since our founding in 1998, the compass group has focused exclusively on the middle market space. our strategy and philosophy remains the same today as it was on the day of our founding — we look to acquire companies that we could own forever and that exhibit a clear “reason to exist”. we are passionate about partnering with outstanding management teams and support them with patient growth capital. at compass we have a commitment to our people, not change for change’s sake. from our experience we know that no one can run a successful business and be averse to change. in fact, we embrace positive change as a catalyst for growth. that said, we have no intention of changing the way we conduct ourselves as we build businesses. the management teams that help us to build are our partners — the people who make up the compass group family.