertaining as each bowler would doff a bright green derby and dance a little jig before bowling. This proved to be a successful FUNdraiser, hopefully one to look forward to next year.

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SanDee O’Brien

Rosie Ash and Tom Sattler, CCE

Randy Reichert

Joe Potillo, Jr. with Bob & Rosie Ash

Carla and Dean O’Brien

Justine O’Brien

David O’Brien

Coke basket winner

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by Frank Parnell, CCE Over the years I have written many articles for the NICA news, some of these articles I was extremely proud of and some of them not so proud. This is the first time I have attempted to write an article that I know with out a doubt, that I will not be able to adequately explain, but this story deserves to be told, so I am going to give it my best shot.

On Friday Dec 14th 2012, Peter Kasins, along with several members of the Showmen’s League of America (SLA), were having their annual Christmas party for the children of the SLA, while at approximately the same time and the same day a thousand miles away, 20 children and 6 adults were being brutally murdered in Newtown, Connecticut. In Chicago there was laughter, smiles, and Santa Claus, while in Newtown there was gunfire, terror, and death. This is a story about one man’s reaction and subsequent action to this horrific event.

When Peter Kasins returned home from the festive Christmas party and heard the news, his heart, like everyone else’s was broken and his brain, like everyone else’s was just unable to comprehend how this horror could have happened.

Saturday morning Peter, like the rest of America, was watching the news, when he heard a psychiatrist say that if these children had something tangible in their hands that they could cling to, it would help them through this crisis.

In my interview with Peter, he said it was as if a light came on and he said to himself I have trucks, I have toys, I know what to do, now all I need to do is get permission. Peter got on the phone and started making calls to Newtown.

He called the Newtown police department and was put in touch with Sgt. Hines of the Newtown Police Dept. He introduced himself and told Sgt. Hines what his intentions were and Sgt. Hines offered any assistance possible. He also was put in touch with Ann Benore, a Newtown social worker, who helped coordinate the effort.

Peter got on the phone with his nephew Kevin Kasins, and his friend Dave Jaros, and started to explain what he wanted to do, but before he could finish the explanation they were yelling into the phone “I’m In, I’m In.” Peter contacted the Showmen’s League of America and the Ideal Toy Company. The Ideal Toy Company donated $1500 worth of toys and the membership sponsored the balance. Peter and his helpers loaded 58 cases, which is over 3,000 toys. And on Tuesday morning at 10 AM Peter, Kevin & Dave left the warehouse in Union Grove, WI and

headed for Newtown. They arrived in Newtown Wednesday morning at 2:30 AM. A trip of 1,000 miles, stopping only for fuel. When they arrived at the Police Dept, they went inside and introduced themselves and the officer there said, “Oh you’re the guys from Illinois,” the officer called for Sgt. Hines, who was on patrol and the Sgt. met them at the station and escorted them to a warehouse. As Peter, Kevin & Dave started to unload the trailer, 9 Newtown Police cars came roaring up and 9 officers said “We’re here to help” Peter asked one of the officers,” don’t you guys have to be out fighting crime,and the officer replied, ”not in Newtown.”

I think that just says it all. Newtown, a quiet town that not many people have ever heard of, suddenly shattered by a senseless act of violence that will forever shadow that town. We can only hope and pray that their recovery will be swift and certain.

Peter, Kevin and Dave unloaded the toys and proceeded to leave Newtown and head back to Illinois, asking only for directions for the nearest place to purchase diesel fuel. One of the officers escorted them to the nearest available diesel fuel. Peter, Kevin and Dave did not stay long enough to meet any of the children or parents, but left with the knowledge of having accomplished a great deal.

Three thousand toys were opened up and laid out in a huge display for the children of Newtown to take for free. A small token of support from Peter and the Showmen’s League.

When they arrived at Newtown, Peter said to me that he experienced “ A feeling you could not explain” He said “the quiet and the sadness was overwhelming.”

One of the other guys said it was as if ghosts were surrounding them. Peter said he could not explain it, but after they unloaded and left, those feelings went away, but the memory of those feelings probably never will.

They traveled 2000 miles in 34 hours to deliver 3000 toys to help mend untold broken hearts. Since the Newtown trip unexpected things have begun to happen to Peter.

The other day Peter was fueling his truck when a man on the other side of the pump asked him if that was the truck that he had seen on TV that went to Newtown? Peter said quietly. “Yes it was.” And the man then turned around to his wife and started shouting “It’s him. It’s him”.

