A'viands, LLC, Cura Hospitality, Creative Dining Services, CL Swanson Corp., Pomptonian Food Service

31 A'viands, LLC

ROSEVILLE, MN
www.aviands.com

SALES VOL.	2008: $64.857
	2007: n/a
CONTRACTS	2008: 175
	2007: n/a
SEGMENTS SERVED: Corrections (34%), Senior Dining (26%), K-12 (15%), Hospitals (10%), College/University (10%), B&I (5%)

Operating in nine Midwestern and Southwestern states — the latter through its Albuquerque-based Summit Food Service Management subsidiary — A'viands generates almost all of its revenues from managing dining operations in three business groups: Education/Business Dining, Healthcare and Corrections.

Recent client wins include the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Augsburg College, Milwaukee Behavioral Health System, Whitnall (WI) School District, Dolton (IL) School District, Casa Grande Union (AZ) High School District and Lake County (IL) Corrections.

The company continues to roll out organic and sustainable dining choices as well as new exhibition and ethnic concepts such as Pao Mongolian BBQ, Olive Mediterranian Eatery, Sweet Peppers Deli and Bravo, a fresh pizza/calzone/pasta concept. New programs for the school market include Newton's Eat-In Adventure for K-6, Fuel Zone Cafe for middle/junior high and Nutropolis, a food court concept featuring healthy entrees and world flavors, for high schools.

View more of the Top 50 Management Companies article

32 Cura Hospitality

OREFIELD, PA
www.curahospitality.com

SALES VOL.	2008: $64
	2007: $64
CONTRACTS	2008: 33
	2007: 33
SEGMENTS SERVED: Senior Dining (94%), Hospitals (5%), College/University (1%)

Cura is one of two onsite foodservice divisions of the Eat'n Park Hospitality Group's Onsite Brands Division (the other is #19 Parkhurst Dining Services). Two of Cura's biggest initiatives over the past year have come in the areas of sustainability and resident-centered care.

The company supports local agriculture through the parent company's FarmSource initiative, which establishes relationships with local suppliers, but Cura took that a step further at some senior dining sites by helping residents grow some of their own food in onsite gardens. The Gardens at The Bridges in Bent Creek and at Peter Becker Community also compost pre-consumer waste generated at the sites.

Meanwhile, at Hanna Healthcare Center at Longwood and at Phoebe Richland Healthcare Center, “decentralized” dining programs have converted an institutional approach to foodservice to one that resembles home-style kitchens, giving residents a more informal dining experience that encourages socialization.

View more of the Top 50 Management Companies article

33 Creative Dining Services

ZEELAND, MI
www.creativedining.com

SALES VOL.	2009: $53
	2008: $51
CONTRACTS	2009: 56
	2008: 57
SEGMENTS SERVED: College/University (41%), B&I (18%), Parks/Recreation (12.5%), Senior Dining (12.5%), Convention/Conf. Ctrs. (9%) K-12 (7%)

Creative Dining operates in nine states in the Midwest and Southeast. It began in 1990 as a college dining specialist in partnership with a pair of Michigan colleges but has since expanded geographically and into other segments, especially B&I.

Last year it unveiled Dinner Express, a home meal replacement program for B&I that offers fully cooked meals in microwaveable containers. It also developed a certification program for its SEED sustainability initiative.

Other recent moves include the design of new menu cycles scaled for account infrastructure that allow locations to maximize variety while controlling costs. The menus focus on local and sustainable products when available and offer as standard fare at least one vegetarian/vegan option per meal, as well as options meeting the American Heart Association's heart healthy criteria.

View more of the Top 50 Management Companies article

34 CL Swanson Corp.

MADISON. WI
www.swansons.net

SALES VOL.	2008: $52
	2007: $54
CONTRACTS	2008: 850
	2007: 800
SEGMENTS SERVED: B&I (84%), Other (16%)

CL Swanson is primarily a vending company that gets about a quarter of its revenues from dining operations, catering, office coffee and convenience retailing services. However, dining service business has received more emphasis in the past year as CL Swanson has aggressively focused on management fee opportunities in accounts with 800-2,000 employees.

To position itself better for today's business environment, it has continued to expand its Better-4-You healthy choices program as well as its array of budget-conscious selections.

View more of the Top 50 Management Companies article

35 Pomptonian Food Service

FAIRFIELD, NJ
www.pomptonian.com

SALES VOL.	2008: $51.3
	2007: $47.2
CONTRACTS	2008: 70
	2007: 66
SEGMENTS SERVED: K-12 (98%), B&I (2%)

Pomptonian manages cafeterias and vending operations at nearly 280 sites in 70 school districts. Like most companies operating in the K-12 segment, it has been working to menu healthier meal alternatives that students will enjoy. Part of its strategy involves using recognizable branded items that meet nutritional criteria. Its success in deploying healthy and innovative school menus was recognized by the New Jersey State Dept. of Agriculture with an Eat Right Move Right award, presented during a New York Jets NFL game at Meadowlands Stadium.

View more of the Top 50 Management Companies article