Announcements
Do you have any announcements that you would like to share with the NICA membership? Contact us today!
2025 NICA Foundation Scholarship Applications Are Due June 1st!
With the financial challenges that many of our students and their families face each year, the NICA Foundation is honored to award life-changing funds to so many deserving students. In 2025, the NICA Foundation Scholarship Program will continue to award multiple scholarships including:
- 25th Anniversary Scholarship at $4,000
- Coca-Cola CCE Scholarship at $3,000
- Regional Councils Scholarship at $3,000
- NICA Leadership Scholarship at $3,000
- 2 O’Brien Vocational Arts Scholarships at $2,000 each
- Numerous Named Visionary Scholarships at $2,000 each
- Various Entrepreneurial Scholarships at $1,000 each and Inspirational Scholarships at $500 each
The scholarship application for 2025 is now available online at www.nicainc.org/scholarship. Applications must be received in the NICA Office no later than June 1, 2025 to qualify. Start planning the next steps for the next chapter in your life today!
Register & Reserve Your Room For the 2025 NICA Business Expo & Fare Foods Food Show: February 10-12, 2025
Join us February 10-12, 2025 at the beautiful Sheraton Tampa Brandon Hotel, located at 10221 Princess Palm Ave. Tampa, FL, for the 2025 NICA Business Expo and Fare Foods Food Show. This year’s theme is “Shining Bright!” The NICA Business Expo will provide Workshops and Discussion Groups that cover the issues and the daily challenges our Industry is faced with each season. The Fare Foods Food Show will feature exhibitors showcasing the latest food trends and technology that will define and kickstart the 2025 Fair Season.
We also invite you to attend the Annual General Membership Meeting, where we will hold our Year in Review, install the 2025 Board of Directors, hold the Coca-Cola Membership Contest, and hear from Benefit Partners. Afterwards, during the event's Legacy Celebration we will highlight the NICA Foundation, honor a new Hall of Fame Recipient, and enjoy delicious buffet courtesy of Fare Foods. Stay tuned for more information on this event in upcoming NICA News issues and NICA Now! emails.
Registration is Now Open to All Attendees • Register Today!
NICA Director Election Results Announced
Thank you to all those who voted in this year's election! All qualifying votes were received in the NICA Office by the December 20th deadline, and the results have been made official.
The Director Elects are: Michelle Allen, CCE, H&M Funnel Cake Express; Nathan Vandewarker, Maverick Concepts; and Trent Wilkes, Wilkes Concessions. Each newly elected Board Member will start their term beginning in February 2025. We are grateful for all Voting Members and Board Candidates for their participation in this year’s election. "Together We Can!" Read more about them on our Director Elections website and in the December Issue of NICA News.
Thank You for Attending NICA Marketplace "Together!"
Wow, what a week! Monday and Tuesday's Opening and Closing General Sessions, Educational Workshops, Roundtables, and Trade Shows were packed (pictured above is the Trade Show Ribbon Cutting). We were "Moving Forward Together!" thanks to Jim Teece during the Opening Session and "Reaffirming Our Relevance!" with Michael Bradley and "Seizing Opportunity!" with Gene Cassidy, CFE during the Closing General Session. Congratulations to our prize winners throughout the event, including Side-By-Side winner Daryl Whicheloe, CCE, our Good Neighbor Award Recipient State Fair of Virginia, and CCE Award recipients Rodney Fazackerley, CCE, Miki Martin, CCE, Rebecca Wells, CCE, Kristen Whicheloe, CCE, Ed White, CCE, Nick White, CCE, and Persis White, CCE.
Our 15 Educational Sessions included "What Does Go Into Deciding Price?" "Being Commercially Relevant in a Changing World," "Successfully Laying Out Space," "Insurance… Too Much or Too Little?" "Chasing Profits," "Vendors Are Your Customers," "Compelling Commercial Exhibits Enhance the Guest Experience," "Honoring the Past While Embracing the Future," "DOT Safety Updates," "Locating and Training Temporary Labor," "Prioritizing Infrastructure Upgrades," "What’s NEW At the Point of Sale?" and "Safety and Security."
The event also featured 8 "How To" Workshops with “How To” topics like Legal Help, Moving Equipment, Using Fiserv/Clover/APEX, Adopting Tipping Protocols, Staying Organized, and Lighting. 22 Roundtable Discussion Topics kept us talking about things like Charge Backs and Other Card Fees, Enhancing the Guest Experience, Fair RV and Campground Standards, Food Allergies, Forms of Payment, Growing Return Visits, Leftover Food, Move-In/Move-Out, and more. In addition, we had strong showings for our ServSafe Manager Class on Sunday, a Generation Forward Visit to the High Roller on Monday and the Sysco-Las Vegas Warehouse Tour on Wednesday.
2024 NICA Foundation Scholarship Recipients Have Been Selected
The NICA Foundation is pleased to announce the selection of the 2024 NICA Scholarship Recipients. After a thorough, confidential, and anonymous review of the many applications received, the NICA Foundation is proud to award 31 scholarships (up from 26), for a total of $52,000 (an increase of $7,000), to our commendable Scholarship Recipients this year.
After speaking with the Scholarship Recipients this past week, Audrey Poole, NICA Foundation President, said, “No one knows the full impact that these scholarships have on our Industry's young people! A few of the recipients actually said the same thing—since they had to pay their tuition soon, the call couldn't have come at a better time. I just love those stories! If you haven't donated to the Scholarship Program yet, I encourage you to please consider becoming a donor. The impact you can have in the lives of these students is more than you imagine!”