Continued on Next Page>>

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(Continued from East Bound and Down) He had lunch in a restaurant the other day, but the proprietor refused to let him pay. People have been approaching Peter since the news got out and saying to him if you need anything, take my business card and let me know. But I have known Peter Kasins for over 30 years and I know that Peter Kasins did not do this for any recognition for himself.

He saw a need, he was in a position to fill it and that’s what he did. That’s the kind of man he is.

Peter’s daughter asked him what he would like for Christmas, and Peter said “I already have it.” There will be a plaque with the names of the donors, who contributed to the chidren of Newtown permanently placed in the Showmens League Club in Chicago. A permanent reminder of one of the darkest days in our history and of a very heroic response from the showmen of America.

Peter has been nominated by the American Red Cross, for the 2013 disaster hero award. I think he deserves to win it.■

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How The Health Care Reform Act Will Affect NICA Members Written by Steck Johnson It was great to see so many NICA members in Tampa in February. This article is a summary of the workshop I gave entitled How Obama Care Will Affect You. Hopefully when you read the article you’ll have a better idea of how this will work in 2014 when it is really in place.

The Act: The Health Care Reform Act was passed in March of 2010 and was challenged and upheld in the Supreme Court in 2012. It was enacted in 2 phases with a few parts effective in 2010 and a lot more effective January 1, 2014.

In 2010 the law force insurance companies to accept children regardless of preexisting conditions, provide free preventive/wellness checkups, unlimited benefits and the insurance companies had to spend 80% of their premium dollars on medical care or send back a refund check to every policy for the amount they didn’t spend.

How it will work: In 2014 everyone is required to have coverage or they will be taxed up to $695/person.

Everyone will be approved regardless of preexisting health conditions. There will only be four plans levels available and can be purchased through a public exchange run by either your state or if they opt out, the federal government.

You still will have the option of working through an agency or “private” exchange, a health insurance agency. To make it “affordable” there will be $1,000,000,000 ($1 Trillion) of federal tax credit subsidy put into the program. To see if one qualifies for the subsidy, the form to fill out is projected to be 9-13 pages.

You may be asking yourself “how did this happen?” Please remember, I am just the messenger. The “affordable” part of the law comes from the fact that if you earn less than 400% of the poverty level you will get some help paying for the coverage. For a single person this is in the $46,500 range but varies based on family size. The problem for many will be how expensive the coverage may be. The IRS estimate for a family of 5 on the least expensive plan will cost $20,000/year.

What makes it confusing: The original legislation was over 2000 pages but the additional clarification pages are now over 7000. The plans in 2014 will have benefits including maternity, behavioral health, drug plans, and more whether you need or want them.

You will pay for the additional benefits regardless of your situation. The confusing part is that the benefits have not been clarified as to how much will be covered. By October 1, 2013 we will know because that is when the exchanges will be open for business. We are a long way from knowing the pricing or details.

The Good: If you are low income or sick you will like the plan. If you couldn’t get coverage in the past because of preexisting conditions you will be able to get coverage.

The new plan have unlimited coverage. If you are poor, are unable to work you’ll have coverage or have a low income tax credit that will be applied to your premium.

The government will pay some portion or even your entire premium. You’ll get a small break as you get closer to 65 relative to everyone else. Wellness checkups will be free.

Tobacco use is the only reason that two new identical plans will vary in price, not health.

The Bad: If you don’t like expensive government programs or new taxes and if you are healthy you probably won’t like the Health Care Reform Act. The new plans are going to be expensive. Current estimates are anywhere from 50%200% higher compared to this year. Why so expensive? All the healthy people who know better will already be on a plan currently or get on one while they can with mostly healthy people. Healthy people as a group have far less medical claims so there are less expenses and lower premiums.

No one knows how this all will play out as it hasn’t happened yet. The government doesn’t know where the money will come from. If you pay income tax…you do the math, someone is going to pay for this. You’ll be paying higher premiums for benefits that others will use but you may not. It does not matter; you have no choice over how the four plans are set up.

Will this affect me and how? It will affect everyone.

Premiums are going up if you have coverage and if not you’ll need to get coverage or you will face being taxed yearly up to $695/person/year that you claim on your tax return. The tax will start out at $95 in 2014 over $300 in 2015 and $695/person in 2016. On a family of 4 this equals $2780/year if not on a compliant health plan. If you have a big operation of over 50 employees you may face additional penalties if you don’t have a group plan for your employees. This is a discussion of it’s own and we don’t have enough space to cover it here.

Summary: The legislation discussed in this article is confusing. If you are confused at this point or angry it is understandable and normal. Below is a list of suggestions that you may want to consider. If you have a trusted insurance agent call them and ask them to advise you.

