FM's 2005 Top 50 Management Companies 11-20

FM Staff

TOP 50 AT-A- GLANCE

11 Thompson Hospitality Services
12 Boston Culinary Group, Inc.
13 Valley Services, Inc.
14 Gourmet Services, Inc.
15 CulinArt, Inc.
16 Lackmann Culinary Services
17 Healthcare Services Group, Inc.
18 Ovations Food Services
19 Taher, Inc.
20 Nutrition, Inc.

11 Thompson Hospitality Services
HERNDON, VA
www.thompsonhospitality.com

MAJOR SEGMENTS SERVED: B&I (50%), College/University (30%), K-12 (11%)

One of the country's largest minorityowned businesses, Thompson was founded in 1992 with the acquisition of 31 Bob's Big Boy restaurants. The company has since evolved from a franchise restaurant operator (only one of the original Big Boy units remains, and it operates as a Shoney's) into a developer of its own concepts. It has also diversified into onsite foodservice, beginning with a 1995 contract with Morgan State University, which is still a client. The onsite end of the business received a substantial boost in 1997 through a partnership with Compass Group. Today, clients include MCI, the National Archives, Prince George's County and a number of prominent historically black colleges and universities, including, most recently, Virginia State University. Earlier this year, Compass and Thompson won an expanded contract for the 2005-06 school year from Chicago Public Schools.

12 Boston Culinary Group, Inc.
CAMBRIDGE, MA
www.bostonculinarygroup.com

MAJOR SEGMENTS SERVED: Arenas/ Stadiums (50%), Convention/Conference Ctrs. (20%), Museums/Perf. Arts Ctrs. (10%), Transportation (10%), Restaurants (10%)

Boston Culinary Group is the new name of Boston Concessions Group, a change made last year to emphasize the company's expertise in food-related operations. The firm manages concessions, merchandise sales and upscale catering and luxury suite service (through its Distinctive Gourmet division) in nine stadiums and 14 arenas, most located on college campuses.

Clients include the football stadiums at Virginia Tech, Kansas State, the University of Florida and both Harvard and Yale, as well as Miami's Orange Bowl and Dolphins Stadium, home of the city's NFL franchise. It also operates in a dozen skiing facilities, 11 convention centers (including, most recently, the Virginia Beach Convention Center), 10 performing arts centers and a variety of other venues such as the Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway and New York's Laguardia Airport, where it opened the first in a planned series of new kiosks in June. In addition, BCG owns and operates 23 movie theaters in the Northeast as well as three single location commercial restaurants and the 10-unit John Harvard's Brew House chain, which it acquired last year.

13 Valley Services, Inc.
JACKSON, MS
www.valleyservicesi.com

MAJOR SEGMENTS SERVED: Senior Nutrition/Home Meal Delivery (25%), Hospitals (20%), Corrections (20%), College/University (13%), B&I (12%), K-12 (10%)

Valley continues to refine its signature Choice Matters brand, stressing the importance of low-fat and -sodium selections, as well as selections consistent with other popular diet regimens like South Beach and Weight Watchers, on its menus. It is also expanding the range of its offerings to encompass more refgional choices and the use of organic products.

In the healthcare field Valley is developing and implementing a room service program where viable, and a modified version offering greater menu choice in locations where full-blown room service is not practical. Its Traditions pre-plated meals production unit is developing lines to meet the needs of segments outside its traditional senior feeding market.

Valley has also recently added Nissan automotive plants in Smyrna and Decherd, TN, to its customer base, complementing its successful operation in Nissan's Canton, MS, plant. At the beginning of the year, a senior management realignment saw the elevation of Jim Walt to president/COO.

14 Gourmet Services, Inc.
ATLANTA, GA

MAJOR SEGMENTS SERVED: College/ University (45%), K-12 (40%), B&I (15%)

Gourmet Services provides dining services management to a number of public school systems, businesses and some of the country's most prominent black colleges, including Central State University (OH), Texas Southern University, Benedict College (SC) and Hampton (VA) University. This fall, it plans to begin introducing a line of healthful and organic-based menus developed in collaboration with the Morehouse School of Medicine to its educational accounts, with business accounts to follow early next year. It is also planning to introduce a line of pre-plated meals to elementary school clients in collaboration with Preferred Meal Systems, a Berkeley, IL-based supplier of such products.

