John Payiavlas

John Payiavlas is chairman of AVI Foodsystems, the country’s largest independent, family-owned and operated contract food service company, providing vending, institutional dining and coffee service operations. Payiavlas, the son of Greek immigrants, traces his company’s beginning to purchasing a few vending machines for the family’s Village Café in his hometown of Warren, Ohio. Founded in 1960, AVI currently employs thousands, serves millions of consumers daily, and serves some of the most prestigious institutions in America, including industrial centers, corporate headquarters complexes, universities, school systems and healthcare facilities throughout the Midwestern and eastern United States. Their clients include Carnegie Mellon University, Eastman Kodak, Good Year, Honda of America Manufacturing, Kmart, Kraft Foods, Ohio State University, Phillips, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPS, the U.S. Postal Service, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Verizon, and Xerox. Intensely private, Payiavlas runs the company as chairman of the board, while his son Anthony is President and CEO and his daughter Patrice (Patsy) serves as Vice Chairman. Based in Warren, AVI has more than 50 branch offices in the Midwestern and Eastern United States, and makes $2 billion in sales annually. The company expanded into Georgia in 2010, and broke ground on an 84-room hotel in California, Pa. in 2011. In 2012, AVI introduced Market C, a turn-key convenience store offering fresh selections 24 hours a day, accessed through an account card.