They should know what coverage you currently have.

If you have had a plan for years prior to March 2010 get it reviewed if you haven’t already done so. If you are on a company employee benefit group plan you should be OK but check to be sure. If you aren’t sure who your insurance agent is and want someone to take a look at it, contact me. If you don’t have coverage, get something before it gets much more expensive in 2014. If you have questions or if you or your employees need to get some insurance coverage just call text, or email me.

Steck Johnson is with Health care Solutions Team. He can be reached at 615-771-8277 office, 615-429-8590 mobile or steck.johnson@aplanforeveryone.com

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NICA: From Coast to Coast By: Randy Reichert

At the 2013 South Florida Fair in West Palm Beach, Phil Delahoyde, a food concessionaire from Northern California, had the opportunity to attend the fair for the full 17-day duration.

Phil was asked to compare and contrast the overall food concession industry from the West Coast to the East Coast.

In comparing the South Florida Fair to a California fair of the same size Phil indicated that there were many more food stands in Florida. For example, a similar size fair in California might have 7-8 Corn Dog trailers where in Florida there were 12-14, and there were 12-14 pizza trailers in Florida where in California the amount would be half. He feels the California fairs do a much better job of regulating the amount of food and thus help insuring the success of each concessionaire.

In discussing the quality of the concession trailers Phil felt the overall quality and variety of the trailers in Florida was at a higher level. The trailers had more lights, chrome, and stainless. Whereas, out West the Billboard model concession trailer is very popular, but there are still a number of older wood framed trailers still at the fairs. They have a number of trailers at the high end, but a larger gap between the higher quality and lower quality trailers.

Phil noted that he was surprised how the food concession trailers had very little room for outside prep or stock areas. In California, the majority of the locations have, “backyards”, a room for stock behind their trailer.

Phil, by concessionaire standards, is a young concessionaire who is following his father into the

business. Similar to the overall industry, he says that not many young people are getting into the business anymore. The majority of growth is an extension of an existing family business. This is a trend not only exclusive to the West, but found throughout the United States. Due to costs, it is virtually impossible to begin a concession business from scratch today.

In speaking about the health departments, California has its own set of regulations that includes tiny window openings and no stick joints. These regulations make presentation less entertaining to the fairgoer. For example, grill and meat presentations are virtually nonexistent, the fairgoer cannot get up-close to see their food being prepared, the up-close flash of a lemon shake-up doesn’t happen, the fairgoer does not have the opportunity to walk up to a window and be nose-to-nose with a block of cheese being cut or potatoes being cut into curly fries or chips. This is why the majority of trailers have the California counters that take up more space and add an extra barrier between the concession operation and the customer.

In speaking with Phil, we found the rising costs of doing business a challenge not only for the concessionaires, but the whole fair industry. Each part of the country has its unique features and we can learn from each other, but at the same time we cannot all become “vanilla ice cream”. NICA was formed for the independent concessionaire, but by compromising our uniqueness and independence we lose our flavor and become, “vanilla ice cream”.

How long can a fairgoer have excitement and entertainment with only “vanilla ice cream”?■ Aerial Photo taken at the 2013 South Florida Fair

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JERRY & GLINDA PRICE of Fiske Concessions

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A CONCESSIONAIRE AND NICA MEMBER? Fiske Concessions is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year. It was started by my grandparents in 1938. I first started working with them when I was twelve. I had my first French fry trailer to myself in 1968. Today we have twenty food concessions. As far as NICA, my wife, Glinda and I were at the first meeting in 1993 with Gene O’Brien and Larry Orme in the Tampa arena.

WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU REMEMBER ABOUT NICA? The sincerity in the founders wanting to help the concessionaires; giving independent concessionaires a voice.

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HOW AND WHY DID YOU GET IN THE CONCESSION BUSINESS? Jerry: Through my grandparents Glinda: Through my marriage. I used to be a high school English teacher.

HOW HAS THE CONCESSION BUSINESS CHANGED SINCE YOU FIRST STARTED OUT? WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU WISH WOULD CHANGE? There’s far more red tape and government regulations than there were years ago.

WHAT’S YOUR BEST SELLING FOOD ITEM? We are absolutely known for French fries. Of our twenty trailers, twelve of them are French fries.

WHAT’S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER? The people we meet across the country. Seeing kids grow up and bring the next generation of French fry eaters to see us.

WHAT’S SOMETHING PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU OR FISKE CONCESSIONS? Most of our employees have been with us fifteen years or more, so we consider them all family more so than workers.

