The National Automatic Merchandising Association, or NAMA, is the American national

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. An industry trade association partic ...

of the convenience services industry, including

vending A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The fi ...

, micro markets, office coffee service, and foodservice management. Headquartered in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

, NAMA represents more than 1,000 member companies, including hundreds of small businesses.

Leadership

Carla Balakgie is president and CEO of NAMA. Before joining the association in 2011, Balakgie served as CEO of the Electronic Transactions Association. Heidi Chico, president of National Vending LLC, chairs NAMA's board of directors.

Advocacy

In the summer, NAMA convenes an annual Fly-In, which brings more than 300 industry leaders to Washington, D.C. to discuss calorie disclosure requirements, overtime pay, and other issues affecting the convenience services industry. In a July 2017 op-ed column published in ''

The Hill ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', Balakgie claimed Fly-In attendees hold more than 200 meetings with members of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

to "ensure that the voice of the convenience services industry is heard on Capitol Hill."{{Cite news, url=http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/343087-tax-reform-must-include-death-tax-repeal?rnd=1500665528, title=Tax reform must include 'death tax' repeal, last=Jordan, first=Chuck, date=2017-07-24, work=TheHill, access-date=2017-08-18

References

External links

National Automatic Merchandising Association
Vending Trade associations based in the United States 1936 establishments in the United States Merchandising