Sodexo acquires Inspirus, century-old Fort Worth company

Inspirus, an old-line Fort Worth company perhaps best known locally as the maker of rodeo badges for the Stock Show, has been sold to Sodexo, the big French provider of corporate services.

The 123-year-old company, known for years as Diamond H Recognition, more recently carved out a leadership position in human resources technology by developing an employee engagement platform used by businesses to manage programs for rewards and recognition, incentives, safety, well-being, learning and analytics.

Mia Mends, CEO at Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services USA, is taking over as CEO at Inspirus. In a phone interview, Mends said Sodexo plans to retain all of the company’s 120 employees in Fort Worth and hopes to grow the business over time.

Pete Chambers, a Fort Worth native who acquired Diamond H Recognition from his uncle in 1997, said the deal “has provided a win for all stakeholders, our employees, our customers, our industry, our great city and our family. I am filled with joy.”

Inspirus dates to 1893 when it was founded as Haltom’s Industry, a unit of the jeweler that produced jewelry for service awards. The company, which became Diamond H, still makes employee service pins and other products, including the Fort Worth Stock Show badges.

Chambers said the company was not for sale when Mends approached him about a year ago and began discussions. Mends said Sodexo was looking to expand its offerings to help clients engage and retain top talent, and decided quickly that Inspirus was the best fit. She said she was attracted “by the people and the passion and the work that they do.”

Chambers, 48, who was CEO, will become a member of the Inspirus advisory board. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Sodexo, widely known for handling food services for corporations and venues, provides other outsourced services for businesses as well including facility management.

This story was originally published September 7, 2016 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Sodexo acquires Inspirus, century-old Fort Worth company."