Bernick’s Breaks Ground on New Vending Building in Waite Park

WAITE PARK (WJON News) -- Bernick’s has broken ground on a major expansion project at its Waite Park headquarters.

They are adding a 36,000-square-foot building for the vending division. They currently house all vending in the main warehouse.

CEO Jason Hinnenkamp says vending takes up about 25 percent of their current building. He says while traditional vending machines are down, micro markets are seeing big growth.

For those who have seen them, it's like walking into a little convenience store.  You can pick up and feel everything you are looking for, and let the consumer pick up what they want and choose more freely versus going through a vending machine.

Hinnenkamp says the best example would be what you might have seen while walking through the airport.

The biggest example would maybe be the airport.  If you travel through there you walk up to an area where everything is laid out against the wall, that's what we are trying to model.

The new building will feature multi-tiered vending pick lines, product storage bays, a 3,800 square foot cooler, a 1,800 square foot freezer, offices, and a break room.

Bernick’s coverage area is basically everything north of Albertville all the way to the Canadian border, into western and northern Wisconsin.

Bernick’s is a fifth-generation family business that distributes Miller and Pepsi products along with a variety of other products.

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They started 107 years ago in 1916 and have been in the vending business for about 40 years.

The company is headquartered in Waite Park and has other locations in Bemidji, Brainerd, Duluth, and Willmar in Minnesota, along with facilities in Superior and Dresser in Wisconsin.

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