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Venues Today Profiles Delaware North Companies as 95-Year-Old, Family-Owned Success Story


Stories highlight Jacobs family legacy, rapid growth and global reach of hospitality company

BUFFALO, N.Y. (May 26, 2010) – Sports and entertainment facility trade magazine Venues Today published a comprehensive special section in its May edition paying tribute to global hospitality provider Delaware North Companies and its continuous family ownership for 95 years.

The 20-page section covers the legacy of the Jacobs family, beginning in 1915 when three young brothers founded the company as a small concessions business. Stories chronicle the rapid growth of the $2 billion company in recent years under Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Jacobs, a son of one of the founding brothers, and his own three sons – Jerry Jr., Lou and Charlie – all company principals.

“It’s a life project for myself and my brothers – to lead a company that will continue to thrive and a family that can continue to stay close and stay engaged,” Jerry Jacobs Jr. told Venues Today Editor Linda Deckerd.

In another feature story, Delaware North Companies Sportservice President Rick Abramson discusses how beginning his career as a vendor at Milwaukee County Stadium as a teenager and working his way up the ranks has helped him identify with today’s frontline Delaware North associates and their importance to the company’s success. His mother, Joan, 78, still works as a vendor at Miller Park.

Others interviewed for the section’s five stories were Delaware North Companies International Managing Director Jonathan Tribe, who talked about the company’s substantial and growing hospitality business in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom; Delaware North Companies Boston President John Wentzell, who oversees the company’s management of TD Garden; and Sportservice Vice President of Business Development Barry Freilicher on GuestPath®, the company’s successful customer service  program, and Sportservice’s prospects for continued growth.

The special section also includes quotes from clients and hospitality industry experts regarding Delaware North’s and Sportservice’s success and a number of advertisements congratulating the company on its 95th anniversary in 2010.

“For 30 years I’ve been working with them at various ballparks,” Jim Folk, vice president of baseball operations for the Cleveland Indians, told the magazine. “They are terrific. They have been innovative and responsive, and they provide a terrific product.”

To view the full feature in Venues Today click here