Alan Recher
Alan Recher, president and CEO of Chattanooga-based Five Star Food Service, received the vending and refreshment service industry’s top honor at the National Automatic Merchandising Association’s OneShow in Las Vegas where he was named the association’s Operator of the Year for 2015.
According to NAMA, the Operator of the Year Award recognizes an individual who exhibits the highest level of integrity, service, dedication, an d leadership in the vending and refreshment services industry. The recipient of this award embraces innovation and technology in their business and exhibits leadership within the industry and their community.
Under Mr. Recher’s leadership, the company has increased revenues by nearly 200 percent over the past five years due largely to investments in technology and the micro-market concept. Since early 2011, Five Star has quietly taken the industry by storm opening over 415 micro-markets and expects to surpass 500 markets by the end of the year. Additionally, Five Star made cashless and mobile payment options such as credit/debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Wallet available on thousands of the company’s vending machines providing a significant boost in same store revenues, said officials.
Mr. Recher spearheads Five Star’s on-going partnership and support of the Chattanooga Community Kitchen through holiday service projects and an auction that produces more than $10,000 in donations annually. He participates regularly on industry panel discussions and events, sharing insights with fellow colleagues across the country. Mr. Recher also sits on the advisory board of Culture by Choice and on Five Star’s Board of Directors.
When asked the keys to success, he simply replies, “Our people, our culture.” Mr. Recher has recruited and built industry leading sales, marketing, operations, and service teams across all areas of business and established a culture of focus on client retention and customer service.
Mr. Recher and his executive team are no stranger to recent accolades, Automatic Merchandiser magazine profiled the Five Star team as one of their industry ‘Team of Pros to Know’ in the December 2014 issue.