We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lionel Garcia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lionel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The mission of Garcia Vending was to support veterans and to grow mental health awareness. As a veteran myself, I understand how important it is to be there for my brothers and sisters and to support them in this battle. This past year, I was lying in the emergency room for heart issues. One of the nurses treating me had a Til Valhalla Project t-shirt on. Because of her top-tier and attentive care, it made me want to reach out to the Til Valhalla Project to give support. In doing so, they led me to Mission 22, a non-profit organization that helps veterans and active=duty military access appropriate mental health services. Mission 22 also provides support and resources to the families of veterans who have lost the battle to mental health and suicide.
This has inspired me to make my business a part of what they do, by giving part of my profit to help their cause. Not only does it give me satisfaction personally but also as an entrepreneur to help those in need.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Garcia Vending is a vending and candy machine company. We provide quality service to local, small businesses in the Greater Milwaukee area. We thrive off of supporting other local entrepreneurs in the area. We not only provide quality machines, but we also provide top-tier satisfaction to customers and employees with popular, tasty drinks, snacks, and treats. With the recent Covid pandemic, we take every precaution to make sure our machines are well-maintained, cleaned, and sanitized regularly and quickly. We pride ourselves in developing relationships with our customers and ensuring they are satisfied with the products.

We are most proud of our collaboration with Mission 22 and their support of veterans and active-duty military. Because of our success, we are able to donate a portion of our funds to this cause.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After the military, I worked for years as an electrician in Milwaukee in addition to other odd jobs. I’ve been a mechanic, a racing instructor / driver, a world-class martial artist. After it all, I focused my time and energy on my marriage and two children. In doing so, I found that I needed to have another means to support my family. I knew that being an entrepreneur would be the best way to go. So, I started small and I purchased candy machines off of Facebook Marketplace. After putting some time and a little elbow grease into cleaning them up, I went door to door to find local businesses that would let me put my machines there. That was the start to growing my business. After that, I started to work my way up to larger vending machines. This inspired me to want to grow my business even more while also balancing being a stay at home dad and growing my dad’s electrical contracting business.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

After leaving the military, my anxiety and depression only worsened. I wasn’t given the proper resources to manage my mental health. I found myself lost. I eventually looked towards something that I always knew – martial arts. This is where I started my first business. From there, my martial arts school thrived until I injured my hand in a motorcycle accident. This forced me to close down my business. I had to pivot and find a new goal. I moved into auto=racing where I met my wife and started a family. But the high achiever that I was, this wasn’t enough.
I started a business to support my family and also help others, specifically veterans, in need.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/garcia_vending?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Garcia-Vending/100088220620282/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/@Garciavending 
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Garciavending