WHAT’S BEEN MOST INFLUENTIAL TO YOUR PERSONAL OR BUSINESS SUCCESS WITHIN THE PAST FIVE YEARS? The fact that God has taken us through, despite the mistakes we’ve made. We’re very grateful.

WHAT’S THE FUNNIEST THING THAT’S HAPPENED IN YOUR CONCESSION CAREER? We’re funny enough without remembering the specifics!

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR FREE TIME? We like to read. We’re on the road from January to April and then late May to November, so when we get home all we want to do is relax with a good book for the little break we get.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT NICA? The fact that they listen to everyone and does its best to help everyone in the organization. With NICA, we all succeed.

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR? This year is a challenging time. We’re experimenting with the Cheese Bite Business. (Pictured above) They’re doing pretty well for just starting!

ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH NICA MEMBERS? Just that we need to help each other. It’s important that we work with the fair officials and carnival owners because now is a challenging time for everyone.

Together We Can!

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SUPPLIER OF THE MONTH: Fare Foods/Porter Foods Interview with Audrey Poole

January-April. We service all the fairs in the South at this time. We use mid November thru December to prepare for next season, meet with our vendors to research new potential items, and prepare our customers for the next season.

The Fare Foods/Porter Foods team at the 2013 Food Show

GIVE US A LITTLE HISTORY ON FARE FOODS: 1993 was the beginning of Fare Foods. I had a vision of supplying the concessionaires to their mobile locations.

It all began on the fairgrounds in Tulsa, Oklahoma where the first load of supplies were delivered. While making the delivery in Tulsa, Bill McKinney drove up in his truck and wanted to know when the next delivery would be.

That was the beginning of Fare Foods.

My father, Raymond Porter, started the family business in 1958 as Porter Produce. At that time, the business concentrated their sales on schools and restaurants.

As the market became more competitive, it became apparent a new business niche needed to be developed and that is how Fare Foods was established.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A NICA MEMBER & HOW HAS IT INFLUENCED YOUR BUSINESS? Fare Foods has been a NICA member since 1994. We have been able to grow our business through the support of our customers and vendors. Many of our customers are NICA members.

WHAT’S SOMETHING FARE FOODS IS KNOWN FOR? Fare Foods was built on Service and Delivery. Our goal is to service our customers to the best of our ability and we strive for a 100% service level. Our customers can rely on us delivering to them at their events and fulfilling their needs.

WHAT’S YOUR BUSIEST TIME OF THE YEAR? Fare Foods operates on two seasons. We have a warehouse in DuQuoin, Illinois that we operate year around; however, our busiest time is July-October when the State Fairs are held in the Mid-West. We also have a warehouse in Tampa, Florida that we operate from

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WHAT’S THE BEST PART ABOUT YOUR JOB? I like challenges so the logistics aspect of the business is what I enjoy most. We have based our business on the customer’s trust knowing that we will deliver to them each week wherever they go. At times this is challenging; however, with our great team of drivers and our own fleet of trucks, we are able to accomplish this. I also enjoy working with our customers and developing long term relationships.

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU’RE LOOKING MOST FORWARD TO THIS YEAR? Myself, and the staff of Fare Foods, are committed to growing our business and forming long term partnerships with our vendors that support our Food Show. Our vendors have done an exceptional job supporting us throughout the past years, and we are very grateful for their continued support. Without their support, the Food Show would not be possible.

HOW FAR OUT DO YOU START PLANNING THE FARE FOODS FOOD SHOW IN TAMPA? We start planning the Fare Foods Food Show a year in advance. Plans were well underway for the 2014 Food Show before the 2013 show had ended. With our partnership with NICA, we have been able to continue to expand the show each year and it just keeps getting better. We had a goal when we started doing the Food Show and that goal was to be able to give back to the Food Show attendees allowances at the end of the year. In 2012, Fare Foods paid out over $100,000.00 in allowances to those customers that attended the Food Show. Allowances are available at the Food Show on various items that our vendors showcase. Without our vendor’s support, this would not be possible. We have developed long-term relationships with our vendors and these allowances continue to grow.

We look forward to the 2013 Food Show allowance payout to be even greater! Mark your calendars and make sure to attend the 2014 Fare Foods Food Show/ NICA Business Expo on February 3rd and 4th, 2014 in Tampa, Florida.

On Location at Miami-Dade County Fair – Miami, FL

“We are on our way to your next Event!”

