NACAS West Newsletter - The West Connection
Business Partner Highlight: Tapingo
In each newsletter, we will be highlighting a NACAS West member, institution, or business
partner.
Business Partner Highlight: Tapingo
What is Tapingo?
Tapingo is an app designed to improve the buying experience for college students and the
dining program that serve them. We seek to eliminate the hassle and stress of everyday buying
by letting mobile technology handle the ordering, transaction, and payment - freeing up time for
both consumers and merchants.
Our technology includes a core set of products that allow retail facilities to accept orders,
seamlessly communicate with students, and infer key trends and insights. The key to our
success, however, is the operational expertise that allows us to partner with campus dining
programs to transform the experience for students and staff.
Does Tapingo have a stated mission statement, the reason that this business exists?
We believe in a world where technology removes the hassles and stress of everyday
transactions—so students can focus on more important things. College is too exciting to worry
about food. We want students gaining incredible experiences, making new friends, challenging
themselves (and hopefully studying)…not waiting around for their next coffee.
Why is Tapingo a part of NACAS?
Tapingo lives at the cross section of three parts of the university experience: dining, student life,
and campus card/technology services. As the essential association for campus auxiliaries,
NACAS stands at the center of those converging worlds. On a more personal level, we credit
much of our success as a company over the last five years to the people we’ve met and
industry knowledge we’ve acquired through our relationship with NACAS.
What is the future for this type of business?
On and off campus, retail services are changing. Mobile technology is reshaping the way
people buy goods and access services. As this trend continues, we expect to see the “physical
world” continue to mold itself to the digital experience.
For example, as dining operators see a greater percentage of their business coming from
mobile orders, we will see a shift in how food is prepared and distributed throughout campus.
Fewer cashier stations and a greater reliance on central production kitchens, pick-up windows,
and localized delivery will give universities the opportunity to provide greater customization in a
more dynamic and efficient way.
Where do you see your business in the next year? In the next five years?
Over the next year, we expect the vast majority of remaining universities with strong retail
dining programs to implement mobile ordering. As a business, our plan is to continue to
improve the technology and further our operational expertise for on-campus express pickup and
localized on-campus delivery.
Five years from now, we’d like to continue to evolve our services to help students get what they
want, when they want it, for other products and services beyond food. Additionally, we see an
opportunity to bring our core services to additional markets with similar challenges (e.g. health
care facilities and corporate campuses). We have already begun to experiment along all these
axes, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results.
What are the keys to Tapingo’s success?
The two keys to success are: (1) providing the best possible experience and service for
students, and (2) continuing to support the key initiatives of student life and campus dining.
Where can NACAS West members find more information about Tapingo?
Our website, www.tapingo.com, has high-level information. For details surrounding how
Tapingo can benefit students, card offices, and campus dining programs, please contact us at
[email protected].
New Board Members
Welcome to the newest NACAS West Board Members
Jana Faro - Treasurer
Jana is the current Director of Facilities & Technology for University Housing at Arizona State
University, overseeing 14,000 beds across 5 different campuses. In addition, she oversees the
facilities and public-private relationships, occupancy management, systems & data, IT,
customer service and communications, and all administrative work related. Jana joined ASU in
early 2016 from Portland, OR, previously working in corporate real estate as a mixed-use, multifamily development associate.
Jana has a bachelors degree in studio art from the University of Redlands, as well as a masters
of science in higher education administration from Syracuse University and an MBA in real
estate development from Portland State University. Jana previously served on the NACAS
board as treasurer, and is excited to return to the role. Aside from being entrenched in all things
real estate and operations, she enjoys hiking with her two pups and enjoying the desert life.
Andrea Zelinko - Coordinator: Regional Annual Conference
Andrea is the Director of the University Memorial Center at the University of Colorado
Boulder. In this role, she oversees the student union’s facilities, business and payroll,
scheduling, games area, and IT and marketing departments. During her time at CU Boulder,
she has overseen the campus’ safe ride program and the student union’s assessment efforts.
Prior to working for CU Boulder, Andrea worked for 10 years with college campuses on a
variety of health and prevention issues through the non-profit The BACCHUS Network. She
received her bachelors in literatures in English from the University of California San Diego and
her masters in student affairs and higher education from Colorado State University.
Call for Programs
The 2017 NACAS West Regional Conference
NACAS West invites you to play an essential role in our regional conference June 4 - 6, 2017 in
Orange County, CA.
We invite members to share their expertise, creativity and ideas.
We're looking for the following presentation topics: Strategy, Negotiating, Change
Management, Leading Multiple Teams, Understanding Students’ Needs, Wants and
Behaviors, New Business Models, New Funding Models, Recruiting and Developing Auxiliary
Service Directors, Leadership Succession Planning, Consumer Trends, Retail
Trends, Technology Trends and Implementation Practices
Not ready to present? Recommend a colleague you admire!
Two session formats are offered; a Flash Session that is 45 minutes or an Extended Session
that is 60 minutes.
The Call for Programs deadline is February 28, 2017.
To submit a proposal or find more information visit our conference site:
http://www.nacas.org/regions/west/conference.aspx