Nationality Australian Role Entrepreneur Name Nick Yates | Website www.nickyates.us Occupation Businessman | |
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Known for Business magnate, Fresh Healthy Vending International Inc., Healthy vending franchise Residence San Diego, California, United States | ||
Nick Yates - Founder of Reis & Irvy's
Nick Yates grew up in Sydney, Australia; A graduate from the University of Technology in Sydney with degrees in both Business, Marketing and an additional diploma from Adschool covering advertising practices. Nick Yates created the world’s first healthy vending machine business.[1][2] He is known for introducing the first healthy vending franchise, Fresh Healthy Vending International Inc. (Now Generation NEXT Franchise Brands) that trades publicly as stock symbol VEND on the OTC.BB. Nick Yates is the Chairman of Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, a San Diego-based franchisor whose concepts include Fresh Healthy Vending, Reis & Irvy’s Robotic Frozen Yogurt Vending Machines, 19 Degrees Frozen Yogurt and Generation NEXT Vending Robots Inc.
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Business career
Nick Yates began his career working for Mojo Advertising in Sydney Australia. His work with Mojo Advertising included a position as Senior Media buyer for the Qantas Airlines and Toyota Motor Company accounts. At Mojo Advertising, Nick was responsible for buying strategies and negotiating TV, Radio and Press campaigns. Both accounts worked on combined for over $50,000,000 a year in total media spend.
In 2002, Nick pioneered Healthy Vending Pty Ltd, the world’s first Healthy Vending machine business operated out of Sydney, Australia. In just 14 months Healthy Vending Pty Ltd was responsible for placing over 250 machines throughout Australia proving the concept was timely in nature and ready for global expansion.
In 2005, and after witnessing the increase in demand for healthier food options in the United States, Nick sold the distribution arm of Healthy Vending Pty Ltd and moved to San Diego, California to introduce healthy vending to North America for the first time. In June 2006, America’s first and only healthy vending company was launched under the same premise as Healthy Vending Pty Ltd Sydney, Australia. Between 2006 and 2010 the company placed 1,800 healthy vending machines via multiple vending channels throughout approximately 250 markets of North America. Following up on the success of the concept in the US, Fresh Healthy Vending was launched as the first healthy vending franchise system in the US. Fresh Healthy Vending currently operates over 250 franchisees in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas who operate combined over 3,000 additional healthy vending machines.
In 2016, Fresh Healthy Vending, changed its name to Generation NEXT Franchise Brands. The company currently houses four concepts within its portfolio; Fresh Healthy Vending, 19 Degrees Premium Frozen Yogurt, Generation NEXT Vending Robots and their flagship concept, Reis & Irvy’s Robotic Frozen Yogurt. The revolutionary and first to market robot launched in April 2016 has quickly become one of the companies most successful offerings, with sales in excess of $20,000,000 since its debut through February, 2017, and showcasing a national franchise network of over 140 franchisees in just nine months. The “Froyo Robot” is the world’s first fully automated robotic frozen yogurt vending kiosk, dispensing a 12 oz serving of three flavors of frozen yogurt, up to six toppings and all within 60 seconds. The concept, now available in both the US and Canada, fueled the expansion of Generation NEXT into the robotic vending arena as both a developer of the technology and a franchisor.
As Chairman of Generation NEXT, Nick Yates ushers the company and their subsidiaries through all stages of conceptualization, realization and development.
Nick Yates has a passion for revolutionary technology and Reis & Irvy’s is a perfect example of the market disrupting technology he stands behind. As the world’s first fully automated frozen yogurt vending machine, Reis & Irvy’s has stormed the frozen yogurt industry and quickly became one of the highest grossing retailers per square foot. They are rubbing shoulders with the likes of Apple and Lululemon by bringing in an average of $3,970 per square foot at each of their kiosks.
Generation NEXT Franchise Brands recently acquired assets and intellectual property from South Carolina-based Robofusion, Inc. With this addition, Generation NEXT’s portfolio now includes utility and design patents that relate to robotic vending technology. US Patent No. 7,896,038 covers a frozen confectionary vending machine and a method for vending frozen confectionary products. In addition, US Patent No. 8,989,893 covers a vending machine for assembling and delivering food and drink products. Design patents US D643,861 and US D647,926 cover a kiosk and vending machine for assembly of frozen confectionary products. In addition, the secured patents also include pending U.S. and international utility and design applications that relate to confectionary, entertainment and foodstuff dispensing stations.
Generation NEXT Franchise Brands is a public company trading on the OTC.BB with the stock symbol VEND. Further information on the company and its portfolio of franchise concepts can be found at www.gennextbrands.com.