From a small vending service to a global corporation, our commitment to service excellence continues to exceed customer needs.
Avoca, one of Ireland’s most successful retailers with turnover of €59 million was purchased.
Avoca, which has a reputation for promoting artisan food and craft products, operates cafes, food halls and destination stores. The group also has a very successful Avoca@Home catering company. Retail Week ranked Avoca one of the world’s 100 most inspirational stores.
President and CEO Eric Foss became chairman of our board of directors. Eric succeeded longtime chairman, Joseph Neubauer, who served for 30 years.
Our board of directors elected Eric J. Foss—an accomplished global business leader and world-class operator with a long tenure at Pepsi Beverages Company—as CEO, president and member of our board. Eric succeeded Joseph Neubauer, who served as our CEO for 29 years.
For 68 days, we delivered a constant supply of nutritional vacuum-sealed meals through a narrow tube 1/2 mile into the earth until the 33 miners were rescued.
As ARA Services, we developed ARAKOR, a historic joint venture in South Korea with an affiliate of Daewoo Corporation that became the first major contract food service enterprise in the country.
We expanded into the former East Germany, establishing contracts in Hungary and the former Czechoslovakia, and expanding existing business in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, and Japan.
After being elected CEO of ARA Services in 1983, Joseph Neubauer led a management buyout of the company in 1984, thus thwarting a hostile takeover and returning to the private sector.
We broke into the European market by acquiring Eurovend NV, giving us food service capabilities in the UK, France, Germany and Belgium.
We were awarded the food service contract for the first of many Olympic Games and served over 10,000 athletes, fans and officials in Mexico City, Mexico. Back at home, stadiums, national parks and convention centers across the U.S. hungered for a solution to their food service needs. We also entered our first domestic partnership at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (now Turner Field).
We stunned the food service industry by acquiring a much larger food service company, Slater System, Inc., and moved our headquarters to Philadelphia.
Davre Davidson and his brother Henry run Davidson Brothers, one of the largest vending companies in California.