VMCO Profile: Vincent DeMichele
A Promotion that Paid
Handsomely
1985
NEW MEMBERS
TO TEN YEAR
CLUB
In January of 1958, Vincent DeMichele
came to Van Munching Co., Inc., to
head up a traffic department that con
sisted of three people and moved under
a million cases of beer a year. Leo Van
Munching, VMCO founder, respectfully
referred to his new traffic manager as
"the truck driver."
Twenty-eight years and hundreds of
millions of cases of beer later, "the truck
driver" is retiring as Vice President-
Traffic of VMCO.
"I'm proud to have been a part of all
we've accomplished," Vince says, look
ing back on a career that has seen great
change and innovation in the shipping
industry. Change and innovation that
Vince has, in large part, been responsi
ble for.
One of Vince's greatest successes
was the implementation of the time-vol
ume concept of shipping. Under this
method, VMCO has been able to get dis
count rates on shipping in return for
agreeing to ship a specified amount in a
fixed time frame. "We were the first
company to negotiate time-volume,"
Vince says. "We did it before Sony,
before DuPont, before anybody."
Thanks to Vince's expertise our cost
per case has been kept at a
reasonable level, consider
ing the ocean freight is a
major factor in our overall
cost," according to VMCO
President Leo Van Munch
ing, Jr."Had it not been for
Vince, the cost of all
imported beers would
have been considerably
highera fact that the
steamship people recog
nize and we deeply
appreciate."
Vince's long career
started at Park Tilford,
where he was assistant traf
fic manager before joining VMCO. He
graduated with a BA from State College
in Albany. Vince and his wife Joan, par
ents of three and grandparents of three,
live in Islip, New York.
The only plans Vince and Joan have
made for the future involve extensive
travel in Europe"like a couple of vag
abonds," he says, "until we tire of it."
Taking over for Vince will be Matt
Nestor, a 15-year VMCO veteran. Matt, a
Business Administration graduate from
St. Peter's College, lives with his wife
and two daughters in Fords, New Jersey.
Vince credits Matt with playing a large
role in setting up the elaborate distribu
tion system that VMCO utilizes. Matt
will be in charge of a department that
has quadrupled under Vince's
guidance.
"Vinnie has been a great teacher,"
Matt says. "It has been a privilege to
work with and learn from Vinnie both
professionally and personally." Those
are sentiments shared by all at VMCO,
who will always be greatful for his
many contributions to our company.
John C. Wilkes
9/1/75
Dan Neglia
7/14/75
Bonnie Otto
1/31/72
Daniel J. Duane, Jr.
10/14/75
Here's a great example of how a little
sales incentive can go an awfully
long wayover 10,000 cases worth.
Recently, the salesmen at B&B Bever
age Co. in Long Branch, New Jersey,
were offered the chance to earn
handsome red Amstel Light jackets.
The catch? To qualify, each man had
to sell a minimum of 1,000 cases of
Amstel Light in one month's time.
Not only did everyone qualify, but an
impressive 10,363 cases were
moved. Pictured above are (seated
left to right) Jack Mannix, Steve
Vetrano, Jim Foresman, Vice Presi
dent Vinnie McHugh, (standing left
to right) Rick Ruoff, A1 Falabella,
President Bob Bainton, and Jim
McEvoy. Looking great, men!
1 -
r
Smiling as usual, Vince is shown here enjoying a Heineken with Alfred
Heineken and Leo Van Munching Jr.
Interrupted Service
"amsteC
mÊ-m.ma
