Tom Diffendal's eureka moment happened while shopping in a supermarket in the 1970s.
He saw a grocery clerk pluck a coffee can off the shelf and carry it to the break room.
“Let me install a coffee machine in your store,” Mr. Diffendal told the manager. “That way you can keep your inventory on the shelf.”
The manager agreed, and Mr. Diffendal's vending business was born.
Thomas S. Diffendal Sr. of Robinson died Friday, July 17, 2015, when a blood vessel ruptured in his brain during a heart-valve procedure. He was 82.
Mr. Diffendal started American Vending & Food Service in 1974. He bought 10 used coffee machines and repainted them in his basement.
The business swelled to 128 machines by the end of its second year, said Don Diffendal of North Fayette, the second-eldest of Mr. Diffendal's four sons.
“He could always sell,” Don Diffendal said. “He was constantly an entrepreneur and was looking for something, and he found it with vending.”
The family changed the company name to Laurel Foodsystems in 1997. It has 5,500 vending machines and 150 workers in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, said Don Diffendal, the company's chief financial officer.
Mr. Diffendal remained company chairman until his death. His eldest son, Thomas Diffendal Jr. of Robinson, is CEO and president.
His third-eldest son, Rick Diffendal of Upper St. Clair, is vice president. His youngest son, David, owns a resort in Placencia, Belize.
When his sons were teenagers, Mr. Diffendal had them take a personality test. He used the results to decide which roles they would play in the family business, Thomas Diffendal Jr. said.
Mr. Diffendal was born June 30, 1933, in McKeesport to Gregory and Anna Rose Diffendal.
He graduated from St. Peter's High School in McKeesport in 1951. He worked for his family's dairy farm and as a vending salesman before starting a business.
He met his wife, Mary Louise Diffendal, in a bowling alley. They married Nov. 25, 1961, in Hays, Don Diffendal said.
In addition to his wife and sons, he is survived by eight grandchildren.
Visitation is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday and 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in William Slater II Funeral Service, 1650 Greentree Road in Scott. Funeral services are at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Holy Trinity Church, 5718 Steubenville Pike in Robinson.
Tony Raap is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7827 or traap@tribweb.com.
