How they grew to being Billion Dollar businesses

Gene Clark, CEO Clark Associates

How they grew to being Billion Dollar businesses

Gene Clark is the CEO of Clark Associates, a collective of dynamic companies leading the food service industry in equipment, supplies and service. Its businesses include e-commerce site, WebstaurantStore.com, 11 brick-and-click Restaurant Stores in the northeast, 3 specialty channels, Clark Food Service Equipment, 11400 Inc., and Clark National Accounts, and 3 manufacturing companies, Noble, Regal and Vertical Converting. These differing units allow Clark Associates to serve every type of foodservice customer from independent restaurants to institutions to some of the world’s largest restaurant chains. Clark Associates is #1 distributor in the nation with over 5 million square feet of distribution centers, and over 5,800 employees in 17 states. In 2021, Clark Associates celebrated its 50th Anniversary.

Gene is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. In 2019, he received the Foodservice Equipment Reports’ Young Lion Award, which recognizes rising leaders who have begun to have a meaningful impact in the foodservice industry, and in 2020, he received the Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association Volunteer of the Year award. In addition to business, Gene and his wife, Kristy, stay busy with their young family of 4 boys – Mason, Liam, Timmy, and Andrew. They are active members at St James Episcopal Church and volunteer with the Lancaster Conservancy. Gene is also an avid trumpet player who enjoys performing with local bands, orchestras and a quintet.