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Canteen acquires Stansfield's food vending serviceDec 13, 2012 (La Crosse Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Canteen Vending Services Inc. has acquired the food, beverage and dining operations of Stansfield Vending Inc. of La Crosse. Canteen will operate from Stansfield facilities in La Crosse and Eau Claire, which will become part of Canteen's nationwide food-service network, according to a news release from Stansfield. Canteen, the largest vending-machine operator in the country, is a division of Compass Group North America in Charlotte, N.C. Its parent company, Compass Group PLC, is based in the United Kingdom. The acquisition does not include Stansfield's music and games division, which Stansfield president Janet Stansfield Hess said she will continue to run. "Canteen's national presence will best assure the lowest retail prices for our customers and the most competitive benefit costs for our employees," Hess said. "This transition also allows me to take a much more active role in the music and games division." It also allows her sister, Julie Nordeen, to focus more time on her growing family, Hess said. Canteen officials, Hess and Nordeen declined further comment, including disclosing the number of employees affected. Hess and Nordeen's grandfather, Jim Stansfield Sr., started the company in 1942 in Winona, Minn., according to Stansfield Vending's website. The business evolved from his buying a juke box, which he saw as a plus for his restaurant. He began buying juke boxes for others, working out of his garage to warehouse and service them, and then branched out into other amusements, such as pool tables and video games. The company, which moved to La Crosse in the 1950s, now includes league games such as darts and foosball and sales of commercial jukeboxes and video games. In recent years, the vending arm has earned kudos for its healthy eating programs, including its Wellness Warriors effort, which put healthy food options into its machines. ___ (c)2012 the La Crosse Tribune (La Crosse, Wis.) Visit the La Crosse Tribune (La Crosse, Wis.) at www.lacrossetribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |