Article: Independent bets software overhaul will help restore it to its former glory: in the tough Pittsburgh market, veteran independent Bev-O-Matic tries to prove a medium-size operator can make it in today's economy. (Operation Profile).

If medium-size vending operations ($3 million to $10 million in gross annual sales) are to survive, most seasoned observers believe these businesses have their best chances in geographic regions with expanding populations, such as the Southwest or South Atlantic. Conditions are less favorable in the Northeast and Midwest, where population growth and economic activity has been slower.

Leslie Frank, owner and president of Bev-O-Matic, based in Homestead, Pa., outside Pittsburgh, knows the odds aren't in his favor. He's fighting an uphill battle, operating 20 routes in one of the most competitive markets in the industrial Northeast.

The rising cost of ...

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