summer issue 2014

Table of Contents4) AASOA BOARD MEMBERSImportant AASOA Board Member Contact Information

9) NACS ISSUES ON E-CIGARETTES Cover Positions Relating To The Sale of E-Cigarettes

10) INTERNET SECURITY CAMERAS Prevention, Control & Proof

12) THREE KEY TIPS For Entrpreneural Success

17) FPMA SUNSHINE, FOOD, BEVERAGE & FOOD EXPO What Deals Await You

18) SUNSHINE, FOOD, BEVERAGE & FUEL EXPO MAP Floorplan Map

20) SUNSHINE, FOOD, BEVERAGE & FUEL EXPO VENDORS LIST Who’s Who & Where They’re At

23) SUNSHINE, FOOD, BEVERAGE & FUEL EXPO SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Tentative Guide of What to Attend 27) BENEFITS & REQUIREMENTS Of Corporations and LLCs

29 ) ATMS IN STORE Generates More Than Just Money for You 32) TELEPHONE SCAMS Warning from IRS

34) TIPSnTRENDS See What Products Are Trending Now

36) NACS EXPO 2014 OCTOBER Insight on what to expect 3

ReflectionsFive years ago there was a vision. Even during a time when the economy was in a downward spiral, we pressed on, knowing that with partnerships and time, we would continue to build and grow. As I reflect on the past five years, it is with pride that I can say we worked hard and met the challenges, conquered them and are as strong as ever.

Strength is in numbers, partnerships and friendships. We prosper because of those three. Now, over 1500 strong, our members have access to the information and tools they need to help build on their success. In the conve-nience store world, our strength is in our neighborhood and that neighborhood consists of partnerships that continue to grow as we develop more relationships with suppliers. Friendships with our fellow store own-ers allow us to network, learn about trends, new prod-ucts and share information. Our sense of community is strong and friendships develop with those who patron-ize our stores.

The Asian American Store Owners Association is joining with the Florida Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association and the Retail Beverage Council to host this year’s Sunshine Food, Beverage and Fuel Expo. I hope you can join us on August 24 at the Hilton Or-lando Bonnet Creek Hotel where there will be 400 ven-dors showcasing their products and services. It has be-come the signature event for AASOA and will be filled with opportunities to network with other store owners as well as attend more educational seminars and hear speakers on topics specific to single store owners.

AASOA is your organization. Thank you for helping to build a strong group, one we can all be proud of.

For more information visit www.aasoa.com or call me at 321-271-7072. I welcome the opportunity to share our goals and work to strengthen our organization.

Vipul PatelExecutive Director, AASOA

AASOA Magazine

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OFBUSINESS RELATIONS

Vipul [email protected]

Jaymit [email protected]

PUBLISHER & SALES DIRECTOR

Joseph [email protected]

DESIGN & EDITORIAL

Cajun [email protected]

CONTENT CONTRIBUTORSMichael DavisNACS Marketing

Mike ShahSoutheast Petro

Justin LukeOwner, J&J Security

Ned BowmanFlorida Retail Federation

Jay R. Thakkar, EsquireCantwell & Goldman, P.A.

Mike GonzalesCord Financial Services

Raskin Shah, CPAOwner; Raskin Shah, PA

AASOA Asian American Store Owners Association577 Barnes Blvd Suite 650, Rockledge FL 32955

• Telephone: 321-271-7072• Fax: 321-234-9292

• Email: [email protected]

4

Stores selling e-cigarettes are encouraged to adopt, as a best practice, a policy of treating these products as age restricted.

ALEXANDRIA, VA – NACS has issued a statement of position that encourages stores selling e-cigarettes to adopt, as a best prac-tice, a policy of treating these products as age restricted and subjecting them to the same age-verification procedures as those applicable to tobacco products.

NACS’ position was developed by the as-sociation’s retail Board of Directors during its most recent meeting. Convenience stores are the largest retail channel for e-cigarette sales, with overall sales of nearly $540 mil-lion in 2013, representing 75% of all brick-and mortar sales, excluding kiosks and to-bacco only outlets.

“Convenience stores are responsible retailers and conduct more face-to-face age-verifica-tion checks than anyone in the world,” said NACS President and CEO Henry Armour. “Given the uncertain status of e-cigarettes, it just makes sense that convenience stores check IDs as part of the more than 4.5 mil-lion age-verification checks that we already conduct every day.”

NACS stated that:Retailers should, as a best practice, follow the same applicable federal, state and local laws for verifying the age of purchasers of tobacco and apply these standards for the sale of e-cigarettes.NACS will promote effective procedures

for retailers to verify sales of age-restricted products and will encourage retailers to uti-lize these procedures and training tools.

NACS will work with all appropriate feder-al organizations to ensure that convenience stores continue to play a leadership role in establishing guidelines that take into account current research related to the age-restricted products.

This is not the first time that the association has taken a leadership role in age-verifica-tion practices. NACS is a founding member of the We Card program, which was estab-lished in the 1990s to provide training and educational programs to properly use age-verification tools and processes. The We Card program has provided retailers with more than 1.1 million in-store educational kits and has trained more than 350,000 retail employees nationwide.

NACS Issues Position Relating to the Sale of E-Cigarettes

NACS encourages retailers to use pro-cedures and training tools like those offered by We Card. These training re-sources include state-law-specific eL-earning courses for frontline cashiers and managers that follow FDA Guidance for Tobacco Retailer Training Programs, in-store tools to assist with proper age calculation and spot fake IDs and illegal adult purchases for minors and a wide range of in-store signage and informa-tion on how to display this signage. We Card has produced new materials specif-ically for e-cigarette age verification.

The announcement will likely enhance what convenience stores are already do-ing in carding for e-cigarettes.

“As responsible retailers, we want to help ensure that minors do not have access to e-cigarettes,” said Armour. “Convenience stores will continue to act responsibly in retailing e-ciga-rettes and complying with existing laws.”

There are 151,282 convenience stores in the United States — one per every 2,100 people. Cumulatively, U.S. convenience stores serve 160 million customers per day.

The Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing 1600 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

www.nacsonline.com

9

On average, every month, convenience stores incur a loss of $265 per employee due to shoplifting. In addition, stores incur an average loss of $761 from a robbery (not including structural damage). The purchas-ing of a security camera system provides store owners with a three tier protection plan; prevention, control, and proof.

Prevention, having a security camera system is an intimidating feature which makes shoplifters think twice about shop-lifting and it will make robbers think twice about robbing. On average, 72.5% of shoplifters do not plan on shoplifting; when they see something they like, they steal it. However, since nothing was planned in advance, having security cameras in the store is a powerful variable that will prevent them from shoplifting. Another part of pre-vention is employee stealing, a common event that occurs in 1 in 2 stores. Although one may think that employees only steal a little when tempted, on average, dishonest employees steal 5.5 times the amount that shoplifters steal. Having cameras facing employee work areas

Internet enabled SecurIty camera SyStemS:

will significantly prevent these losses. Preven-tion is only successful when one has a strategi-cally placed security camera system; security cameras should cover all isles, registers, and employee work areas. Basic 4 camera security systems are only a few hundred dollars cheap-er than 16 camera advanced security systems. However, this difference in price will be made up for within a month due to a significant de-crease in stealing.

Control is the second tier of protection offered by security camera systems. In this day and age, it is not surprising for shoplifters and robbers to try and steal from the most securely guarded of stores. Some things are simply inevi-table, however, security camera systems will significantly decrease shoplifting in ones store. In addition, in the event of a robbery, robbers in stores with security cameras tend to be less violent and try to leave the store sooner. Any type of store robbery can be life threatening for an employee (if the store is still open) and can lead to a great amount of structural damage, which is very costly. Having

security cameras can prevent these robbers from going so far as to physically harming an employee and causing a great deal of structural damage to the store.

Proof is the last tier of protection and is neces-sary after a crime has been committed in the store. Having proof allows for store owners to recover losses from shoplifters and ban them from entering the store again. In addition,

Prevention, control, Proof

[email protected] Patel

aSK FOr

407-467-9220 [email protected]

SOnny SHarma

aSK FOr407-350-1472

• We Maintain & Service Weekly• Fully Compliant with All State & Local Laws• Conveniently Located Outside Your Store• 1st of Every Month You Receive a Check• We Work With For-Profit & Non-Profit Kids Organizations• We Provide Clothing to the Less Fortunate• Helps Keep Items Out of Landfills• Recycling is Important

AASOA MEMBERS EARNAN EXTRA $1200.00 PER YEAR!

AASOA MEMBERS EARN AN EXTRA $1200.00 PER YEAR!

Call Marc Douglas at 954-214-5912 For More Details or to Schedule a Drop Off

Call Marc Douglas at 954-214-5912 For More Details or to Schedule a Drop Off

Peace of mind. Your business is connected to our highly trained professional monitoring representatives standing by at our 24-hour UL listed, Factory Mutual certified, monitor-ing center. Offering superior products, unparalleled customer service and advanced technology with real time information reporting capabilities. J&J Alarm is on your side.

when including structural damage, stores incur an average loss of $2000+ from a robbery. Al-though one may think they know who a robber is, without proof, losses cannot be recovered. Many robbers who rob stores when they are closed also vandalize the store; losses from vandalization are in the thousands and sometimes, ten thousands. Such losses can destroy the integrity of a busi-ness if they are not recovered.

Although I have covered why a security cam-era system is necessary in a store, you might be wondering why it needs to be internet enabled like stated in the title. Internet enabled systems further strengthen the three tiers of protection. Having a sign that states that cameras are inter-net enabled prevents employees, shoplifters, and

robbers from committing crimes because they will have the unavoidable feeling that they are being watched at all times. In addition, as stated before, crimes in stores are not completely avoid-able, but an internet enabled system will control the amount of crimes occurring. Mobile view-ing is one of the most advantageous factors in having an internet enabled security system; you can view all the cameras in your store, right from the palm of your hand. Last, internet enabled systems are a great source of proof for even if a DVR is destroyed by a robber, crimes can be recorded onto a computer or mobile device any-where in the world.

Running several family convenience stores, I have learned through experience how important

security camera systems are. However, cur-rently, quotes for internet enabled security camera systems are extremely expensive and sometimes, unaffordable. Thus, as a service to those in the same work field as my fam-ily, I have been setting up security cameras for stores, offices, and many different retail shops in the state of Florida without charg-ing costly programming and installation fees. If you would like to get a security cam-era system installed at your business or have a question about security camera systems, give me a call, my number is 321-543-7246.

Owner of J&J Security, Justin LukeCell: 321-543-7246

E-mail: [email protected]

When you think of the name Mike Shah, what word comes to mind? It would be safe to say that most people would think of the word success-ful. Mike Shah, the president of Southeast Petro Distributors, Inc. started off in the fuel indus-try with one gas station, and now owns and/or supplies over 400 gas stations in the Southeast. He employs close to 100 people just within the fuel business. Petroleum distribution is only one component of Mr. Shah’s business acumen. His portfolio includes hotels, bowling alleys, restau-rants and even an assisted living home. Every entrepreneur’s end goal is success. Mike Shah’s record lends itself as a model to achieving that success. Here are some experiences from his beginnings that can be applied to any business venture:1.SUCCESS IS NOT INSTANTANEOUS… AND IT REQUIRES SACRIFICE: “We worked for 4½ years, almost seven days a week, from opening until 6 or 7 o’clock (at night),” Mike states in an interview with Space Coast Business Magazine, “Then I would come back again late; I did not take a day off.”In a world of instant gratification with smart phones and up to the minute information tech-nology at our disposal, having to wait for success can be seen as an obstacle. Businessmen like Shah understand that this is an obstacle of the

THREE KEY TIPS FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS:

TAKING A PAGE OUT OF MIKE SHAH’S PLAYBOOKmind, however, and recognize the value of de-termination. Building a business is no small task, and you cannot expect to get rich overnight. This sentiment is best explained by Shah himself in a Florida Today article promoting the Evening of Hope Fundraiser for the Scott’s Center for Au-tism, “…Nothing [is] impossible if you want to work hard and make some sacrifices. It can happen. I have always believed that once you work hard, your luck is also going to work hard.” 2.CUSTOMER SERVICE IS KEYA business can have all of the competition in the world with similar products, prices and ameni-ties, but one thing that will set the competition apart is customer service. People will go out of their way if they feel at home and as if they are important to a place of business. Businesses that don’t execute excellent customer service do not understand the source of their livelihood.“Shah always treated customers the way he would want to be treated. He worked long hours and built his company from the ground up.” writes Spacecoastdaily.com in an article highlighting the Shahs humanitarian efforts. 3.GIVING BACKVisit the Southeast Petro Facebook page or Google the name Mike Shah and a plethora of philanthropic articles will result. This is a point of priority for Mike and Rashmi Shah. They gave

back what they could when they were just starting out, and now, due to their success, they are able to give back to the community more than they ever imagined. “There is no greater satisfaction than knowing you are making a difference in the community you live in.” Mike stated in the interview with Florida Today.

For business owners, the end game is al-ways success. Leaders like Mike Shah are examples of how even humble beginnings can lead to success. These three lessons of diligence, responsibility and philanthropy are things for which any business or entre-preneurship should strive.

The Sunshine Food, Beverage and Food Expo is bigger and bet-ter in 2014 -- and the best part of all is that AASOA mem-bers still get to attend for free! Don’t miss out on the deal mak-ing August 23rd-25th at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. Register online at our website.

This expo in Orlando is your best chance to attend a major trade show with dozens of opportunities for you to buy better, sell smarter and profit more. Once again, our friends partners at the Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association (FPMA) are giving away registration free for AASOA members.

This Expo is a selling show, so you’ll see plenty of “Show Specials” available only for attendees during the 2 day expo. The expo is selling exhibit space very quickly, and a major new addition this year is the attendance of many alcoholic beverage suppliers, thanks to the participation of the Retail Beverage Council.

The addition of the Retail Beverage Council brings a new and important category to the expo. Major beer, wine and spirits suppliers and distribu-tors are expected to bring many “event-only” offers to the expo, and you’ll be able to cut deals with them on location.

There will be hundreds of products and categories available, specifically targeted for independent op-erators of convenience stores, so this is your chance to get in on the latest trends to keep your store sales and margins high.

Just a few of the new product rollouts we’ll be showcasing include the latest in energy drinks, beer and wine, ready to eat, heat and serve, snacks and candy, cigarettes and tobacco, e-cigs, and a lot more.

In addition to your free attendance, the Sunshine Food, Beverage and Food Expo offers a complimen-tary breakfast in the exhibit hall, along with food courts paired and a lounge area. Even if you attended the Sunshine Food, Beverage & Fuel Expo last year, get ready for a whole new expo experience.

If you have any additional ques-tions you can contact FPMA Direc-tor of Events Joanna Wolff at (850) 222-4082.

Deals and Profits Await You at the 2014 Sunshine Food, Beverage and Food Expo

We look forward to seeing you in August!

17

SUNSHINE, FOOD, BEVERAGE & FUEL EXPOAugust 23 - 26, 2014

Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek

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Vendors ListBusiness Address City St Zip


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[email protected]

By: Jay R. Thakkar, Esq

What are the Benefits of Operating a Business as a Corporation or a Limited Liability Company?

As a business owner, you should consider form-ing an LLC if you plan to run a business and are concerned about personal exposure to lawsuits or debts arising from your business. For example, if you decide to open a gas station or a convenience/liquor store, you may worry that your commercial liability insurance will not fully protect your per-sonal assets from potential slip-and-fall lawsuits or from claims by your suppliers for unpaid bills. Running your business as an LLC will give you that extra protection against these and other po-tential claims against your business.

Both corporations and limited liability companies offer the following benefits:• Limited Liability. In general the owners of a corporation or a LLC are not liable for the debts of the business which they have not personally guaranteed. This is perhaps the most important benefit offered by a corpora-tion or a LLC. It helps protect the wealth and as-sets that a business owner has worked their whole life to accumulate. However, there are some im-portant legal exceptions to this general rule which you should carefully discuss with your attorney.

• Perpetual Existence. When a sole proprietor dies the sole proprietorship dies with them. Corpora-tions and LLC’s cannot “die” and have an unlim-ited perpetual existence that continues on even after the owner dies. Upon the death of the owner the heirs of the owner inherit the corporation or the LLC and the business will continue.

• Ease of Transferability of Ownership. Because the assets of the business (i.e. furniture, machin-ery, equipment, bank accounts, inventory, real es-tate, leases) are all owned by the corporation or the LLC, transferring the business can be done simply by endorsing the back of the share certificate to the transferee. This can be especially useful if the parent of a family business desires to transfer the business to their children.

• Raising Capital and Securing Financing. Operat-ing a business as a corporation or as a LLC makes it significantly easier to raise private capital in-vestment and to acquire loans from institutional lenders.

It is always wise to consult with an attorney and a CPA before beginning a business venture. If you are interested in starting a corporation or a limited liability company, or need legal advice regarding

BENEFITS AND REQUIREMENTS OF CORPORATIONS AND LLCS

your business or real estate, please feel free to contact my office at 321-639-1320 x 115.

The author, Jay R. Thakkar, Esq., is an attorney with Cantwell & Goldman, P.A. in Cocoa, Flori-da. Jay graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a mi-nor in Entrepreneurship. He continued his stud-ies at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, earning his Juris Doctorate. As the recipient of the Associate of the Year Award from Vassar B. Carlton America Inns of Court for 2012 and 2013, Jay was recognized as one of the finest up-coming young lawyers in Brevard County. He is an experienced trial lawyer, and represents lend-ers and borrowers in commercial and residential real estate, business transactions, and other civil litigation matters.

Volusia Sunoco 1625 South Volusia AveOrange City, FL 32763

Venice Shell 360 Commercial Ct

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Choice Citgo 2801 22nd Ave N

St. Petersburg, FL 33713

Grove City BP 2741 Placida Rd

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Punta Gorda Mobil3949 Tamiami Trail

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Griffin Road Marathon 2385 Griffin Road

Lakeland, FL 33810

In a world of diminishing returns, store owners need to tackle this problem before it gets out of control. Everyone wants increased value from banks to consumers and everyone in between. This leaves you, the store owner, scrambling to get the piece of the action while satisfying ev-eryone else’s needs. One relatively quick and easy solution to increase business growth in your store can be as simple as adding an ATM in your location.

YesterdaY and todaY

Whether you call it an automated teller ma-chine (ATM), an automated banking machine (ABM), cash machine, cashpoint, cashline or hole in the wall, ATMs have come a long way since its first American introduction in New York City’s First National City Bank (now Ci-tiBank) in 1960. It was called a Bankograph and was installed in the City Bank of New York City. This early version of the ATM only ac-cepted cash and checks. The new invention did not catch on and was quickly removed after six months due to lack of customer acceptance. In fact, “The only people using the machines were [undesirables like] gamblers who didn’t want to deal with tellers face to face,” said Luther Simjian, American inventor of the Bankograph. It was not until June 27, 1967 that Barclays Bank in Enfield Town in North London, United Kingdom installed the world’s first ATM. Later in 1969, the first American ATM using plastic cards with magnetic strips was installed at a Chemical Bank branch on Long Island.

In the 1970’s, many U.S. banks realized this in-vention was vital to their business and ATMs started sprouting all over the U.S. Today, ATMs are part of our modern culture and it is a conve-nience that people expect.

Benefits of atM’s in Your store

Store owners must find ways to attract custom-ers to their stores and more importantly spend money there. A MasterCard 2011 study shows that consumers may use debit cards for routine

ATMs in sTores GenerATes More ThAn JusT Money for you By Mike Gonzalez, director of Marketing,

Cord financial services

purchases, but they still visit ATMs more of-ten for small cash withdrawals. Other reports also show that ATM transactions are expected to grow 66% by 2015 and withdrawals will in-crease 8% each between 2012 and 2016 accord-ing to ATM Marketplace. In short, people still use cash today to buy everyday necessities and ATMs will be the means they use to get cash. Need to say more? ATMs are an essential part of a merchant’s business. The benefits of hav-ing an ATM in your store are vast and pre-sented below:

1. Increased Sales: Studies prove that an onsite ATM can increase merchant profits. Consumers who use ATM machines spend about 25% of the money withdrawn in the business itself due

primarily to “im-

pulse buying”, according to ATM Market-place. Watching customers leave your location to find an ATM is like watching profit walk out the door. Additionally, an ATM also pro-vides the opportunity to increase sales through on-screen advertising, toppers for third-party advertising, ATM wraps and coupon options. A KLCI Research Group’s Trends and Futures study reported transaction volumes increased 15 percent on machines with a topper.

2. Most Profitable Three Square Feet of Your Store: Depending on location, traffic flow and surcharge rates your ATM investment can easily pay for itself in less than one year with additional income. Most customers are willing to pay a fee, because an ATM allows them to shop and bank in one location. Whether you own or have an ATM provider place an ATM in your location, a percentage of this transaction fee will go to you, providing you with an extra source of revenue for your business.

3. Reduced Credit and Debit Card Fees, and Bad Check Losses: Credit card companies charge as much as two to three percent of the total purchase price in fees. There is also a debit card processing fee assessed on the merchant. Providing your customers with easy access to cash reduces your credit and debit card transac-tion fees and the costs of bad checks. For cus-tomers, satisfaction from spending less time in a

checkout line will bring a smile to their faces. 4. Increased Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty: Providing your customers with easy access to cash is a convenience they will appre-ciate and expect. Having an ATM on site is also a great way to increase traffic coming through your business and expand your base of repeat customers. This new ATM traffic entering your store is a potential sale for you if not now, then in the future. 5. ATMs in Your Store Provide Security for Customers: Unfortunately, with crime being more prevalent today, people are more likely to choose a merchant with an ATM to get money. A well-lit and secure location will attract more

potential customers to your store, giving you an opportunity for a sale. Humans are crea-tures of habit and users of ATMs tend to visit

the same ATM over and over.

in the futureAs technology gets more sophisticated, more ATMs will be able to pay bills, send money to people, dispense stamps, purchase lottery tick-ets and gift cards, and even disburse more prod-ucts in the future. The key is to give people an-other reason to visit your store and spend more money there.

ATMs will not be going away in the future. Eu-romonitor predicts that ATM transactions will go from about $632 billion in 2013 to $874 bil-lion in 2018. One strong reason for this may be that employers and governments will be pay-ing their employees through a debit card, also known as Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), and not a physical check. People will need an ATM to get their money.

ProfitinG froM an atMYour ATM profits are also determined by the type of program you choose, the surcharge fee you set and the number of monthly ATM surcharge transactions. The more ATM trans-actions in a store will generate more revenue for the store owner. Choosing to purchase your own ATM and manage it will earn you 100% of the revenue from each transaction. If you want an ATM without the capital costs or hassle of management, there are placement options such as full turnkey ATM or partnerships available through ATM providers. These will be dis-cussed in more detail in the next section. These programs will earn a smaller percentage of the surcharge revenue. Continued on next page

29

ATM PurchAsing OPTiOns fOr The sTOre OwnerA range of ATM programs are available with varying degree of capital investment and mainte-nance of the ATM. You may buy the ATM and manage the cash loading to get the maximum possible revenue from your ma-chine. If you would like an ATM in your location without the capi-tal and time investment, a place-ment may be right for you. A full service ATM provider (also known as an Independent Sales Organiza-tion or ISO) can provide you with similar programs below.Full Turnkey ATM PlacementThis option is for a store owner who is not ready to invest in the equipment capital and time necessary to managing cash replenishment and ATM machine maintenance. ISO’s can han-dle everything from the ATM equipment costs, installation, maintenance, cash services, insur-ance, processing and parts repair so you can profit from transactions hassle-free.Partnership PlacementIf you would like control over your ATM cash

without other aspects of ATM man-agement, an ISO can offer all the assistance associated with a regular placement program while you handle the cash loading of your machines.chOOse wiselyWhether you are buying an ATM or partnering with an ISO, store owners need to do their due diligence. Con-sider the following when entering into a long-term contract with an ISO:

1. Are they Financially Strong? Let’s face it the news is packed with stories

of mismanagement, financial bailouts and bankruptcies. If a company can’t oper-

ate its own business profitably, how could they operate your ATM profitably? Make sure an ISO is a well-run, financially strong com-pany.

2. Size of Company. The size of an ISO should allow them to have the buying power to provide the most competitive pricing in the industry while still maintaining personal customer care. You just do not want to be a number to them.

3. Professional and Industry Accreditations. Make sure the company you choose to work

with is an active member in industry associa-tions and more importantly is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

A company’s BBB rating reflects its overall ethical business practices and gives you an indi-cation how well their customers perceive them.

About CORD Financial Services: Based in Temple, Texas, CORD Financial Services is a nationwide provider of ATM systems, transaction processing and management. CORD has an A+ BBB rating and is an active member of the National Association of Conve-nience Stores (NACS) and ATM Industry Association (ATMIA). As an industry leader, CORD is a trusted partner for thousands of ATMs across the United States. For more information about CORD Financial Services, visit us at www.cordfinancial.com, email at [email protected] or call 800.410.5217.

Continued: ATMS IN STOReS GeNeRATeS MORe ThAN JUST MONey FOR yOU

2684 W. Patapsco Ave, Baltimore, MD 21230Tel: 410-525-0006 fax: 410-525-3811e-mail: [email protected] void where prohibited. Some products not available in all states.

WANT TO ADVERTISE IN THE

NEXT ISSUE OF AASOA MAGAZINE?

Give me a call!

Joey Laurino321-480-3606

Sales Manager

32

As many of you are targeted by aggressive phone scam in the last several months. The Internal Revenue Service has issued another strong warning for consumers to guard against sophisticated and aggressive phone scams tar-geting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, as reported incidents of this crime continue to rise nationwide.

The IRS will always send taxpayers a written notification of any tax due via the U.S. mail. The IRS never asks for credit card, debit card or prepaid card information over the tele-phone.

Immigrants are frequently targeted. Potential victims are threatened with deportation, arrest, having their utilities shut off, or having their driver’s licenses revoked. Callers are frequently insulting or hostile - apparently to scare their potential victims.

Potential victims may be told they are entitled to big refunds, or that they owe money that must be paid immediately to the IRS. When unsuccessful the first time, sometimes phone scammers call back trying a new strategy.

Other characteristics of this scam include:• Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.

• Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security number.

• Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS call-ing.• Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.

• Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.

• After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID sup-ports their claim.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do:

• If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue, if there is such an issue.• If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for ex-ample, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.

• If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commis-sion and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments of your complaint.

Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraud-ulently claim to be from the IRS.

The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or finan-cial information. This includes any type of elec-tronic communication, such as text messages

and social media channels. The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confi-dential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to [email protected].

More information on how to report phishing scams involving the IRS is available on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov and type “scam” in the search box.

Raskin Shah, CPA is an owner of Raskin Shah, PA full service accounting and tax practice, pro-viding services throughout

Florida. He can be reached at (321) 269-6677 or email: [email protected]. Website: RaskinShahCPA.com

Telephone Scam – Warning from irS

By Raskin Shah, CPA

“Our Client SuccessIs our

Business”

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Monthly and Quarterly Financial Statements

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[email protected]

Raskin Shah, PACertified Public Accountant

Complete Accounting & Tax ServicesProfessionals & Businesses

FFIICCPPAA MMEEMMBBEERR

Serving Professionals & Businesses Since 1994

TIPSnTRENDSWe manufacture, operate, buy, install, maintain,

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customers, “Smart Vend” technology for YOU!

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Air Resource Vending, Inc.

Tarantula puts a whole new spin on ready to drink margaritas. This premi-um liquor blends the finest tequila with natural flavors for a unique smoothness

and drinkability. Consumers love their striking colors and sensational taste. The Azul is excellent especially when combined with Tarantula Azul Margarita Mix. Together they make “The World’s Best

Blue Margarita”. That’s why we offer them pre-mixed as a ready-to-drink margarita with real

tequila in the blue Azul, Strawberry, and Mango flavors. They are the only ready to drink

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Coffee & Tea Carafe DesTainer

· Works like magic – quickly removes stains from coffee pots, urns, carafes, tea,

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Good, cheap, colorful - and especially very popu-lar. The ok.- products are all the rage. Ok.- represents the perfect quality at fair prices in a cool design. The brand appears natural, straight-forward and direct. The ok.- products are genuine class hit. Apart from the dif-ferent energy drink variants ok.- products of a very high demand.

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Natives of South-east Asia have been chew-

ing Kratom for centuries. It is widely believed that the traditional

natural chewing of Kratom provides fast absorption and strong desired effects. We

believe, as the natives did, chewing Kratom is the best way for your customers to experi-

ence the full benefits of this truly amazing plant.Kratom Buzz Gum®

is the first & only modern day chewable Kratom product on the market. In addition to MAENG DA Kratom, BUZZ GUM® is enhanced

with Oxytriptan & Caffeine to provide your customers with a truly amazing Full Spectrum

Experience.

AASOA MeMbeRS eARn AnextRA $1,200.00 peR YeAR!

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call marc douglas 954-214-5912 For more details or to Schedule a drop off

What is F’Real?• Freshly blended frozen beverages with consistenly great taste and exceptional quality. f’real’s classic milk-shakes, real fruit smoothies and gourmet frozen cap-pucinos are blended fresh every time, and made with only the highest quality ingredients.• Innovative automated technology. f’real’s first-to-mar-ket blending system is based on pre-packaged ingredi-ents frozen right in the serving cup, custom blended with one touch of the screen. No labor, no mess, no wasted ingredients-EVER.• Beverage destination program that drives incremen-tal traffic and sales. Three delicious product lines, one simple blending program.

Contact: Marci Fechter 954-732-0173 www.freal.com

Contact: Manish Patel772-607-4825Florida One

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SEE US AT THE SUNSHINE EXPO!

Bob Patel (407) 710-5818

[email protected]

Krishna Multi servicesKrishna Multi services

•Accounting & Taxation •Business Licensing (All Types, Statewide)•SNAP (EBT) Related Services•Check Cashing- Complete Package: -MSB Registration, Licensing, Ongoing -Monitoring, Audit Representation•Business Organization, Planning & Consulting: -Obtain Licenses & Registrations: ~Occupatoinal License ~Alcohol & Tobacco License ~SNAP Registration ~On-Demand Customization of Sales, Expenses & Other Spreadsheets ~Minority Business Certification: City, State & National Level

•Government Benefit Assistance: -Unemployment Benefits -Food Stamps -Healthcare.gov Registration -Assistance with other Government Services•Agent Between You & Your Accountant for Audit Purposes: -Gather & Organize Required Documents -Prepare a Complete Package for Auditor•Generate Power of Attorney Documents & -Prepare Most of Legal Agreements •Review Legal Documents & Answer Specifc Questions•Immigration & Citizenship Assistance•Business Insurance•Personal Asset Organization

NACS SHOW KICK-OFF PARTYLocated on the popular Las Vegas strip, TAO nightclub is the perfect place to grab a drink and meet and network with colleagues and new acquaintanc-es. To kick off the NACS Show, enjoy an open bar and entertainment as you connect with NACS Show attendees from around the world.