Congratulations to our 31 Recipients:
25th Anniversary Scholarship – Taylor Coffman
Marcus Family Scholarship – James MacPherson
Coca-Cola CCE Scholarship – Sarai Viveros
Hall of Fame Scholarship – Emma Rhoden
Regional Councils' Scholarship – Kylie Kastl
Leadership Scholarship – Ashton Coffman
Berk Brands Visionary Scholarship – Megan Miley
Fare Foods Visionary Scholarship – Cayden Neal
Alys Huffman Visionary Scholarship – Lauren Distad
Hummel Group Visionary Scholarship – Kennedy Tutak
Masonic Band of Brothers Visionary Scholarship – Adeline Lancaster
McConnell Family Visionary Scholarship – Josephine DiPaola
Mellowship Entertainment Visionary Scholarship – Carmela Palmieri
Tom Moore Visionary Scholarship – Katie Schulz
Pittroff & Barona Family Visionary Scholarship – Eva Tutak
Norma Jean & Edgar Sivori Visionary Scholarship – Trevor Molnar
Entrepreneurial Scholarships – Ella Brick, Chloe Cockerham, Jade Elomina, Gavin Glushakow, Tate Hinkemeyer, Kalista Kastl, Gage Morgenstern, Ella Underberg, and Lilly Underberg
Inspirational Scholarships – Dylan Bohannon, Gracie Hunter, Gianna Palmieri, Harley Pickett, Sophia Pulaski, and Gage Smith
Thank you to the 2024 Scholarship Program Sponsors: Berk Brands; Coca-Cola; Nathan Marcus, West Coast Weenies; Laura and Ron Porter, Fare Foods; Phil Teague, Hummel Group; James and Larry McConnell, CCE, McConnell Concessions; John Juliano, Mellowship Entertainment; the Pittroff and Barona Family, Giant Slide and The Original Australian Battered Potatoes; Rey O’Day, NICA Executive Director; Audrey Poole, NICA Foundation President; Larry Sivori, Sivori Catering; and “A Band of Brothers,” which includes Pat Armstrong, Cornbelt Concessions; Ray Bianco, Bianco’s Foods; Richie George, CCE, George’s Fun Foods; Rusty Groscurth, Super Dog; Tom Hodson, CCE, The Thomas Hodson Company; Butch Ivory, CCE, Famous Gabby’s; Michael and Shawn Miller, Miller Foods; Ronnie Netterfield, Netterfields Popcorn and Lemonade; Ron Smith, RE Smith; and Larry Wynn, East Coast Concessions. The additional fundraising efforts of the NICA Foundation Board of Trustees, NICA Past Presidents and Board of Directors, the NICA Regional Councils, and the NICA Membership help to ensure this program truly makes a difference in the lives of our scholarship recipients.
Applications for the 2025 Scholarship Program will be available in early Spring 2025.
Thank You For Attending the 2024 NICA Business Expo & Fare Foods Food Show
At the 2024 NICA Business Expo and Fare Foods Food Show, we were proud to celebrate the theme of "Tomorrow Starts Today!"
The week kicked off with the Annual General Membership Meeting, which included the Passing of the Gavel, Board Installation, Coca-Cola Membership Contest Winners, NICA Year in Review, and CCE Awards Presentation. Our Legacy Dinner and Celebration closed out the evening with a Cocktail Reception, Dinner, Industry Speakers, NICA Foundation Spotlight, Hall of Fame, and Winner's Hour Activities.
Throughout the NICA Business Expo, Educational Workshops were presented on a variety of subjects by Industry Professionals including:
- Blue Ribbon Guest Service
- DOT
- Fiserv/Clover
- Labor
- The Next Generation
- Reducing Chargebacks
- Safety and Security
We were also proud to feature our signature Heartsaver CPR and ServSafe Food Manager Classes and Roundtable Discussions on topics such as Hours / Days of Operation, Internet Infrastructure, Multi-Year Agreements, and Weather Protocols. In addition, the Fare Foods Food Show showcased over 50 Exhibitors who specialized in Food, Insurance, Manufacturing, Supplies, Technology, and more.
Congratulations to NICA Hall of Fame Recipient Dominic Palmieri, CCE and our many prize winners during the event. We would also like to thank our Attendees, Exhibitors, Speakers, Sponsors, and Panelists for your continued support. "Together We Can!"
Save 20% with Goodyear's Consumer Tire Sales Program
We invite you to use Goodyear's NEW Consumer Tire Sales Program designed for NICA Members, saving you 20% off of Tires and Installation. Carmel Dyer-Pittroff, CCE, Foundation Trustee, has been an early adopter on NICA’s Goodyear Tire Program and shared her experience with us. She said, “This is the easiest benefit ever! I called Tim Koenigsfeld with Goodyear and Tim organized my tire installation. It is becoming a lot easier with the new system, and I just got a text my tires are done. It was just as quick two weeks ago when I again had tires installed on my Food Stand. This is the fourth time I have used this benefit!”
How Does it Work?
- Visit www.goodyear.com
- Select the tires you want, based on your vehicle.
- Locate and schedule your installing dealer.
- Pay online with a special discount code (NICA20).
- Show up to have the work completed or schedule mobile installation (depending on your location).
To get started with the code already applied, select the link below. Our existing sign up process will still be available for both commercial and auto/light truck consumer products at www.nicainc.org/goodyear, as we want to keep the program as flexible as possible for you.
Save with the Consumer Tire Sales Program Today!
Sign Up for the Goodyear's Commercial Program
Join the Conversation with NICA Live!
We have launched our brand new Facebook Group, NICA Live! and want to invite you to join us. NICA Live! is a public group for our members and for supporters of the industry to share their voices and be heard.
Are you looking for extra help for an event? Have a question about equipment? Looking at a new event to add to your route? Ask our group members for advice, and start a conversation! You can join the Group by searching NICA Live! on Facebook or by selecting the link below: