The U.S. lower and higher education foodservice market is one that has grown steadily over the past 50 years. The construction of new schools, an ongoing increase in the number of young people enrolling in college and the demand for more commercial-style dining venues on university and K-12 campuses continues to drive this growth.

    While the majority of Aga Foodservice Equipment brands are working to establish themselves and build name recognition within the school and university market, Victory Refrigeration already enjoys the position of a well-known and widely installed manufacturer.

    "For Victory, education is a market that we've historically been strong in, and continue to be strong in, so it's an important sector for us" said Mark Whalen, president of Victory and AFE. "In that regard, we have to nurture and protect our existing relationships and compete for market share to grow our business."

    According to Whalen, Victory does this by seeking relationships with consultants who conduct significant amounts of business with schools and universities. The company also strives to build relationships with school foodservice directors and others who make purchasing decisions. From the discussions Victory has with these individuals, the company is able to identify and address key issues school operations face.

    One of the biggest priorities for school and college foodservices now, said Whalen, is food safety. "That concern relates very well to Victory's feature set," he stated. "Take our refrigerated Big Top and pizza tables: they have technology that ensures foods are held in the safety zone even when, for example, the lid is open for an extended period of time."

    In addition to offering units with features that help ensure food safety, Victory provides a two-year standard parts-and-labor warranty on all its products. This coverage, which exceeds other category manufacturers' standard warranties, signals that Victory sells equipment it expects to function properly and store foods safely over an extended life-cycle.

    Finally, the sheer breadth of Victory's product portfolio means the company can meet practically every refrigeration need that arises in as varied a market as education foodservices, Whalen noted. "We're very well positioned to handle any application needed by a school foodservice: from the little elementary department that just needs a small reach-in refrigerator up to large universities that have themed serveries and self-service stations where customers select items out of refrigerated display cases."

For more information on ENERGY STAR-qualified Victory models, visit Victory's web site at www.victory-refrig.com