Mark This!

Mark This! Episode 44 explores how Aramark’s annual Building Community Day serves as a powerful intersection of purpose, people, and business growth. The episode emphasizes how volunteer projects—ranging from food access and meal support to park revitalization, environmental cleanups, and workforce preparedness—deliver tangible benefits that extend well beyond a single day. By partnering closely with local nonprofits and empowering employees to lead initiatives in the communities where they live and work, the program strengthens neighborhoods, supports vulnerable populations, and builds trusted, long-term relationships. The result is community engagement that is personal, sustained, and deeply embedded in how the company shows up year‑round.

Mark This! explores how Aramark Collegiate Hospitality uses its All For You guest engagement calendar—highlighted by the nationwide It’s Sweet to Serve You celebration—to build connection and belonging for college students beyond the dining hall. Through more than 240 campus events, the program blends food, fun, and personalized activities to create meaningful shared experiences that respond to student needs for human connection. Guided by thoughtful student feedback and emerging trends, teams create flexible, inclusive experiences that feel personal and meaningful across diverse personalities and campus cultures. These moments—rooted in appreciation, care, and genuine connection—help build trust between students and dining staff, reminding students they are seen, valued, and supported. Together, these shared experiences nurture student well-being, strengthen campus community, and play a meaningful role in sustaining student engagement and belonging throughout the academic year.

Aramark Student Nutrition leaders Brisbane Vaillancourt and Beth Ann Engelland discuss how their teams support K–12 students by delivering nutritious, regulation‑ready meals and engaging nutrition education. They highlight the company’s integrated network of dietitians, chefs, and marketers, its proactive approach to evolving USDA guidelines, and the added value Aramark provides to self‑operated districts through technology like the AI‑powered Culinary Co‑Pilot. They also share examples of hands‑on, USDA‑recognized nutrition education programs and emphasize the growing focus on personalized menus, transparent ingredients, and student‑driven menu development as key shifts shaping the future of school nutrition.

In this episode of Mark This!, we explore Aramark SeniorLIFE+ for the first time with President and CEO Joe Gorman and Senior Vice President of Growth, Melissa Mercury. Aramark SeniorLIFE+ delivers compassionate, hospitality-driven solutions tailored specifically to senior living communities. Grounded in a people-first philosophy, the offering brings together food service, wellness, environmental services, amenities, facilities management, and technology to create deeply personalized resident experiences. The result is an immersive approach that supports resident wellbeing and empowers more meaningful, engaged living.

In this episode of Mark This!, we explore Aramark Destinations’ innovative SEAR Project, a six-month leadership development program designed to accelerate growth for high-potential talent while solving real business challenges. David DiSalvo, Nirav Shah, and Jordan Glazier from the Destinations team joined the podcast to highlight SEAR’s unique approach blending on-the-job experience, coaching, and formal training. Beyond measurable business impact—such as improved financial tools, inventory dashboards, and training programs—the program fostered confidence, exposure to leadership, and lasting professional networks.

This episode of Mark This highlights Aramark’s continued and unwavering commitment to safety as a core value driving hospitality and operations. It explores how safety shapes leadership across sectors, the role of accountability in building a culture of care, and the impact of initiatives like Target Zero and digital innovations. The conversation also covers the SAFE Leadership Conference, its unique approach to engaging teams and field safety leaders and how these efforts translate into better guest experiences and a stronger safety strategy for the future.

In this episode of Mark This, host Heather Dotchel welcomes Nicole McVaugh, Director of Aramark’s IN2WORK program, to celebrate its 20th anniversary and discuss its evolution. IN2WORK provides vocational training and nationally recognized certifications to justice-impacted individuals, preparing them for post-release employment in food service and warehousing. Nicole highlights impressive milestones, including nearly 20,000 graduates, over $280,000 in scholarships, and the launch of new initiatives like diversion programs and a culinary track. The episode also introduces the redesigned website, IN2WORK.org, which offers post-release resources and support through a dedicated workforce team, reinforcing Aramark’s commitment to fair chance employment and successful reentry.

