October 2012 NICA News by NICA Inc.

NICA News October 2012

National Independent Concessionaires Association

CONTENTS OCTOBER 2012

FEATURES Concessionaire of the Month

Milo Franks, Milo & Son Enterprises, Inc.

Supplier of the Month

I-State Fairs

Swanel Beverages, Ron Musial

Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, & the NICA Auction

NEWS President’s Message 4 By Greg Miller, CCE Executive Director’s Report 5 By Barbara Hensinger, CFE A Message From Justin Sattler 6 Events Calendar & October Fairs 9 First Look at Las Vegas Convention 17 Work Begins on NICA MidWest 18 NICA Website Updates 20 More From the Orange County Fair 23 New Members 22 Concessionaire Travels 24

ADVERTISERS Allied Specialty Insurance 21 Asset Preservation 25 Audio Innovators 22 Coca-Cola 2 Firestone Financial 21 Haas & Wilkerson 26 Heinkel's Packing Co. 6 Midway Stainless 22 Mr. G’s Quality Meats 8 COVER PHOTO By Notley Hawkins Taken at the Missouri State Fair http://www.notleyhawkins.com/ 3

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Greg Miller, CCE The 2012 season is flying by. It seems like yesterday we were getting the equipment ready to head out on our Florida route. The memories of this season include heat, rain, and a few bad storms. I have met a lot of new folks this year and enjoyed visits with many of my old friends. Speaking of old friends, it amazes me when you see some friends only once or twice a year, but as you catch up on things in their life it feels like you see them every day. Of course with Facebook and Twitter I seem to stay more in tune with what everyone is doing. The NICA office staff has been working hard this summer. Normally the office is slow this time of year. However, with the launch of the new web site and membership renewals they have been very busy. If you have not checked out the new web site, I suggest you take a look at www.nicainc.org. The switch to an annual membership renewal to October 1 for everyone will take a lot of work this year but will streamline the office for the future. They are also working on the 2013 directory which takes a great deal of time to put together. We have been planning our activities for the IAFE convention. Barb has been working closely with Kate Turner from the IAFE office to plan our activities. NICA is fortunate to have such a positive working relationship with their organization. The IAFE is planning a great event and I hope to see several of our members at the convention My closing thoughts for this month comes from a conversation I had with Kevin McGrath. The past Labor Day weekend, I was working multiple locations with multiple units. I was complaining to Kevin about having too much to do. He reminded me how fortunate I was to have a route and equipment to cover those spots. He is right! Sometimes we forget how hard those locations are to find and fail to find pleasure in what we do. Be safe in your travels

Greg

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

OFFICERS

President......Greg Miller, CCE 1st Vice-President......Tom Sattler, CCE 2nd Vice-President......Tim O’Brien, CCE Secretary......Joe Potillo, Jr. Treasurer......David Penn

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Russ Harrison, CCE

Directors:

Rose Marie Ash Paulette Keene Don Kenna Justin Sattler Tony Trafton, CCE

Past President’s Council 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

Barbara Hensinger, CFE - barb@nicainc.org

Membership Coordinator Jill Omel - nica@nicainc.org

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

NICA WEST Office: Executive Manager

Rey O’Day 951-315-6623 • imreyqoe@gmail.com 2130 Walnut St. La Verne, CA 91750

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT The October issue already, I can’t believe that my first year at NICA is drawing to a close. I feel I have learned a great deal over the past year. I have learned a great deal over the past year. For the most part it has been a lot of fun. During the past year, we have had many challenges as the office has taken on many new plans and activities. I have to say NICA has a great team here in Brandon, working hard to make the organization a success. Jill Omel is a jewel and NICA would have a difficult time without her friendly greeting and ability to remember many details about each member. She has stepped to the plate during the past year, taking on additional duties and helping in many ways. One of her major projects over the past few months has been the moving of all the member data files and all the web information to a new system. I think the membership will have to agree that the new web site brings so much more to NICA. If you like how it works please let Jill know. If you have concerns, please let me know so we can work to address them. Another shining star for NICA is Rey O”Day. Rey does a fabulous job working with our NICA West membership. She always has good insights and is great on the details. Once again, Rey and the NICA West are working hard to get the NICA / SYSCO Food Show completely booked for the 2013 WFA convention. The NICA West Council would be lost without Rey. I always have to smile when I get her voice mail, which states “Remember how we spend our minutes is how we spend our lives; so I am looking forward to the minutes.” The NICA office would not run without our ace volunteer SanDee O”Brien. SanDee has taught me so much about the formation of NICA and the rich heritage of so many of our founding concessionaire members. She truly is one of the pillars of this organization. Our other NICA team members are Kaitlyn Loos, our graphic artist and Terry Bonnell, Executive Manager for the Mid West Council. Kaitlyn is new to the concessionaire / fair industry. This is her second issue of the NICA News. I think she is doing a fantastic job. Please let her know if you agree. To learn more about Kaitlyn, read the article in this issue. Terry Bonnell should be a familiar name to many of you. He is the former Treasurer to the IAFE and manager of the Allegan County Fair. Terry is working with our members in the Mid-West states to form a council, similar to the NICA West Council. It is the hope of the NICA Board that regional councils will help to strengthen the NICA organization and assist regional members in addressing local issues. Check out Terry’s thoughts in his article.

NICA MIDWEST Office: Executive Manager

Last but not least, is our bookkeeper, Christine Picanza. Christine joins us one day a week in the office. She is a pro with QuickBooks. She does an excellent job making sure our finances are in tip top shape.

NICA WEST EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

I think all of our members would agree that your NICA team is working hard for you. They truly reflect the “Together We can” founding principle.

Terry Bonnell 269-806-5108 terrybonnellconsulting@gmail.com

Don Delahoyde, CCE Jennifer Giordano Judy Henbury, CCE Lucky Henner Don Long, CCE Dan Lusenhop Dale Smith Tony Trafton, CCE

Best wishes to all and as always, Safe travels!

Barbara Hensinger, CFE 5

A MESSAGE FROM JUSTIN SATTLER Hello to everyone, as we approach the fall, I hope everyone has had a good summer. With that said, now is a good time to start making plans to attend one of our industries most popular events, which is the IAFE Convention in Las Vegas Nov. 25-29th, 2012. The NICA Board works with the IAFE to plan a wide variety of events, such as such as round table discussions and workshops which include NICA members and are focused on issues that impact both fairs and concessionaires. We also schedule a NICA board meeting, NICA National Rep meeting and a joint meeting of the NICA Advisory Council (fair managers) and the NICA Board. The IAFE also hosts many other events showcasing nationally known speakers and entertainers especially at their opening ceremony. NICA takes time to shine during this convention when we host our annual WIN Wine and Cheese Fundraiser, and the Incoming President's Reception. I would greatly encourage all of our members to attend this wonderful event. As a National Representative and a current board member I have been very fortunate to be able attend this convention for the last four years, and already looking forward to it again this year. I always learn a great deal and it is a great time to catch up with old friends and make some new ones.

Have any cute family costume photos? Your concession decorated for fall? Pumpkin patch pictures? Corn Mazes? Send us your best for a chance to be featured in the NICA November News! Please send to graphics@nicainc.org by October 11th!

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MEMBER FAIRS GEORGIA NATIONAL FAIR . October 4 -14, 2012 Perry, GA

ARKANSAS STATE FAIR October 12 - 21, 2012 Little Rock, AR

WESTERN CAROLINA STATE FAIR FOUNDATION, INC.

NICA DATES OCTOBER 15: CCE application due

NOVEMBER 25: NICA Board of Directors meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada

NOVEMBER 26-29:

123rd Annual IAFE Convention and Trade Show Paris Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

NOVEMBER 26:

Women In NICA Wine & Cheese Get-Together Paris Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

October 18 - October 27, 2012 Aiken, SC

NOVEMBER 27:

GREATER BATON ROUGE STATE FAIR ALLEGAN COUNTY FAIR

NOVEMBER 28:

October 25 - November 4, 2012 Baton Rouge, LA

NICA President's Reception Paris Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

NICA Advisory Board Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada

JANUARY 20-23:

Western Fairs Association Annual Convention including NICA/SYSCO Food Show, Reno, Nevada

FEBRUARY 4-6:

NICA Business Expo and Fare Foods Food Show, Embassy Suites, Tampa, Florida *Would you like your large event listed in the NICA News? Just make sure to update your event hours/ dates on NICAInc.org!

FEBRUARY 6:

Annual Membership Meeting, Tampa, Florida

FEBRUARY 13:

(Tentative) The O’Brien BowlingTournament

INDIANA, IOWA, & ILLINOIS state fairs

Dennis Merigian, Merigian’s Caramel Corn Inc. @ the Illinois State Fair

Mike & Lisa Kinnear, Dawghouse Concessions, with Kevin McGrath, The Best Around @ the Iowa State Fair

David Spann, Erma’s Sweet Rolls @ the Illinois State Fair

NICA Auction @ the Indiana State Fair

The Illinois State Fair 2012

SanDee Oâ€™Brien, Kevin McGrath and Gayle McGrath chatting with two Iowa State Fair Board Members @ the Iowa State Fair

David Koepp, Colonial Nut Roll Co. @ the Iowa State Fair

Barbara Hensinger and SanDee O’Brien with Barb Smith, Good Food Concession Group, @ the Iowa State Fair

