Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/679164
R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s 1 1 1 F r i d a y, M a y 2 0 , 2 0 1 6 RDN: Tell us about Nimbus 9 and what you are bringing to NRA 2016. LS: Nimbus 9 (N9) is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We develop cloud-based software for managing and continually optimizing energy consump- tion within commercial buildings. We have a tight focus on lighting and HVAC, as these two typically represent the largest energy loads. This will be our first year attending NRA, and we will be debuting our ener- gy management solution. This includes wireless LED lighting from our partners, our control-from-anywhere platform and energy monitoring and optimization solution. RDN: Who's your target market? LS: Our solution is built for restaurants, retail, hospitality and general commercial buildings. We understand the unique requirements of each of these sectors and have constructed our platform to be flex- ible to those needs. From one platform, we are able to cover all lighting types and HVAC. We are the first solution to con- nect indoor front of house, back of house, outdoor and parking lighting and can also work with a myriad of HVAC systems. What is unique about these markets is that owners typically have more than one location. Since we use a cloud-based approach, all locations can be managed from one account, from one web portal, from anywhere in the world. We chose cloud over traditional on-premise solu- tions in order to offer a continuous stream of feature updates and upgrades, as well as support for the life of the serv- ice. RDN: How do your products or services enhance your customers' ability to com- pete in the marketplace? LS: N9 started from day one designing our products with cost in mind. We Nimbus 9 (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) understand that in order for our solution to deliver value, we have to provide great return on investment. That is why we have structured our costs around the actu- al energy used and saved. This gives us the unique ability to have little to no upfront costs for the end user. In short, we instantly improve the bottom line of low-margin businesses through energy savings and optimization on a monthly basis, and we lower main- tenance costs to almost nothing. This in turn allows our customers to either pock- et the money saved or decrease pricing for their products and/or services to be more competitive. Not insignificantly, the N9 solution also contributes to your property's ambiance. We enhance the look of a property through better lighting, and individual control for each fixture gives you the ability to customize the look and feel of the property with the touch of a button. RDN: You've spoken a little about the costs. Can you expand on that? LS: As I mentioned, cost has been a very large focus of ours. We designed our technology to have as little upfront costs as possible. Our software is cloud-based, which means it runs as an ongoing serv- ice fee. There's no large capital outlay. This also gives our customers the latest and greatest software ongoing and requires zero software updates on their part – you don't need to hire a computer guy to install new software just to change your lighting design or get a new feature. For the hardware components, such as LED fixtures, we offer zero cash upfront financing options and tie the total cost to the energy savings. What this does is ensure that our customers are saving more on their energy than they're paying to finance their lighting equipment, so there's no cash-flow constraint. For more information, visit Nimbus 9 in booth #484. After the show, visit www.nimbus9.co. Central Bank indicated that there are over 18 billion Euro notes in circulation. Eight- five percent of all worldwide retail trans- actions are made with cash. Within hospi- tality, 37 percent of all transactions are cash based and in transactions under $10, that number rises to 66 percent. The bot- tom line is that cash is going to be around. Retailers and restaurateurs will need to develop tools to reduce the cost of taking and managing cash. Get Control of Your Cash Management Costs As the cost associated with managing cash continues to rise, retailers and restaurateurs are being forced to look for cost effective cash management solu- tions. The costs associated with accept- ing cash transactions can be broken down into three major groups: employee theft, operational logistics (in both the front end and back office) and cash in transit. The SMARTtill™ Intelligent Cash Drawer is a cash management solution that helps restaurants improve their cash loses while reducing the in-lane and back office labor costs. The SMARTtill solu- tion immediately counts the cash con- tents of each individual coin and note compartment after every transaction and reconciles the cash to the sales transac- tion. The information is then made avail- able electronically allowing the restau- rant to automate its audit process. Restaurants that deploy the SMARTtill solution experience cash loss reductions between 70 percent and 80 percent and C ash Management (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) can save up to 30 minutes a day per till reconciling while generating a ROI in between 11 to 14 months. Innovative Solutions for Retail and Hospitality NRA brings food and hospitality retailers and solution providers together. The food industry is a dynamic and customer cen- tric segment and we all face similar chal- lenges – how do we develop and deliver an experience customers will love at a sustainable cost? Restaurants that imple- ment innovative cash management solu- tions will deliver the best customer serv- ices to build and solidify consumer rela- tionships. APG/Cash Bases is a leading manu- facturer of cash management solutions supporting a product range of over 10,000 unique offerings ranging from general application solutions to total cus- tom offerings for major retailers in 75 counties worldwide. Cash drawer for- mats include slide out, flip-top and cas- sette styles – paired with 25 possible interfaces. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, WiFi, Ethernet, Serial, USB and various printer interfaces which cre- ate a deep portfolio that meets any retail- er's business needs. It constantly strives to produce innovative solutions that deliver personalised value to its cus- tomers; the emphasis is always on sup- plying what the customer actually needs and not just a 'close fit.' For more information, stop by booth #6775, email sales@us.cashdrawer.com, go to www.cashdrawer.com or call 763.571.5000. solution for tired and achy feet, and legs! These stylish compression socks present a variety of options to highlight your unique personality, while provid- ing your feet and legs with the ultimate support. Don't let tired, achy legs stop you from providing great service. Introducing the EllipsisPro compression socks: knee-high compression socks that are the perfect answer for food industry and hospitality professionals. The EllipsisPro compression socks are made from an antimicrobial material to help wick away moisture and odor, as well as provide stunning support with 20-30mmHg of graduated compression. TCS compression socks are clinically proven to help eliminate tired and achy legs. Additionally, several other benefits include: preventing and managing pain associated with varicose veins, prevent- ing deep vein thrombosis during travel and promoting healthy legs. Who does- n't love style, function and comfort? When you spend a lot of time on your feet, it can put extra strain on your circulatory system, which can result in swollen, achy legs, leaving you feeling drained and unable to perform at your very best. The TCS EllipsisPro compres- sion socks and hosiery are perfect circu- latory support to prevent aches, swelling TC S (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) and painful legs when you are a profes- sional on your feet for long periods of time. With its wide range of styles and fun colors, you can easily coordinate your look into fashionable options for any occasion. Over 100,000 profession- als are already wearing and rocking its socks. With hundreds of satisfied cus- tomers, it also invites you to browse through its customer testimonials on its Facebook page. For example, Amy M. from Maddisonville, Kentucky, writes: "I have worn my TCS stockings for two months now, and I love them…. they help the pain in my heel feel better when I'm on my feet at work… Thank you, TCS, for making a long shift toler- able." The vast variety of TCS Socks are ideal for professionals on their feet all day. Stop by booth #8854 to get perfect- ly measured by one of its TCS specialists, and a special NRA deal will be included just for stopping by. TCS will be happy to get you into your new pair of EllipsisPro compression socks. Make your feet and legs healthy and happy. Use promo code: NRASOCKS to receive 20 percent of your entire online order. For more information, visit www.total compressionsolutions.com or stop by booth #8854. MARIN FRENCH CHEESE'S SCHLOSS WINS SUPER GOLD Schloss, the pungent washed-rind cheese made by Marin French Cheese claimed sweet success with a Super Gold award at the 28th Annual World Cheese Awards held in Birmingham, England. In the category of Washed Rind Cheeses, Schloss competed with cheeses from Switzerland, France, England and Canada, bringing home the only award to an American-made cheese in its category. Schloss, which means "castle," was first made by Marin French Cheese in the early 1900s, gaining a following of European immigrants who longed for the hearty, pungent cheeses from the old country. Cheesemakers at Marin French recent- ly updated its original square shape to an 8-ounce wheel, added a dollop of extra cream, and continued the cus- tomary brine wash during ripening to develop its distinctive aroma and orange-hued rind. 2015 was a record-breaking year for Schloss as it racked up top awards from Wisconsin's U.S. Championship Cheese Contest (third place), CalExpo State Fair (bronze award) and bested its own silver award from the 2014 World Cheese Awards. In addition, Marin French took bronze awards for Petite Camembert and Supreme Brie. Marin French Cheese sister com- pany in Sonoma, Laura Chenel's, was awarded silver for Chef 's Chevre in the fresh goat cheese category. "We are very proud of the teams at Marin French and Laura Chenel's," says General Manager Philippe Chevrollier. "Working with the freshest milk deliv- ered daily from family-owned dairies, they add ingenuity, skill and know- how to make award-winning, delicious cheese." The World Cheese Awards are organized by The Guild of Fine Foods. This year, more than 2,700 cheeses from 25 countries were judged by 250 international experts.