Roseville's A'viands Completes Merger

Roseville-based A’viands Food and Services Management LLC has completed its merger this month with North Carolina-based TrustHouse Services Group, a leading healthcare and education-focused food services company.

In an interview this week with Roseville Patch, A’viands CEO Perry Rynders said his company and its wholly-owned subsidiary Summit Food Services LLC. will operate as a stand-alone division of TrustHouse Services.  Rynders said A’viands, founded in 2003, will also retain its name, Roseville headquarters and all 2,000 employees. He will also remain CEO of A’viands.

Terms of the alliance have not been disclosed but Rynders said the merger is largely an exchange of ownership interests. TrustHouse now has full ownership of A’viands while  A’viands has a minority stake in TrustHouse.

A’viands is a premier food and services provider operating in 13 states and generating about $95 million of annual revenue.  Rynders said the company’s  sales have been growing at between 15 to 20 percent per year.

More than 90 percent of A’viands sale are from the education, healthcare and corrections sectors. It runs kitchen and food service facilities for nursing homes, hospitals, colleges, schools, treatment centers and county jails, Rynders said. “We hire the staff and serve the food.”

The combined company will rank among the top 10 U.S. food services providers with total annual revenue of more than $200 million operating in 32 states, TrustHouse officials said in a recent statement.

“With combined buying power, the hope is to grow even bigger,” Rynders  said.

The merger also results in the combined company being one of the leading food services providers focused primarily on the healthcare, education and corrections sectors.

“We are excited that A’viands will expand TrustHouse’s services into the corrections market,” TrustHouse CEO Michael Bailey said in a recent statement.

Rynders said that Bailey approached A’viands about three years ago on a possible merger, then renewed that inquiry in May of last year with the company. Rynders said TrustHouse sent A’viands a letter of intent this past January.

A’viands founder Bill Benzick was receptive to the inquiry because TrustHouse wants to keep A’viands  current operations in tact, while Benzick, who is approaching retirement, has been looking to be less involved in the company’s daily operations, Rynders said.