15 CulinArt, Inc.
LAKE SUCCESS, NY
www.culinartinc.com

MAJOR SEGMENTS SERVED: B&I (60%), College/University (20%), Recreation (9%), K-12 (8%)

CulinArt has recently begun emphasizing exhibition-style cook-to-order concepts. It has also embarked on a culinary certification program with the goal of certifying under standards developed by its in-house Regional Chefs Network all associates who handle food. New programs include Fresh & Healthy, which offers sandwiches, salads, hot entrees and snacks that meet the nutritional guidelines developed by the Los Angeles USD for retail and vending in the school segment. CulinArt also recently launched its first web-based lunch ordering system at the FactSet Research Systems client site in Norwalk, CT.

16 Lackmann Culinary Services
WOODBURY, NY
www.lackmann.com

MAJOR SEGMENTS SERVED: B&I (50%), College/University (37%), Government (8%)

Lackmann's recent initiatives include the introduction of a web-based catering system and of a proprietary cereal concept called the Cereal Box, which has been rolled out to all its education accounts this year. The company also debuted its In the Raw sushi station, opened its first full-blown Dunkin Donuts unit in an account, added a new director of marketing and opened its first account in Rhode Island along with two new accounts in Miami.

17 Healthcare Services Group, Inc.
HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA
www.hcsgcorp.com

MAJOR SEGMENTS SERVED: Eldercare (90%), Hospitals (10%)

The volume listed is foodservice only, a business Healthcare Services Group entered in 1997. HSG derives the bulk of its $443 million in annual revenues from providing housekeeping, laundry, linen and facility maintenance services to some 1,600 nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, retirement centers and hospitals in 42 states and Canada. Clients include the 375-facility Beverly Enterprises nursing home chain, which accounts for about 20% of total company revenues, and 27% of foodservice revenues. The strong growth in HSG's foodservice revenues has been driven by its success in selling this relatively new service to its large existing housekeeping client base.

18 Ovations Food Services
TAMPA, FL
www.ovationsfoodservices.com

MAJOR SEGMENTS SERVED: Arenas/Stadiums (60%), Convention/Conference Ctrs. (20%), State Fairs (20%)

Ovations is the the former Leisure & Recreation Consultants firm acquired by the Philadelphia-based Comcast-Spectacor entertainment conglomerate in 2000. The parent company also owns several major and minor-league sports teams—including the NBA's 76ers and NHL's Flyers—as well as Philadelphia's Wachovia Center and Wachovia Spectrum arenas, the Comcast Sportsnet 24-hour sports programming network and Global Spectrum, a facility management firm that operates several dozen arenas, stadiums, ice rinks and convention centers in the U.S. and Canada. Within the past year, Ovations opened its first NBA arena (Portland's Rose Quarter complex) and three new convention centers. It currently manages foodservice in two dozen arenas and stadiums as well as about a dozen convention and conference facilities and expo centers.

19 Taher, Inc.
MINNETONKA, MN
www.taher.com

MAJOR SEGMENTS SERVED: K-12 (55%), B&I (25%), College/University (10%), Eldercare (10%)

Taher operates in multiple segments, primarily in the Upper Midwest. Over the past year, it has expanded its grab n' go product offerings, added cashless systems for its B&I and vending clients, introduced more spicy menu items to satisfy demand for such options among customers and continued to put a focus on fresh food choices.

20 Nutrition, Inc.
WEST NEWTON, PA
www.nutritionent.com

MAJOR SEGMENTS SERVED: K-12 (80%), Eldercare (11%)

Most of Nutrition, Inc.'s business is manual foodservice but vending represents about 10% of revenues and another 10% is derived from a combination of concessions, OCS, convenience retailing, catering and nonfoodrelated operations like custodial and maintenance services. Last year the company focused on developing client and staff wellness programs as well as menu concepts emphasizing wraps, omelet bars, carving stations and, for the K-12 market, healthy food choices.

To view the next 10 companies in FM's Top 50, click here:
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