The Iowa State Fair 2012

Rollie McCubbin (right) with new concessionaire manager, Mike Nye (left) @ the Iowa State Fair

The Donut Family, Inc @ the Illinois State Fair

Tim O’Brien, Jay Rounds, and David Penn @ the Indiana State Fair

Randy’s Cow @ the Indiana State Fair

NICA Auction @ the Indiana State Fair

THE SUN SHINES ON THE “I” STATE FAIRS Warm, sunny days greeted NICA concessionaires at the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa State Fairs. The weather was a welcome relief to the very hot days all three states had battled earlier in the summer. NICA Executive Director Barb Hensinger, and Ace Volunteer SanDee O’Brien traveled to all three fairs in August. “It was a great experience.” reported Hensinger, “This was my first visit to the Illinois and Iowa State Fairs. They are fantastic events. I also enjoyed connecting with some old friends at the Indiana State Fair.” Barb and SanDee toured all three fairgrounds and had an opportunity to stop and chat with many of our NICA members. NICA members reported good sales at all three events. At Iowa and Illinois, most concessionaires thought that the crowds should have been stronger given the wonderful weather. In Illinois, members voiced concerns that a third increase in the gate price in the last few years could be having a negative impact on attendance. The Indiana State Fair hosted a NICA Auction. The event was great fun, Board member David Penn and Past President Tom Hodson, worked very hard to organize the event. Tim O’Brien and Jay Rounds served as great comedian auctioneers. Lot of laughs and participants generated over $3000 for NICA. Danny Moreland and Ron Smith also supplied the midnight snacks for all. The State Fair was a great supporter of the event; supplying a building for us to meet, and donating a camping spot, a beautiful framed print of the fairgrounds and one of the wonderful cows which greeted fair patrons from the roof of the information booth to auction off. Randy Reichart was the lucky bidder who got to the take the cow home. We have to wonder what Randy is going to do with that cow. NICA appreciates all the support from the Indiana Fair!

NICA members is the positive working relationship with Concession Manager Rollie McCubbin. Rollie has been a great friend to NICA, hosting an active communications committee and supporting many NICA activities. He will be retiring this year and celebrated his last year as Concession Manager. Barb and SanDee were able to visit with Rollie and the new concession manager Mike Nye during their visit. “We are glad to report that Rollie is excited to start his next adventure and thanked NICA for our support during his tenure” said Hensinger. ■

Concessionaires reported good crowds at the Illinois State Fair and wonderful weather. Tim O’Brien put together a survival kit and “future” directors Alan McKinney, Cody O’Brien and Jimmy Swain sold the tickets. Illinois State Fair Concessionaire Manger, Pam McFarland pulled the winning ticket which was held by Alan McKinney. Many concessionaires participated and raised over $1600 for NICA. Iowa State Fair, as always, was a good event for concessionaires. One of the wonderful things about the Iowa Fair for

Pam McFarland, Alan McKinney, Cody O’Brien, and Adam McKinney with the Survival Kit

MILO FRANKS of Milo & Son Enterprises By Ken McKnight (of Reno’s Fish and Chips, Inc.) for Nica News Other than Drag Racing or his family there is nothing Milo Franks would rather be doing then making Corn Dogs and Pizza. But, how do you put 40 plus years into a few pages and do Milo justice? Well, simply listen to him to start with. He is the voice of experience: a veteran of our Fair world. Here is a man with a big heart, a plethora of great ideas, a wicked sense of humor and a fast racecar driver. To the theme of “Who Let the Dogs Out,” reverberating over the Cal Expo Promenade Stage PA system, Milo’s 2012 Corn Dog Eating Contest at the State Fair is underway to thunderous cheers! Ken: You sponsor the corn dog-eating contest, how much fun is that? Milo: It's crazy isn’t it? Ken: There must have been 3,000 people watching at Cal Expo. Milo: That’ll be my guess Ken: How did you come up with the idea? Milo: Well actually it was a maintenance man up in the Shasta District Fair who came to me with the idea. So I approached fair management there and at first they weren’t interested. But then the Tehama District Fair Manager, Mark Eidman, who is a friend says, “Let’s do it!” So we promoted this thing and it was a hit. Ken: Now how long ago was that? Milo: I think it would be four years ago. It’s rolling pretty well. This one at the State Fair, this is only our second year, and I boosted that prize money up a little bit to try to get the pros in. Where I went wrong was that I didn’t give enough money for second and third place. Once the pros found out that a certain guy was coming and they knew they couldn’t beat him, they would not enter. They want the big money. Next year I am crazy enough where I am going to entice these guys and this thing is going to get big. It is going to be even more fun! Ken: How many Corndogs did the winner eat and how fast? Milo: 20 corn dogs in 8 minutes.

