Compass acquires CulinArt

Compass Group USA has announced the acquisition of CulinArt Group, a major independent contract management firm operating primarily in the B&I, college and private school segments. It placed #14 on the 2016 FM Top 50 Contract Management Companies listing with 2015 revenues of $265 million and 210 client contracts.

CulinArt will continue to operate under its own name per a philosophy Compass has maintained through a series of acquisitions of prominent formerly independent contract firms since its entry into the North American market in 1994. CulinArt’s management will also be retained, per a Compass spokesperson. The company is headed by longtime CEO Joe Pacifico and President/COO Thomas Eich.

CulinArt has been a fairly fast-growing firm recently, adding more than $100 million in revenues in the past five years. It is seen as an innovative organization in developing new modes of food delivery to customers such as food trucks, pop-up cafes and micromarkets, as well as a growing mobile ordering program. It also has a strong catering arm bolstered by a couple of acquisitions.

A robust chef culture has leveraged emerging culinary trends such as street foods and European flatbreads into successful proprietary branded concepts. The company’s core market is in the Northeast, near its headquarters in Plainview, N.Y., but it also operates in the South and on the West Coast.

Compass topped the 2016 Top 50 with 2015 revenues of $14.5 billion.

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]