82 | Business World Magazine |
January 2014
a little different and we are executing a
more surgical and practical approach to
acquisitions here.
“Here we are primarily looking at ac-
quiring operations that are in our existing
service area or contiguous to it, but we’re
not ruling anything out.”
AmeriPride’s in-house mergers and
acquisitions department does ongoing re-
search on the market, identifying candi-
dates that might be a good fit. Ultimately,
if the process goes smoothly, AmeriPride
enters negotiations with a particular busi-
ness. But, Evans says, it’s not entirely
about the bottom line.
They are also looking for companies
that are a good cultural fit and share simi-
lar values.
Evans cites the company’s most recent
acquisition – Plus Linen and Uniform
Service of Canton, N.C. – as specific
evidence of the importance of the proper
corporate culture.
“One of the deciding factors for them
was that we are a family business as well,”
he says. “It’s been a terrific acquisition
for us from a business standpoint, as well
as good cultural fit. That’s been a perfect
match since day one.”
And the value placed on family owner-