Ken: Have you ever computed how many miles you’ve driven in this business? Milo: Uh no, but I’ll tell you an interesting detail, I’ve done the State Fair for 43 consecutive years, and I figured it out, it was like 6 years of my life, I don’t mean 8 to 5 MondayFriday, I’m talking about 24/7, six years of my life, I’ve spent on this fairgrounds alone. Ken: How many fairs are you currently doing? Milo: I think nine. But we’re working on doing more, especially now with my son Travis coming on board. We have recently built a new trailer, I think it’s pretty dynamic, and so we are working on more locations. I’m hoping Travis is going to take over the whole operation and I can kind of, you know, just stay in the background more. I’m feeling really good, so its time. Ken: You have four stands? Milo: I have four. Ken: And they run through all those different fairs? Milo: Well no, different numbers in different fairs. The next fair we go to I have one trailer in and that’s up in Booneville,

which is the Mendocino County Fair. And I have been there so long they named a tree after me. Ken: So who built the new stand? Milo: Well, I have two new stands. The one with the LED screen, the big one, was built by Jeff Swartz’s Hitch-Hiker Manufacturing in Ohio. Ken: They designed it? Milo: No I designed it. Ken: The whole thing? Milo: Well I shouldn’t say I did but Jeff and I did together but yes it’s mostly my footprint. Ken: How many children do you have? Milo: I have 5 children. The oldest is Holly, then Heidi, Noelle, Travis and daughter Jodi. Holly was born the same year I started this business. All of a sudden I owned a business; I had a wife and a baby - just like that! Talk about growing up! So I sold my racecar and that was hard to do, because I love to drag race. But they have all been worth it. Maybe I will race again soon! Ken: Was this the Long Beach Drags?

Milo: Yes. Ken: Did you race at Fontana and San Fernando as well? Milo: Keep going, we did them all. Lions drag strip. Orange County Raceway out in [Hutton] road, that was like my track. And then we did Irwindale but no Fontana. We used to go out to Bob’s Big Boy’s out in Van Nuys and cruise. I wouldn’t even start the motor for even less than $100 a race back then. Ken: How did you get into this business? Milo: A good friend of mine was a drag racer, he had this really nice car, a nice family, a house, and he never seemed to work. We were street racers. I was part of a club called the Qualifiers 2 out of Long Beach which was a prestige club back then. I mean we were fast and we had some awesome cars. Honestly, I would go home Friday night from school and pull the motor out of my car and then put in my racing motor for the weekend. Sunday night I would take it back out and put in my other motor. Ken: You were that fast! Milo: I was that fast. I’m just a 19-year-old kid at the time

and I finally asked my drag racing friend, “What do you do for a living?” he goes, “I sell corn dogs in the summertime.” I asked him, “How do I get in on that?” His dad had Icee Cup stands like the one that Greg Swanson has now. I actually sold that one to Greg.

turned into a light bulb, like “I’ve got an idea!” so I sat next to him and by the end of that evening I was the proud owner of two Corn Dog stands.. That’s when I picked up Fresno, Pleasington, and then all of a sudden, things started getting big before me.

Ken: You sold the Icee to Greg? Milo: To Greg, yes! I bought it from a man named Leo Baker, Back in 1970, actually I bought it in ’69, and then I took possession of it in the spring of 1970. Leo Baker was from Pomona. He had permanent stands in Pomona. It was a pretty big operation. He had made all his money during the war, in a mattress factory, which made the mattresses for all the Pacific Fleet in the Navy... He’s the one that built that big 40-foot long hot dog. He had very unique stands, like that Icee Cup I bought that from him. I gave him $10,000. Which back then…

I also had a side business deal way back then, and that was to make Pizza kits. My partners were Charles Schultz, the Peanuts Cartoon originator, and Bill Graham, the Rock Promoter. I was the brains, because I was the pizza guy. We partnered up with a product called “Moon Bread” which was the kit sold thru Kiosks at Food 4 Less stores in Northern California. The product came packaged with dough and toppings, whatever you wanted in a proportioned package. They had this plan to sell Moon Bread nationwide and I got cold feet and they simply wouldn’t listen

