Chicagoland Equipment & Supply (CES), a portfolio company of Cooper Management, LLC, and a leading supplier of equipment, supplies and service to the food industry, has acquired United Fast Food & Beverage Service, a leading supplier of equipment and service to convenience stores and fast-food restaurants. The transaction closed on January 5, and an official announcement was made to UFFB’s employees at the company’s Elk Grove headquarters the following day. The acquisition is a continuation of CES’ efforts to expand its equipment offering and service capabilities. Cook M&A (cookma.com) and PFS (pfs-law.com) were advisors to the transaction.

“United Fast Food & Beverage has a tremendous reputation for quality service with C-stores. Their service network of almost 20 technicians and impressive lines of equipment are a great addition to CES. We are honored to welcome UFFB to our Family at CES,” said Tyler Jeffrey, CEO of CES. “The combination creates a full line of equipment that now includes beverage and ice machines to the already extensive lines of equipment offered by CES. In addition, our service network now includes almost 40 technicians in the upper Midwest that can service an expanding range of equipment.”

“We are very excited for the UFFB employees as this combination with CES provides the next phase of growth for our company,” said Al Kollar, President of UFFB. “The family culture and focus on quality service by CES are a great fit with what we’ve built here at United Food and Beverage.”

The acquisition of UFFB fits into CES’ strategy to be the leading seller of equipment, supplies and service to the food industry. Through the acquisition, CES enters the C-store market in addition to its existing expertise across the grocery, food processing and foodservice industries. Together, both CES and UFFB will expand its offerings to existing customers allowing them a one-stop provider of equipment and service.

“We are thrilled to welcome Al and the entire UFFB team to the CES family,” said Elliot Wheeler, Chief Investment Officer of Cooper Management LLC. “We remain steadfast in growing the business to create a special community for customers, vendors and most all, our talented employees. The acquisition of UFFB is a continuation of this strategy and our long-term vision.”

About Chicagoland Equipment & Supply, LLC

Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, CES is a leading supplier of equipment, supplies and service to the food industry throughout the upper Midwest. CES is committed to providing a best-in-class experience for its customers and the communities in which it operates. In 2018, CES partnered with Cooper Management, LLC to accelerate growth. For more information, please visit cesnationwide.com.

 About Cooper Management, LLC

Cooper Management, LLC is the family office for the Cooper Family of Chicago, Illinois. Cooper Management is focused on providing a permanent source of capital to build businesses in partnership with best-in-class management teams. For over 40 years, the family has facilitated the growth of companies across a variety of industries. In addition to its core strategy of building businesses, Cooper Management deploys capital across a wide spectrum of asset classes.

Sean Leary

Sean Leary is an author, director, artist, musician, producer and entrepreneur who has been writing professionally since debuting at age 11 in the pages of the Comics Buyers Guide. An honors graduate of the University of Southern California masters program, he has written over 50 books including the best-sellers The Arimathean, Every Number is Lucky to Someone and We Are All Characters.