Can compliance be cool and innovative?  At Aramark, the answer is yes.  In this episode of Mark This, we learn about how Aramark’s culture of trust and laser focus on the field sets its compliance program – and Aramark – apart.

In December of 2024, we introduced Aramark’s Hospitality IQ platform and explored the role of generative and conversational AI and its ability to enhance the guest experience, empower its operators, and further drive client business objectives. In this episode, we are going to update our current status with tech innovation in general, but we also dive a bit deeper into these and other up and coming capabilities with Peter Czimback and Kate Balliet for Aramark Emerge!

With another football season just about to open, Mark This! thought it would be interesting to explore the data science behind the fan experience in Aramark’s Sports+Entertainment division, the award-winning food and beverage provider at more than 60 premier stadiums, arenas, and sports facilities across North America.

Aramark Destinations is leading the development of a new Historic Preservation Center (HPC), centrally located to support renovation projects at Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon North Rim and other public lands. As a first-of-its-kind facility in the National Park Service concessioner space, this 4,000-square-foot facility, equipped with advanced carpentry tools, serves as a hub to train carpenters, painters, masonry experts, and historians.

Nation’s Vacation by Aramark is a collection of activities, experiences, and places to stay within some of America’s greatest National Parks and protected lands. The mission is to inspire unforgettable and authentic experiences that reflect the culture that surrounds these once-in-a-lifetime places. This episode explores three great white water rafting adventures: Mad River in Wyoming, Adventures on the Gorge in West Virginia, and Wilderness River Adventures in Arizona.

For more than a decade, Aramark employees give back to their local communities by committing to a day of volunteering on the company’s global day of service, Aramark Building Community Day (ABC Day). This year is no different for most of the enterprise. But there is a special relationship in Texas that is celebrating a 10-year milestone of working together to help the community – Aramark and Buckner. 

Aramark Collegiate Hospitality prides itself on its exceptional listening skills, utilizing a wide array of tools to stay attuned to the unique needs of each campus they serve. Whether through surveys, student dining committees, text conversations, contact forms, or various other methods, our dedicated teams on campus genuinely value and meticulously analyze every piece of feedback. This commitment to listening is exemplified by our prestigious Council of Student Advisors, which not only gathers valuable insights but also supports student success by providing professional development and networking opportunities for its members. 

It is March, and St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner. In both Ireland and the U.S., home of many of Irish heritage, it is a cherished holiday. And in both, we have Guinness destinations, proprietor of the iconic Stout and more than 260 years of brewing experience. 

Aramark’s Avendra International is a leading partner in strategic procurement and supply chain management, serving a diverse array of organizations including hotels, hospitality and leisure resorts, healthcare, and educational institutions worldwide. 

Aramark fosters leadership from numerous pathways but one of our most appreciated is our work with young professionals in our Step Up to Leadership program, known as S2L, and our Accelerate to Leadership program, known as A2L.

How does Artificial Intelligence—AI—relate to Aramark? In a nutshell, Aramark is making significant strides in the hospitality industry with innovative use of artificial intelligence powered applications to enhance the guest experience, empower its operators, and further drive client business objectives. Meet Aramark’s Hospitality IQ. 

Our campus partners at Boston University recently hosted the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (the MCURC) at the beginning of October. The Collaborative is an extension of Menus of Change®: The Business of Healthy, Sustainable, Delicious Food Choices, an initiative from The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Aramark has a long history with The Culinary Institute of America, in addition to its close work with the MCURC. 

We are exploring another of our Employee Resource Groups today—our PRIDE ERG—as we celebrate national coming out day, Oct 11. Our 11 ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups made up of individuals who come together based on common interests, backgrounds, or demographic factors. Each ERG is open to all Aramark employees regardless of their background, and provides opportunities for networking, outreach, professional development, and more. 

Local Restaurant Row is an amazing dining concept that crosses through multiple lines of business at Aramark. We’re passionate about local flavor and positively impacting the communities we serve. Local restaurants—and the people who make them possible are the cornerstone of our communities. So, we partner with restaurants, food trucks and area chefs to bring authentic, local favorites and global flavors to our campuses, workplaces, and venues.