Ken: Would be a lot of money! Milo: A lot of money, you could buy three cars for $10,000 then! Once I bought that, I remember my very first fair. It was called the Teenage Fair at the Hollywood Palladium. I can’t remember but I think I paid $700 rent; I either paid $700 or grossed $800 or the other way around. I don’t remember but I lost my butt! And the second one we went up to was at the Corona Raceway and Leo, who was my mentor, love the man dearly, he told me, “Don’t ever set up on dirt”. He says it’s not good if you set them up on dirt. Of course I was 20 years old and I’m going for it, I need the money! Ken: And this is with corn dogs? Milo: No, no we’re doing the Icee. But at our next event we went to Los Banos, and man we finally hit one, you know it was great, I paid a $100 rent and I can remember I had $1500 in my box when that fair was over. And back then $1500 was half of a car! You know, I was making $1.35 an hour, and all of a sudden I went out in one week and made $1500! So the following year there’s this old guy and his wife, Georgia and Nor, I believe was their names, and they had a motor home that caught fire and they were pulling their corn dog trailer and the fire scorched the trailer, it didn’t burn it down but only scorched it. Well, Leo knew I was pretty handy so he fronted me $2300. He financed the trailer for me and that’s when I started the Corn Dog business. So I really started the corn dog business probably in ’72. Ken: So were you competing against Dave Barham and Hot Dog On A Stick? Milo: Well, yeah, he was around but I mean I was no competition. I remember when I got that trailer in Yuba City and Booneville; you know little fairs up here in the north, nothing big. He was doing all the big fairs. My first time I went up against him was I think about 1976. 1976 was also pivotal to me as a big year because there was a man named Les Larson, he was a pretty big operator with big trailers and he sold them to a couple guys who couldn’t make ends meet and so he re-possessed them. And I’ll never forget, I walked into a meeting at the Alameda County Fair and I looked out in the audience just to see who was there and I looked at this man and his face literally

Ken: There must have been a lot of friends and characters you have encountered along the way? Milo: Well that’s the sad part. Many of my friends are either retired or are no longer with us. Yeah, there’s not many left from those days. Some of the current characters that I go back with would be Lucky Henner, Jess Fraser and Charlie and Nick from [Ovations]. I knew those two when they used to work for Bill Graham. Ken: Who practically built the Winterland Ballroom and everything else in the San Francisco Rock scene. Milo: Charlie and Nick had the concession stands for Graham. Ken: So do you feel like a dinosaur now? Milo: No. Ken: Do you feel like the guy who is carrying the torch or a mentor to some of the younger people? Milo: I suppose so. Ken: You ever help out? Milo: Oh absolutely! – Anybody can come to me and I’ll help advise him or her. Ken: So any new food in your future? Milo: No, not my future. My son yes, he’s hitting me up all the time. Ken: Have you done any other food? Milo: I had hamburgers and hot dogs and all that, and I said let’s simplify this: corn dogs, pizza, and cotton candy – and that’s all we’re going to do. I had a hamburger stand right at the State Fair that was really doing big numbers. And I just walked away from it. I realized I either had to make a bigger unit and do it right or walk away from it. There’s nothing easier than a corn dog! We knew that. And the pizza deal was always good. Now I make my own dough from scratch. Ken: What would you like to see happen in the fair industry and the food concession industry? Milo: Now that the funding in California is so bad, I would like to see management start getting a little more creative to bring in more people. That would help up our grosses. You know I love writing a check to the fair? That means we are making money. ■

NICA ON THE ROAD TO VEGAS The NICA Board and office are busy planning NICA activities to be held in Las Vegas during the IAFE Convention. “We have a great agenda of events that I am sure many of our members will find fun and educational” said President Greg Miller. This year NICA will be presenting a workshop “Here to There and What is in Between” which will be a panel discussion on ideas on improving the fairgrounds to enhance commerce for everyone - fairs, concessionaires and the carnivals. The workshop will be moderated by President Miller. NICA will also be hosting two round table discussions; “Food: What’s Hot – What’s Not” moderated by Don Kenna and Paulette Keane, and “Use of Credit Cards &iPhone Apps for Purchases” moderated by Tom Sattler. On Monday evening, the Women in NICA a Wine and Cheese Get Together in the NICA Suite and Tuesday evening will be the President’s Reception to congratulate

incoming President Tom Sattler. This event will also be held in the NICA Suite. Please put both of these activities on your Vegas agenda. The NICA Booth will be in the hall by registration this year. Please stop by and catch up with friends and let us know what is happening in your corner of the world. “We are excited to once again be a strong presence at the IAFE Convention and we hope many of our NICA friends will join us there” said First Vice President Tom Sattler.

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WORK BEGINS ON NICA MIDWEST!

One of the long term goals of the NICA Strategic Plan was to implement a nationwide support system to help NICA address more local issues and strengthen member networking. The great success of the NICA West Council will serve as the model as we move forward to establish this structure.

climate presents many challenges to our business operations. I look forward to working together to solve current issues and head off potential issues. I’m anxious to help launch the new NICA MidWest Council in the near future. I’m looking forward to working with the NICA MidWest Council”

“It is the hope of the Board to establish a strong foundation at the regional councils, and allow those councils to address concerns in the areas they represent. NICA is strong in the Midwest and Board Member, Don Kenna has stepped to the plate to help us get a council established there,” said President, Greg Miller.

