Aramark has added 60 new clients to its education business, one of the largest sectors in the company's $14 billion comprehensive services portfolio. Aramark provides food service, facilities management and uniforms wherever people learn, work, play and recover.
The company delivers dining and facility services to 1,100 K-12 and higher education institutions across the U.S. and Canada, creating vibrant living and learning environments for seven million students every school day. Aramark has been serving the education sector for more than 60 years as a market leader with more than 60,000 employees supporting its school customers. The company employs 270,000+ people globally across its businesses in 22 countries.
Aramark's newest education partners include some of the country's premier colleges and universities, and major public school districts. Among new accounts are the University of Kentucky, St. Louis University, Bryant University, Georgia Gwinnett, Millsaps University and Morehouse College, as well as 40 school districts in Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan,New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia.
In addition to new clients, during the summer vacation period the company renewed long-standing relationships with Baylor University, a 50+ year partner, and University of Virginia, a customer for over 20 years. Aramark also expanded its partnership with the Chicago Public Schools, the third-largest school system in the country, with 400,000 students.
"Education institutions must balance escalating fiscal pressure with sensitivity over increasing tuition rates and simultaneous reductions in state and federal funding," said Eric Foss, Aramark's President and CEO. "By allowing us to effectively manage their non-academic functions like food and custodial services, our partners can focus their attention on fulfilling their core mission of educating and developing minds while deploying additional resources towards that vital goal."
Beyond providing food and facility services, Aramark helps higher education institutions attract students through innovative dining and retail environments. A Technomic industry report, tracking consumer trends in restaurant and dining, noted that students rank dining as the fourth factor they consider when selecting a college.
"Our higher education partners are leveraging this reality as an opportunity to attract and retain students in a highly competitive market," Foss added.