This episode explores sustainability at Aramark and busts three myths and misconceptions about climate impact and how Aramark and its partners can reduce carbon emissions. Our guest is Kate Hanley, Global Climate Strategy Director for Aramark.

All of Aramark’s businesses are constantly evolving to meet client and customer needs. And as we are all aware in our daily lives, that evolution is often driven by technological innovation. For today’s episode, we will be speaking with four members of our facilities business about four different programs that are driving change in the facilities industry.

Aramark is in places that you’d never expect. While most are familiar with our work in schools and stadiums, you can find our hospitality in all sorts of spaces. We’ve worked the Olympics, coronations, amusement parks--the list is vast. Of all of these occasions and locations, one of the most unique is our work in global offshore installations. Our managing director for offshore services—Andrew Thomson—is joining us today to satisfy our curiosity about off-shore rigs and the hospitality we provide there. 

We are on the cusp of summer and looking ahead to recreation in the sun and surf. Robert Knowlton, District Manager for Aramark, and Jerod Viers, General Manager for Water Operation Services are here to talk to us about the fun times to be had at the Lake, with some special attention paid to an attraction that you might not know about but won’t be able to get out of your mind – houseboat rentals.

In honor of Second Chances month this April, this special edition of Mark This! breaks with our traditional format in to speak with graduates of Aramark’s program, IN2WORK – an educational pathway to post-incarceration success. Some of our guests are now working, post-release, with Aramark and some are still awaiting release. We thought it was important that our graduates’ voices are heard – Aramark is dedicated to and proud of our program, but it is the impact on its graduates that truly matters. Welcome Michelle, Emil, Chris, Anntionetta, Gene, and Jason.

March is Women’s History Month and Mark This! is celebrating by sitting down with leadership in Aramark’s Employee Resource Group (ERG), EMPOWER. EMPOWER’s mission is to empower and grow diverse leadership among women that drives results by promoting development, networking, and mentoring.  

In this episode, we explore a technology service agreement in Healthcare+ to remotely connect its highly skilled clinical dietitians with hospital patients through cloud-based technologies.   

We are headed into playoff season in the NFL and thought that our listeners might be interested in how stadium foods, menus, and treats are developed. Chef Richard Grab, Director of Culinary Innovation for Sports + Entertainment, and Chef James Hennessey, Executive Chef for Lincoln Financial Field, are going to explain how our teams gear up for the season and then surprise and delight for playoffs. 

On the latest Mark This! Podcast, we spoke with Diane Pancoski, Vice President for Marketing and Innovation for Aramark Workplace Experience, and Betsy Rapport, Vice President of Marketing for Aramark Refreshments.   Listen now, as they share their expertise on how Aramark Workplace Experience Group is using insights and analysis to understand and engage with consumers heading back to the office.

Aramark Collegiate Hospitality has a brand-new program—Eat to Excel. Eat to Excel is a performance-based dining platform designed to help student athletes reach for their potential on and off the field. Created with Division II and III athletes in mind, Eat to ExcelTM provides an educational, menu and nutrition tracking solution on campuses that do not have dedicated training tables for student athletes. 

Aramark serves people the world-over – it’s what we do well and we are committed to providing meals to folks from all walks of life. But if you’ve ever eaten at a professional sports stadium and a campus dining hall and a workplace cafeteria or in a number of other places, you know that the food that is served varies greatly. What you may not know is that each industry has standards and regulations that govern what can be served. In this episode, we speak with two of our lines of business that provide food in highly regulated industries: Aramark Student Nutrition and Aramark Correctional Services. 

Allergen solutions: this ever-growing need is a key focus for Aramark’s lines of business. Because we prioritize safety, we continue to develop and deploy new ways to strengthen allergen awareness and management in our kitchens. Our approach is designed to give our people the information and tools they need to deliver safe food while also affirming that our allergen solutions stations meet the highest industry standards. 