Terry has spent over twenty years as a fair manager. He was the Treasurer of the IAFE the past two years and earned his CFE in 1994. Terry also served as the Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions for ten years. As Terry says, “What can I say; I love the fair business!”

The Board also has recruited Terry Bonnell of Terry Bonnell Consulting to help get the council up and running and provide management support. .When asked about the opportunity to work with NICA, Terry said “Today’s business

If you would like more information about this council please contact Terry at 269-806-5108 or email him at terrybonnellconsulting@gmail. com. .

SUPPLIER OF THE MONTH:

SWANEL BEVERAGES An Interview with Ron Musial

their formula and we match it here in our lab. We make a really great variety of fountain drinks. NICA: What areas does your company ship to during the year? Ron: We have capabilities to ship all over the United States since we have distributors in most major cities. We have approximately 3,800 customers in our Great Lakes region which we service direct. NICA: What’s your busiest time of the year? Ron: April to November in the Great Lakes region because we do a lot of local special events like festivals where their major season is summer. We also ship to Hawaii, South America, and Central America, where we stay pretty busy all year long. Fare Foods falls into the April to November busy season since they distribute to the special events industry. NICA: Are you coming to the upcoming Fare Foods Food show in Tampa? Ron: Yes, we are. We’ll be bringing complete dispensing system so everyone can see how they work and be able to taste our great products.

NICA: So give us a little history on Swanel Beverages… Ron: Swanel was established in 1941. It is a family owned business with the third generation of sons now working with us. We’ve been producing fountain syrups since 1975. Before that we were selling supplies, but now we manufacture a complete line of fountain syrups and juices. We even have our own brand of energy drink, Banzai, that we launched in 2002. We do bag-in-box, stand alone fountains, CO2 for bulk systems and cylinders.

NICA: What’s something most people don’t know about Swanel? Ron: Hmm, let’s see. . Well, most people don’t know we have a drag race car we sponsor called BANZAI. It’s a ’62 Chevy 2. NICA: That’s pretty cool! Ron: Yes, we take it to a lot of local car shows and try to make it to a few drags races several times during the year.

NICA: What’s the CO2 used for?

NICA: Well, is there anything else you’d like to share with NICA members?

Ron: That’s actually how you get the carbonation (bubbles) in the soda. I won’t go into all the specifics, but it pumps the syrup from the box to the machine and it goes to the carbonator. It gives soda the bubbles and crisp flavor.

Ron: We take pride in our high quality products and offer a high level of customer service to our customers . Our distributor Fare Foods does a great job promoting and selling these products!

NICA: What’s your most popular product? Ron: Our premium Cola, Diet Cola, and Lemon Lime have always been our best sellers, although there’s starting to be a shift in the industry towards noncarbonated drinks such as flavored teas, lemonade, and fruit juices. We have currently added Arizona Tea to our bag in the box flavors. We also offer many private label flavors. NICA: How does that work? Ron: A customer interested in private label will send us

THE NICA WEBSITE:

NOW, EVEN MORE USER-FRIENDLY

Thanks to your friends at the NICA office and ChamberMaster (but mainly the NICA office), NICAInc.org has been improved vastly for your membership experience. It’s been no easy road but membership coordinator, Jill Omel and graphics & marketing director, Kaitlyn Loos have been hard at work mollifying many of the growing pains that often come with new websites. We had to go in and retype information for all listed members, restructure and organize the directory system, build an online application, edit loads of back-end code, and update various member documents. It was a time consuming process, but it’s transformed our site into the user-friendly, advanced resource it has become. Above, you will see the convenient new functions listed last month and on the company email, but now, there’s even more:

ONLINE APPLICATION AND PAYMENTS Now, NICA members can pay online for anything that NICA has invoiced you for. New members can fill out a membership application and pay the fee online. Members and non-members can register for upcoming events and submit their payment at the same time.

LOOK UP MEMBERS BY STATE It was a painstaking process, but now when you click through the member directory, you can sort them by their state routes.

CONNECT WITH OTHER MEMBERS Link your company’s Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter account to your member profile. Also, as advertised above, you can post job listings online.

NICA NEWS IS BACK ONLINE Quickly reference anything from our newsletters on any computer with internet via our embedded magazine through Issuu.com.

EASILY FIND NICA DOCUMENTS All important NICA forms/documents are now uploaded online and available 24/7, such as the Coke and Pepsi price sheets, printable membership application, our benefits reference sheet, CCE application, and our scholarship packet. NICA is riding the wave of technology for our members! If you have any questions about the new system, please call the office @ 813-438-8926 and we’ll be happy to help you! Best, Kaitlyn Loos & Jill Omel

www.alliedspecialty.com

Affiliated with Allied for over 25 years.

