St. Louis-based Elite Cuisine and Kansas City’s Superior Vend-All merged to form Apex Restaurant and Market Solutions, a Missouri-based corporate foodservice company.

Pictured from left to right are Jim Schweppe, Brian Porembski and Greg PorembskiThe integrated company has more than 200 employees and plans to evolve into an employee-owned organization within the next 18 months, per a release announcing the transition. Jim Schweppe, the creator of St. Louis-based Elite Cuisine along with brothers Brian and Greg Porembski, founders of Kansas City’s Superior Vend-All, will serve as co-CEOs for the new company.

Both Elite Cuisine and Superior Vend-All will maintain their current locations in St. Louis and Kansas City. Apex plans to add a location in Columbia, Mo.

Founded in 2004, Elite Cuisine provides catering, micro markets, in-office cafes and coffee, and vending services for its corporate clients. Established in 1997 with offices in Kansas City and Sedalia, Superior Vend-All is an independent micro market and vending provider. As a result of the merger, Apex will have more than 250 self-checkout micro markets located in office and manufacturing facilities across Missouri. Nearly 10% of Apex’s micro markets are hybrid facilities, which highlight a chef-prepared hot food component available for purchase.