Aramark Names Gary Crompton to Head Healthcare Unit

Gary Crompton, formerly president of Aramark’s Business Dining Group, has assumed a new position as president of Aramark’s Healthcare Hospitality Business. In his new role, Crompton will oversee all of the retail and patient foodservices, environmental services and plant operations and maintenance services the company offers to the healthcare segment.

The move comes at a time when the healthcare segment is increasingly seen by large management companies as an opportunity market. Healthcare is far less penetrated by outsource providers than are traditional strongholds like B&I, Sports & Entertainment and Higher Education. The healthcare environment is also changing rapidly as a result of network and system consolidation, the growing impact of accountable care and the resulting drive to improve patient and employee satisfaction and achieve greater operating and financial efficiencies.

“There is a great deal of transformation going on in the industry, as the industry continues to consolidate with mergers and acquisitions as smaller systems combine to form larger ones,” says Crompton. "There is also an emphasis on using retail space more effectively to improve operating results.

“We see tremendous opportunity in terms of our ability to improve the retail and the patient dining experience," he adds. "In particular, we see a chance to combine our expertise in retail branding with our ability to standardize processes and systems. The shift from inpatient to outpatient care should also result in higher levels of retail activity and we believe our expertise will be very effective there.

“Healthcare clients want to reduce costs while improving quality. They also want improved satisfaction levels, not only among the patient population, but also among the hospital employees who provide other services to patients. Enhanced retail foodservices and the efficiencies that can create on the operational side should make a major contribution in both regards.”

Crompton says he does not see any major changes ahead for the division’s structure.

Since 2004, Crompton has overseen national business development, financial performance and client retention initiatives across Aramark’s B&I portfolio. Before that, he served as executive director of national and global B&I accounts and as the division’s executive vice president. In 2012, he was recipient of the prestigious Richard Ysmael Award from the Society for Foodservice Management (SFM, now SHFM).

Crompton began his career with Aramark in 1991 as general manager of its Citibank accounts and quickly was promoted to district manager in the New York City area.