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727.367.6900

800.237.3355

Fax 727.367.1407

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Firestone finances the concession industry! Tony Costanza

Assistant Vice President Sales

• Seasonal payment options • Secured working capital loans • Financing for new and used equipment • Finance your concession trailers, bunkhouse, trucks, rides, generators and more!

Financing for your Concession Business!

1-800-851-1001 ext. 42 www.firestonefinancial.com 21

New Members Chrystal Jackson ��Fat Frankys, CA Sam Johnston ��Funderland, Inc, CA

Membership Contest 2012

Mark Neagles �� Sysco San Diego , CA

General Membership

Sandra Cobb............................................................... Smack-A-Licious, LLC, TX

Art Pokorny ...................................2 Bob Drinkwater..............................1 Brandon Warner............................1 Coca Cola......................................1 Dan Lusenhop...............................1 Dominic Polmier............................1 Don Delahoyde...............................1 Don Long.......................................1 Gordon Food Supply ....................1 John the Greek..............................1 Judy Henbury................................2 Ken McKnight................................1 Leonard Dunford...........................1 Lucky Henner................................2 Michael Knott.................................1 Mike Curci......................................1 Norman Keene..............................3 Randy Reichert..............................1 Ron McKinney...............................2 Tim Harmon...................................1

Shaun McGowan �� Cravings, MI Debbie Harris........................City of Montgomery Catering & Food Services, AL Daryl Whicheloe.....................................Southern Oregon Food & Beverage, OR Lola Ramirez �� J.L.Q. Concessions, CA Kevin McCarten ��Crows Nest Mexican, NY Scott Maloney �� Tastefully British, NJ Randy Spitz........................................Somerset Syrup & Concession Supply, NJ Stephen Ebers �� Sea Side Grille, NJ Milo Franks.........................................................Milo & Son Enterprises, INC, CA

Order your custom collector basket today to celebrate Nica’s 20th Anniversary! Call the NICA Office 813-438-8926 or visit www.nicainc.org

NICA Rep Charles Ivory..................................1 Dannie Moreland..........................10 David Spann...................................1 Kevin McGrath II.............................1 Administration Office............................................33 Rey O’Day......................................6 Board of Directors Paulette Keene...............................1 Rose Marie Ash..............................2 Russ Harrison.................................8 Tom Sattler.....................................1 Tony Trafton....................................4 PRIZES

* Carnival Cruise Package - (valued over $1500) a drawing will be held for all the members who refer new/former members in 2012. 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. Drawings to be held in Tampa, Florida in February 2013.

Growing Partnerships Fair, Festival and State Association Member Contest The NICA membership is excited to offer our new campaign to reach out to our Fair and Festival partners and bring them into the NICA family. The mission of our organization is to partner with all those who do business in our industry and work together to grow, preserve and strengthen family friendly events held across the country.

Fair / Festival Management Contest:

NICA and our member partner Cola-Cola Refreshments will reward our top three large fair/festival managers and three small fairs with a cash reward. This competition is based strictly on who recruits the most new members.

Large Fairs / Festivals â€“ (attendance over 100,000) 1st Place: $500 2nd Place: $200

State and Provincial Competition:

NICA and Coca Cola Refreshments will award cash for educational programming at the state convention to the top two associations that recruit the most members.

1st Place: $1,000

3rd Place: $100

2nd Place: $500

Sponsored by

Small Fairs / Festivals â€“ (attendance under 100,000) 1st Place: $500 2nd Place: $200 3rd Place: $100

Refreshments

MORE FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY FAIR: From left to right:

Lola Ramirez owner J.L.Q. Concessions Carmel Dyer-Pitroff owner of Australian Battered Potatoes with Best of Show Blue Ribbon for Food Skyler McPherson owner Ten Pound Buns

CONCESSIONAIRE TRAVELS Retired concessionaires, SanDee O’Brien, CCE and Mary Brown, CCE, ventured into the new frontier this July to cross the biggest state in the U.S. off their bucket list. They flew from Orlando to Vancouver to board a cruise ship that sailed them along the Alaskan inner passage. They spent 7 nights at sea and 4 nights on land visiting most of Alaska’s famous landmarks. Their boat tour and land tour took them through Seward, Juneau, Icy Point, Skagway, Fairbanks, and Anchorage.

WHICH CITY DID YOU ENJOY THE MOST? They were all very different. The only way to get to Juneau is by boat or plane. It’s the only state capital with no roads leading to it. All the cities we visited were so clean and so modern, you would never see any trash at all. We liked them all pretty much the same.

