Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

This content was published: September 17, 2009. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.

PCC signs a deal with Coca Cola to sell products on campuses, centers

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Crews work to fill new Coca Cola vending machines before classes start Monday. (Photo by James Hill)

When the 2009-10 school year gets under way on Monday, returning students, staff and faculty may be surprised to find Coca Cola dispenser, and not Pepsi Cola, in the cafeterias.

A Portland Community College committee met this summer and proposed to the college Board of Directors to sign a 10-year deal with Coke. The committee estimated that the deal will net an additional $381,000 in revenue over the decade, plus $211,000 in savings on the price of Coke products sold at PCC.

The college had asked both soft drink companies for a fixed price over the 10-year life of the contract, according to Wing-Kit Chung, vice president for administrative services. Coca Cola agreed; Pepsi requested a 10-year contract but committed to only a two-year price freeze.

"In addition to cost, the equipment from Coca Cola is much more sustainable and customer friendly than Pepsi," Chung said. Coke equipment has a temperature sensor to allow their equipment to automatically turn on/off when it gets to a certain temperature to maintain food safety. Also, their vending machines have wireless debit/credit card terminals so that students can use their plastics. "Pepsi can provide neither of these good features," he added.

About James Hill

James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »