Aramark Corporation, known commonly as Aramark, is an American foodservice, facilities, and clothing provider supplying businesses, educational institutions, sports facilities, federal and state prisons, and health care institutions. It is headquartered at the Aramark Tower in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Aramark’s revenues reached $12.3 billion USD in 2009 and was listed as the 189th largest employer on the Fortune 500. Aramark was founded in 1936 by Davre Davidson, who began providing vending services to plant employees in the aviation industry in Southern California. In... 1959, Davidson partnered with William Fishman to establish ARA , which became publicly traded a year later in 1960. In 1968, ARA provided services at the Mexico City Olympic Games, the first of 14 Games they have serviced, including Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. In 1969, ARA officially became ARA Services, to reflect its growing range of businesses. In 1983, Joseph Neubauer was elected CEO of ARA Services and a year later, in 1984, Neubauer led a group of executives to fend off a hostile takeover bid by coordinating a management buyout.
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