HOW MANY METHODS OF TRANSPORTATION DID YOU USE ON YOUR TRIP? Everything! We used planes, tour buses, school buses, trains, sky trams, the cruise ship, and a river boat in Danali Park.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE ACTIVITY? We most enjoyed sitting on our cruise ship balcony, looking at the glacier, and eating our room-service breakfast. It was very peaceful.

WHERE/WHEN WERE THE HIGHEST AND LOWEST TEMPERATURES ON YOUR ADVENTURE? We woke up and it was in the low 40’s at Mt. McKinley and it got to 75 degrees in Fairbanks. We told everyone we brought the nice weather with us from Florida.

WHERE DID YOU HAVE THE BEST MEAL ON YOUR TRIP? A prime rib dinner on the sightseeing Dome Train, a two story train that even has an elevator. The upper level was for sightseeing and the bottom level was the restaurant. It was delicious.

WHAT’S SOMETHING A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT ALASKA? How much noise the glaciers make! They call it white thunder. They’re really loud. It almost sounds like airplanes and bombing when big sections fall off into the water and little pieces sound like gunshots. Also, glacier water is filthy! It’s so concentrated with silt and stone powder, fish can’t even live in it. Why would anyone want to drink it? Also, there’s a really big state fair up there. We met a lady who talked to us about it, it’s called the Tanana Valley State Fair in Fairbanks. You can visit their website: www.tananavalleyfair.com

WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WOULD SKIP NEXT TIME? The mixed up flight home due to the lightning storm in St. Paul, Minnesota. We were supposed to get home at 11:15am in Orlando, but it didn’t happen until 10:30pm. Thank goodness we were stuck on the ground though, the plane’s engine was leaking oil and there were people waiting on the tarmac!

View a t a h W

Purchase Your Fundraising Deck of Cards Today! $10 per deck! To get your WIN Cards now, contact the NICA office (813) 438-8926

Fair, Festival & State Association Membership Contest Fair Manager Large Fair/Event Denny Lang...............................1 Fred Brown................................1 Jim Ward...................................2

Association Large Fair/Event Office.........................................1 IFEA..........................................1 For a more information about the contest and a complete list of rules, please see contest info on page 23.

A Little About Our New Graphics Director, Kaitlyn Loos... Kaitlyn is a Brandon native who recently graduated from Florida State University with a BFA in Graphic Design. She spent 2 years at FSU taming wild freshman as a Resident Assistant, interned in advertising, and designed for the schoolâ€™s fashion magazine. She enjoys working in the NICA office close to home/family and hopes to bring a fresh take to the NICA News. Let her know what you think about the new NICA News! If you have any questions, please email her at graphics@nicainc.org and sheâ€™d love to help you!

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.

First Last

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

Annual Membership Fees INDEPENDENT CONCESSIONAIRE

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

New NICA Member q (Enrollment from June 1 - Sept 30)..........................$125 q (Enrollment from Jan 1 - May 31)................................$65 q Spousal member...................................................................$75 q Employee (non-voting)..........................................................$50

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

ASSOCIATE

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

Fair/Festival over 75,000 attendance q (Enrollment from June 1 - Sept 30)..........................$125 q (Enrollment from Jan 1 - May 31)............................... $65 Fair/Festival under 75,000 attendance q (Enrollment from June 1 - Sept 30)............................$75 q (Enrollment from Jan 1 - May 31)...............................$40 Manufacturer/Distributor/Industry Supplier q (Enrollment from June 1 - Sept 30)............................$75 q (Enrollment from Jan 1 - May 31)...............................$40 Carnival Operator q (Enrollment from June 1 - Sept 30)............................$75 q (Enrollment from Jan 1 - May 31)...............................$40 Please provide a detailed description of the services your organization/company provides. _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 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)

NICA News

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

National Independent Concessionaires Association, Inc. 1043 E. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, FL 33511 Time Sensitive Mail ~ October 2012 Issue

And Other Great Prizes! * Carnival Cruise Package –(valued over $1500) a drawing will be held for all the members who refer new/former members in 2012. 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. * Carnival Cruise Package - (valued over $1500) a drawing will be held for all the members who refer new/former members in 2012. * $500 NICA National Rep –member Winner of the National Rep contest will receive $500 cash and is eligible to win any of the For every new/former referred, the NICA recruiting member will receive 1 chance to win the Carnival Cruise. above-mentioned prizes. * $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.

All new and former members’ applications must be submitted to the NICA office within 30 days of receipt in order to be eligible for the contest. All new and former members’ applications must be submitted to the NICA office within 30 days of receipt in order to be eligible for the contest. be heldinin Tampa, Tampa, Florida in February 2013. DrawingsDrawings will betoheld Florida in February 2013.