3 Reasons We Love Our Micro Market: Preferred Credit, Inc. [VIDEO]

In the past, we've implemented micro markets into multiple businesses within the area. At Bernick's, we continue to grow the awareness and share the success of our micro markets. We’re thrilled to provide a solution for businesses looking for alternative dining options on behalf of their employees and culture. For example, Preferred Credit Inc., (PCI) a St. Cloud company who provides financing to a group of direct sales distributors, implemented a micro market and here are the top three things they love about it.

1. Micro Markets Are Convenient and Customizable by Business 

PCI was founded in St. Cloud in 1982, located on Roosevelt Road in a 44,000 square-foot building, which houses roughly 285+ employees. The building is also home to additional businesses who rent out office space. PCI operates from 6:30am - 12:30am, their long hours of operation made it hard to find a consistent vendor who could match their hours, considering PCI's staff doesn't have that set noon lunchtime.

Steve Windfeldt, PCI’s Executive VP and co-owner with his brother, Greg, wanted an option that suited not only their employees, but all other employees within the building.“It wasn’t conducive to us. We wanted a food option for employees onsite because we have cold winters. We’d rather people spend time here and see their other colleagues versus going to McDonald’s. We wanted people to know they can eat here. So, we built a larger cafeteria but we needed something to complement that. When Bernick’s brought us this idea, it immediately resonated with us,” Steve said. 

2. Micro Markets Mean Options

Steve mentioned he and Greg’s immediate response to the idea of a micro market as twofold, “it’s self-serve so people can grab food when they want it and we didn’t have to manage it. That’s important. The relationship is between the employee and Bernick’s. We aren’t the ones who have to deal with any issues if they arise or manage any piece of it. In fact, when we opened our new space, Bernick’s spent a week onsite training all of our employees how to navigate the micro market, and setting up their accounts with their individual thumbprints. Dale is our account rep, he gave us his cell phone number so when an issue arose, it could be immediately reported. Like, when some new items weren’t scanning, I found an employee had been proactive and just called to report it without involving management at PCI. It’s so easy,” Steve continued. 

Bernick’s helped PCI foster their culture, while improving employee morale with the installation of a micro market. The number one attribute when we polled our employees about what they liked most, was the micro market.” PCI purposely put one break room in their blueprint when their building was designed, instead of separate areas on each floor. They wanted to foster the relationship between all employees within the building. Another option PCI appreciated in the Bernick’s micro market was the number of healthy options employees could choose from. Items like fresh vegetables, string cheese, and hardboiled eggs are popular items at PCI’s micro market. 

3. The Bernick’s Difference

PCI formerly had traditional vending machines supplied by a competitor. “It was very hard to leave our previous supplier. We had used them for many years. So, Bernick’s had to get over the hurdle of that existing relationship, and they did so with the micro market. It was a no-brainer for us. It fit our culture and it fit what we were trying to accomplish. The other thing that put us over the edge on choosing Bernick’s was we liked the fact that they outsource their food options from Custom Catering by Short Stop. We liked that because we’ve known Byron (Bjorklund) for 40+ years and we try our best to use community vendors,” Steve said.

Another aspect of this business model to consider was the economic point of view. While PCI says they weren’t willing to subsidize their micro market, they had to conduct due diligence to ensure their employees weren’t going to pay too much. Aside from the standard vending fare like soda, chips, and candy bars, which typically have universal pricing, the fresh items unique to a micro market including sandwiches, fruit, salads, yogurt parfaits offered much better pricing. Steve said, “The prices for those fresh items were consistently lower than what was being proposed to us by the competitor.”

Steve concluded with, “Bernick’s is so collaborative and it just seems like a team approach, which is the main reason I have been so vocal about supporting them, and opening up our space for other local companies to come check it out. When I talk to people in town, I tell people I think they should look at it. I have confidence Bernick’s will not let them down.”

We’re happy PCI is so satisfied with their micro market, and we take a lot of pride in the relationships we have with local companies and leaders like Steve. Let us know when you want to see a micro market in action – we’d be happy to show you.