NATIONAL SERVICE INDUSTRIES INC
11-K, 1997-06-30
ELECTRIC LIGHTING & WIRING EQUIPMENT
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Page 1 of 12
Exhibit Index on Page 2

FORM 11-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


Annual Report Pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934




(Mark One)

  [X]   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
        EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 [FEE REQUIRED].
             For the fiscal year ended:  December 31, 1996

  OR

  [     ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
        ACT OF 1934 [NO FEE REQUIRED].
             For the transition period from       to



Commission file number     1- 3208

  A.    Full title of the plan and the address of the plan, if
        different from that of the issuer named below:

        National Linen Service Retirement and 401(k)
        Plan for Eligible Management Associates

  B.    Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan and
        the address of the principal executive office:

        National Service Industries, Inc.
        1420 Peachtree Street, NE
        Atlanta, Georgia 30309

<PAGE>

Page 2

REQUIRED INFORMATION

The following documents are filed as a part of this report:

1.   Financial Statements


     Plan  financial  statements  prepared  in  accordance  with  the  financial
     reporting requirements of ERISA include the following:

     Report of Independent Public Accountants

     Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits as of December
     31, 1996 and 1995

     Statement  of Changes  in Net  Assets  Available  for  Benefits,  with Fund
     Information, for the Year Ended December 31, 1996

     Notes to Financial Statements

2.   Exhibits
                                                             Sequentially
                                                               Numbered
     The following exhibit is filed with this report:            Page

     23     Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP                       12



SIGNATURES

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
trustees (or other persons who administer  the employee  benefit plan) have duly
caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.

                              National Linen Service Retirement and 401(k)
                              Plan for Eligible Management Associates

Date: June 30, 1997           By:   National Service Industries, Inc.
                                    Plan Administrator

                              By:    /s/ James S. Balloun
                              Name:  James S. Balloun
                              Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
<PAGE>
Page 3



                    REPORT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS



To the Plan Administrator of
National Linen Service Retirement
and 401(k) Plan for
Eligible Management Associates:


We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets available for benefits
of NATIONAL  LINEN SERVICE  RETIREMENT  AND 401(k) PLAN FOR ELIGIBLE  MANAGEMENT
ASSOCIATES as of December 31, 1996 and 1995 and the related statement of changes
in net assets available for benefits, with fund information,  for the year ended
December 31, 1996.  These  financial  statements are the  responsibility  of the
Plan's  management.  Our  responsibility  is to  express  an  opinion  on  these
financial statements based on our audits.

We  conducted  our  audits  in  accordance  with  generally   accepted  auditing
standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement.  An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.  An audit also includes
assessing the  accounting  principles  used and  significant  estimates  made by
management,  as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion,  the financial  statements  referred to above present fairly, in
all material  respects,  the net assets available for benefits of the Plan as of
December 31, 1996 and 1995 and the changes in net assets  available for benefits
for the year ended  December  31, 1996 in  conformity  with  generally  accepted
accounting principles.

Our audits  were  performed  for the  purpose of forming an opinion on the basic
financial  statements taken as a whole. The fund information in the statement of
changes in net assets  available  for benefits is  presented  for the purpose of
additional  analysis rather than to present the changes in net assets  available
for  benefits  of each fund.  The fund  information  has been  subjected  to the
auditing procedures applied in the audits of the basic financial statements and,
in our opinion,  is fairly  stated in all  material  respects in relation to the
basic financial statements taken as a whole.




Atlanta, Georgia
June 25, 1997
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Page 4

                        NATIONAL LINEN SERVICE RETIREMENT

                               AND 401(k) PLAN FOR

                         ELIGIBLE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES


                 STATEMENTS OF NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS

                           DECEMBER 31, 1996 AND 1995







                                                             1996        1995

INVESTMENT IN NSI DC TRUST, at fair value (Note 2):
    Balanced Fund ....................................  $ 1,182,866   $  866,002
    Diversified Equity Fund ..........................    1,483,524    1,083,683
    Stable Value Fund ................................      621,231      512,106
    NSI Stock Fund--participant-directed .............      272,773      164,090
    Loan Fund ........................................       58,647       40,649
    International Fund ...............................       40,347        2,295
    NSI Stock Fund--nonparticipant-directed ..........      654,542      434,919
              Total investment .......................    4,313,930    3,103,744
CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVABLE:
    Employer .........................................        9,505            0
    Participant ......................................       68,588            0
              Total contributions receivable .........       78,093            0
NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS ....................   $4,392,023   $3,103,744






        The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.


