Chain Link Services LP of Fort Worth, a specialty distributor focused on national foodservice and convenience retail chain customers, has been acquired by Franke Foodservice Systems, a global equipment and supplies solutions provider based in Smyrna, Tennessee, it was announced Dec. 4. No price for the transaction was released.
Chain Link has two principal business activities. Turnkey Resources has a comprehensive services package enabling highly efficient and cost-effective store openings and upgrades to large c-store chains. Meanwhile, In Step Foodservice helps leading restaurant brands with ground-up development, remodels or system upgrades.
“Both of our business units are laser-focused on process improvements in procurement, logistics and project management so that our customers can maximize both cost and operational efficiencies,” said Harold Gernsbacher, Chain Link founder. Chain Link’s team of approximately 80 employees operates from a 310,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility located approximately 5 miles north of downtown Fort Worth. The current management team now headed by Kevin Garsek, president, will remain in place.
“We greatly appreciate the organization and customer base that Harold has built over many years, and we look forward to carrying on that legacy,” said Thomas Campion, CEO of Franke’s global Foodservice group. “Kevin and his team are a perfect fit because they have the same business goals as Franke. We build deep knowledge of our customers’ business, and then leverage extensive assets and decades of chain experience to help them grow in a way that lowers costs to franchisees while protecting their brands.”
“Joining with Franke presents our organization with a remarkable opportunity to combine skills and energies to present an even more capable strategic resource to chain systems,” said Gernsbacher. “We appreciate the energy and the expertise Tom and his team will bring to supporting and growing this united enterprise.”
Franke Foodservice Systems is part of the Franke Group and a leading provider of comprehensive systems and services for the global foodservice industry. It employs more than 1,700 associates worldwide, and manufactures and distributes a wide variety of equipment and supplies from a number of facilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Its sister divisions within the Franke Group produce diverse items such as automated commercial coffee machines and washroom fixtures. Franke is also a global leader in consumer kitchen fixtures such as sinks, faucets and hoods, and is the world’s largest producer of stainless steel sinks. Franke is a division of the Artemis Group, based in Switzerland. Franke Group operates worldwide and employs around 9,000 people in 40 countries, generating sales of over 2.1 billion in Swiss francs.