HOW HAS THE BUSINESS CHANGED SINCE YOU FIRST STARTED? The markets continue to become more competitive and the price of fuel keeps rising. Who would have thought we would have ever seen fuel at over $4.00 a gallon?

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT NICA? I enjoy working with the Board of Directors and the Executive Director of NICA to continue growing member benefits. Our partnership with NICA is long term. I have enjoyed meeting many new members since I first became a NICA member in 1994.

WHAT’S SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT FARE FOODS? Most people are not logistically aware of the area that we service. We delivered to over 39 states and over 4000 events in 2012. We continue to add more events to our calendar each year.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH NICA MEMBERS? Continue to support the organization. NICA continues to strive to generate member benefits for the concessionaires. The partnership that Fare Foods and NICA have developed over the years still continues to grow and has become very beneficial to our customers and NICA members. ■

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Membership Contest 2013 General Membership Brett Rubert .....................................1 Dan Lusenhop .................................1 David Koretsky ................................1 Doug Guinsler..................................1 Fare Foods ......................................1 Heather Sattler ................................3 Janet Hill ..........................................1 Jennifer Giordano ............................2 Judy Henbury ..................................2 Lucky Henner ..................................2 Mark Neagles ..................................2 Mike Beaver.....................................1 Missy Pfile .......................................1 Randy Riechert ................................1 Russ Harrison ..................................1 Sharonne Laws................................1 Sysco ...............................................1

NICA Rep Dannie Moreland .............................4

Board of Directors Greg Miller .......................................1 David Penn ......................................1 Tony Trafton .....................................2

Administration Office ...............................................9 Rey O'Day .......................................1

PRIZES

* Carnival Cruise Package - (valued over $1500) a drawing will be held for all the members who refer new/former members in 2013. For every new/former member referred, the recruiting member will receive 1 chance to win the Carnival Cruise. * $500 Cash - For every new/former member referred, the recruiting member will receive 1 chance to win the $500. * NICA National Rep Contest - Winner will receive $500 cash and is eligible to win any of the above-mentioned prizes.

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National Independent Concessionaires Association, Inc.

Date

1043 E. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, FL 33511 (O) 813-438-8926 • (F) 813-438-8928 email: nica@nicainc.org • www.nicainc.org

For Office Use Only

#

NICA MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

q Mr. q Mrs.

q Ms.

Last

First

Name of business Physical address

City

State

Zip

Mailing address

City

State

Zip

Permanent tel. no. (

)

Fax no.

Cell phone no. (

)

E-mail

Paperless: q Yes q No

Website

I agree to get my renewal invoices sent by email. Please provide email address. Referred by

Please fill out the below information as ACCURATELY and DETAILED as possible. INFORMATION and KEY WORDS provided below will be used for your entry in the NICA Annual Membership Directory as well used as key words to search for your business on the NICA website.

Annual Membership Fees INDEPENDENT CONCESSIONAIRE

ASSOCIATE

q New NICA Members.......................... ........................$125 q Spousal member.........................................................$75 q Employee (non-voting).................................................$50

q Fair/Festival over 75,000 attendance........................$125

Voting membership available to any person who is an independent concessionaire.

Please check a category below and provide a detailed description of the services your company provides.

q Commercial exhibits q Food

q Games q Retail

q Attractions/Entertainment

_________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Concessionaire General Routing Information

Please list all states where you conduct your concession business.

_________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Mail Check or Money Order to NICA at 1043 E. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, FL 33511 q Visa q Mastercard q American Express

A person or entity who provides services to the concession industry.

q Fair/Festival under 75,000 attendance......................$75 q Manufacturer/Distributor/Industry Supplier..............$125 q Carnival Operator..........................................................$125 Please provide a detailed description of the services your organization/company provides. _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

Visit our website for NICA Membership Benefits www.nicainc.org

I understand that my application is subject to final approval by the NICA Board of Directors. I also understand that if my application is not accepted, the amount paid will be refunded to me. If accepted for membership in NICA, I hereby agree to abide by its by-laws and rules.

Credit card no.

Security Code

Expiration Date

Applicant’s signature

Date

Spousal signature

Date

TOTAL:__________________ (spousal signature required when both are joining)

Signature of credit card holder The NICA sponsored $10,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance Policy is automatically provided to all Independent Concessionaire Members.

Spouse’s first name

Spouse’s last name (please print)

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NICA News

National Independent Concessionaires Association, Inc. 1043 E. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, FL 33511 Time Sensitive Mail ~ April 2013 Issue

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PRSRT STD U. S. POSTAGE PAID STEVENS POINT WI PERMIT NO. 272