Aramark, Philadelphia, Pa., announced a joint venture with Carter Brothers, an East Point, Ga.-based provider of integrated facilities management (IFM), project management, electronic security, electrical and mechanical services.

"Over the past year, we've reorganized our facilities management team to combine our services and years of experience across industries to drive innovation and service excellence for all of our facilities management clients and customers, "says Victor Crawford, chief operating officer for Aramark's facilities business.

Through its facilities business, Aramark provides operations and maintenance, cleaning/custodial, grounds and landscaping services, as well as technical services such as strategic facility planning, building commissioning, capital program management and energy solutions and other support services such as reception and office services, reprographics, mailroom, laundry and linen services and patient transportation and valet services in its healthcare space.

"Our new facilities structure enables us to take what we are doing well in one of our businesses and more easily transfer it to others, while still tailoring our solutions to the unique needs of each industry," Crawford says. "Going forward, we see a great deal of upside that will enable us to better share knowledge and deliver quality services to help our clients achieve their business goals."

Aramark's facilities services team consists of 72,000 employees managing nearly 1 billion square feet for more than 1,300 clients.

"The Carter Brothers joint venture is a great example of how we will leverage innovation to offer our clients an excellent option to help meet their supplier diversity goals," Crawford adds. "The joint venture enables us to work together and complement each other's capabilities and services to bring more options to our respective customers."