NACS GAME DAY PARTYJoin NACS Show fans for a little pre-dinner networking fun once the expo closes. The NACS Show Game Day’s festive tailgate atmosphere will make you want to grab a beer and participate in the fun and games.

NACSTOBERFESTThe post-expo networking fun contin-ues after the expo closes on Thursday with NACSTOBERFEST. Meet up with industry peers in the Silver Lot at the Las Vegas Convention Center to participate in the carnival-style games while enjoying a cold beer or glass of wine.

Join your colleagues for a little networking, food and fun each evening right after the expo closes.

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AASOA Special 10% off!

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OXFORD LIGHT INC.ECO-GREEN LED

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352-308-6627 for Raj352-989-0765 for Ashok

2014 SCHEDULE OF EVENTSTUESDAY, OCTOBER 77:30 am - 5:30am Registration10:00 am - 6:30pm Cool New Products Preview Room (retailers, wholesalers and distributors only)10:00 am-5:30 pm NACS Center10:00 am-5:30 pm NACSPAC Lounge2:00 pm-2:50 pm Educational Sessions3:05 pm-3:55 pm Educational Sessions4:10 pm-5:00 pm Educational Sessions5:00 pm-5:30 pm New Supplier Member Reception (ticketed event)5:30 pm-7:00 pm NACS Show Kick-Off Party (ticketed event)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 87:30 am-5:30 pm Registration8:00 am-8:50 am Educational Sessions8:00 am-11:30 am Cool New Products Preview Room (retailers, wholesalers and distributors only)8:00 am-5:30 pm NACS Center8:00 am-5:30 pm NACSPAC Lounge9:05 am-9:55 am Educational Sessions10:00 am-11:15 am Genera Session featuring Brad Call and David Freedman11:30 am-5:30pm Expo11:30 am-5:30 am Cool New Products Preview Room (open to all)5:30 pm-6:45 pm NACS Game Day Party

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 97:30 am-5:30 pm Registration8:00 am-8:50 am Educational Sessions8:00 am-5:30 pm Cool New Products Preview Room8:00 am-5:30 pm NACS Center8:00 am-5:30 pm NACSPAC Lounge9:05 am-9:55 am Educational Sessions10:00 am-11:15 am General Sessions featuring Henry Armour and NACS “Ideas 2 Go”11:30 am-5:30 pm Expo5:30 pm-6:45 pm NACSTOBERFEST

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 107:30 am-1:30 pm Registration8:00 am-9:00 am General Sessions featuring Steve Loehr and Dr. Robert Gates8:00 am-1:30 pm Cool New Products Preview Room8:00 am-1:30 pm NACS Center8:00 am-1:30 pm NACSPAC Lounge9:00 am-1:30 pm Expo

42

Office: 7855 Argyle Forest Blvd. #802 Jacksonville FL 32244 The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements,

certification, specialization, or self-proclaimed expertise. Before you decide, ask us to send you free information about our qualifications and experience.

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Made in USA, Factory in Tampa, FLPride Imports LLC

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Importer, Manufacturer & DistributorJewelry, Watches, Pocket Knives, Sunglasses,

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J.H. Williams Oil Company, Inc.

Are you in need of a fuel supplier? J.H. Williams Oil Co., Inc. has been in the fuel business for over 70 years. Based in Tampa, FL we have locations in Fort Myers, Marco Island, New Port Richey, Bradenton, North Port, Ruskin,

Lutz, Tampa, and Sarasota. We also supply to over 200 retail outlets throughout the state of Florida and we’re looking to grow! Quality

and customer service are important to us, which is why we represent six reliable brands: Shell, Chevron, Texaco, Citgo, Marathon, and Sunoco. We offer a variety of unbranded supply options as well.

Give us a call so we can start building a relationship today!

Jack Piedmont813-466-9327

Art Vetter813-679-3095

Mike Aldred 813-376-4433

Our sales team is eager to serve you!

We Also have a full office staff

that handles bill-ing and process-

ing daily!

summer issue 2014

Documents

beverage food expo

years sunshine food

fellow store

single store owners

you18 sunshine

retail beverage council

convenience store world

trending now36 nacs