Fenimore Fisher, Vice President for DEI, started at Aramark in 2021 and has had immediate and significant impact on not just the company, but also each Aramark community member he has interacted with. This episode explores not only why DEI is important to Aramark but also why it should be important to all. 

Mark This! Explores Aramark’s Healthcare+ community — a group that moves beyond business to true care. Healthcare+ espouses a philosophy that makes a tangible difference in patient healing, recovery, and satisfaction. Our guests, Bart Kaericher, President of Aramark Healthcare+, and Jeff Moreland, CEO of P.E.A. or Patient Engagement Advisors, are working together to change the way patient care is delivered. 

It is officially summer vacation season, and that means that our teams across the United States are gearing up to provide the perfect balance of the familiar and the unexpected to make your destination hospitality experience unforgettable. In this episode, Mark This! explores our Destinations business, which provides activities, experiences, and places to stay within some of America’s greatest national parks and protected lands.

Mark This! explores the hard food service work behind the country’s favorite pastime. Aramark Sports + Entertainment is the award-winning partner of 10 MLB stadiums, and for the 2023 MLB season, Aramark Sports + Entertainment introduced a variety of brand-new ballpark-menu offerings and chef collaborations across its portfolio of clients in addition to launching "Seasons Inning Stretch," a limited-time food and beverage program that will introduce new seasonally inspired culinary options in the spring, summer, and fall

Mark This! has a one-on-one conversation with Jami Leveen, Vice President for Community Partnerships, exploring community relations at Aramark. In her daily life, she oversees strategic partnerships with nonprofits, year-round volunteer opportunities, and charitable contributions. Our 10th annual day of service also known as Aramark Building Community Day, is scheduled for April 27, near the end of National Volunteer Month.    

Mark This! explores the history and advice of two Aramark leaders who happen to be women. Barbara Flanagan is the President of Student Nutrition, our line of business that serves K-12 institutions across the United States, and Brisbane Vaillancourt is a regional vice president in our collegiate hospitality business. We asked the two of them to share their leadership paths, vision, and motivation with all of you today as we embark on this month that celebrates trailblazing women.

Mark This! talks to Collegiate Hospitality leadership – CEO and President Jack Donovan and Chief Growth Officer Sasha Day – to learn more about their guiding philosophy, the Hospitality Ecosystem. This driving vision allows the business to be so much more than a food provider on campus.

Mark This! explores responsible sourcing at Aramark, the unit that drives local procurement, supplier diversity, and sustainable sourcing across the enterprise. Responsible sourcing is a shared priority with the enterprise and with our partners as clients and customers want the bigger story behind the products and services we provide. They want to know where their food comes from and how we are supporting local communities and economies. In this episode, we focus on supplier diversity and speak with three guests who seek to expand the footprint of our local, sustainable, and diverse supply chain every day.

Mark This! explores Aramark’s Employee Resource Groups, more commonly referred to as ERGs. Our 11 ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups made up of individuals who come together based on common interests, backgrounds, or demographic factors. Each ERG is open to all Aramark employees regardless of their background, and provides opportunities for networking, outreach, professional development, and more. In this episode, we speak with three guests who represent Amplify and Rising Sun, ERGs that embrace Pan-Asian culture and communities and are dedicated to building an inclusive workplace for indigenous peoples, respectively.

This episode of Mark This! explores Aramark’s Correctional Services business, specifically its In2Work program, which has provided a path for incarcerated individuals to gain nationally recognized educational certificates to help them reclaim their lives post-release. Tim Barttrum, President and CEO of Aramark Correctional Services, and Nicole McVaugh, Director of In2Work, joined us to give insight into this innovative, difference-making, and life-changing program.

Join members of the enterprise safety team while we explore why Safety Matters to the Aramark community. On this episode of Mark This, we explore Aramark's safety culture, the backbone of a company that delivers ultimate hospitality to millions of people every day. Safety is not a reactionary process consisting only of a team or procedures to be deployed when things go wrong; it is truly a constant heartbeat and a mindset within the company culture with which to conduct business, anticipate and prevent issues before they occur, and to improve functions in ever-evolving partnerships.