<PAGE>
Page 5
                        NATIONAL LINEN SERVICE RETIREMENT

                    AND 401(k) PLAN FOR ELIGIBLE ASSOCIATES

           STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS

                             WITH FUND INFORMATION,

                      FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996

<TABLE>

                                                         Participant-Directed                     Nonparticipant-
                                               Diversified   Stable       NSI                        Directed
                                     Balanced     Equity      Value      Stock    Loan International  NSI Stock
                                      Fund         Fund        Fund       Fund    Fund      Fund       Fund     Other     Total
<S>                               <C>          <C>          <C>        <C>        <C>     <C>       <C>        <C>      <C>

CONTRIBUTIONS:
    Employer .................... $         0  $         0  $       0  $       0  $    0  $      0  $ 233,383  $ 9,505  $  242,888
    Participant .................     341,003      429,038    185,702     97,339       0    25,956          0   68,588   1,147,626
              Total contributions     341,003      429,038    185,702     97,339       0    25,956    233,383   78,093   1,390,514

NET GAIN FROM INVESTMENT
IN NSI DC TRUST .................     152,071      250,369     40,173     33,207       0     1,338     81,906        0     559,064

BENEFITS PAID TO PARTICIPANTS ...    (180,633)    (238,485)  (109,432)   (53,292) (2,617)   (2,265)   (83,700)       0    (670,424)

INTRAPLAN TRANSFERS .............     (10,886)     (42,585)   (11,591)    31,424  20,615    13,023          0        0           0

OTHER ...........................      15,309        1,504      4,273          5       0         0    (11,966)       0       9,125
NET INCREASE ....................     316,864      399,841    109,125    108,683  17,998    38,052    219,623   78,093   1,288,279

NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR
BENEFITS, December 31,1995 ......     866,002    1,083,683    512,106    164,090  40,649     2,295    434,919        0   3,103,744
NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR
BENEFITS, December 31, 1996 ..... $ 1,182,866  $ 1,483,524  $ 621,231  $ 272,773$ 58,647  $ 40,347  $ 654,542  $78,093 $ 4,392,023

</TABLE>


<PAGE>
Page 6



                        NATIONAL LINEN SERVICE RETIREMENT

                               AND 401(k) PLAN FOR

                         ELIGIBLE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES


                          NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                           DECEMBER 31, 1996 AND 1995



  1.  PLAN DESCRIPTION

     The  following  is a  brief  description  of  the  National  Linen  Service
     Retirement and 401(k) Plan for Eligible Management  Associates (the "Plan")
     of the National Linen Service Division (the "Company"), of National Service
     Industries,  Inc. of Georgia, a wholly owned subsidiary of National Service
     Industries,  Inc.  ("NSI").  This description is provided for informational
     purposes  only.  Participants  should refer to the plan  agreement for more
     complete information.

      General

      The Plan is a defined  contribution plan established  effective January 1,
      1994 under the provisions of Section  401(a) of the Internal  Revenue Code
      ("IRC").  The Plan covers all nonunion management employees of the Company
      who have attained the age of 20.5 and have at least six months of service.
      The Plan is subject to the  provisions of the Employee  Retirement  Income
      Security Act of 1974, as amended.

      Contributions

      Participants  may elect to  contribute  between  1% and 10% of  before-tax
      compensation, as defined in the Plan, subject to certain limitations under
      the IRC. Matching contributions are made by the Company in an amount equal
      to 50% of the  participant's  contribution,  up to the lesser of 4% of the
      participant's  annual  compensation  or $1,000 in a plan year.  Additional
      discretionary matching amounts, as determined by the board of directors of
      NSI, may be contributed  by the Company and are allocated to  participants
      employed by the Company and making  deferrals  on the last day of the plan
      year based on relative elective deferrals.

      Additional  discretionary  profit-sharing  amounts,  as  determined by the
      board of  directors  of NSI,  may be  contributed  by the  Company and are
      allocated to  participants  employed by the Company on the last day of the
      plan year based on relative compensation.

      Vesting

      Participants  are always fully vested in their  individual  contributions.
      Vesting of employer  contributions  occurs on an increasing scale, ranging
      from 10% vesting after two years of service,  as defined,  to 100% vesting
<PAGE>
Page 7

      after  seven  years  of  service.  Nonvested  employer  contributions  are
      forfeited upon a  participant's  withdrawal  from the Plan and are used to
      reduce future employer contributions.

      Administration

      All administrative expenses of the Plan were paid by  the  Company  during
      the year ended December 31, 1996.

      Participants' Accounts

      Individual  accounts are maintained for each of the Plan's participants to
      reflect the particular  participant's  contributions  and related employer
      contributions  as well as the participant's share of the Plan's income and
      any related administrative expenses.

      The Plan assigns units to its participants. At December 31, 1996 and 1995,
      352,869  and  277,569   units,   respectively,   were   assigned  to  plan
      participants.  Unit  values  for each  investment  fund were as follows at
      December 31, 1996 and 1995:

                                                       1996         1995

           Balanced Fund ....................     $     26.40  $     22.95
           Diversified Equity Fund .........            12.05        10.57
           Stable Value Fund ...............            11.31        10.59
           NSI Stock Fund ..................            14.52        12.39
           International Fund ...............            5.01         4.59



      Investment in Master Trust

      Under a trust agreement dated September 1, 1993, as amended, Wachovia Bank
      of Georgia,  N.A. was  appointed  trustee of the NSI Defined  Contribution
      Plans Master Trust (the "NSI DC Trust").

      The Plan's  assets are  commingled  in the NSI DC Trust  together with the
      assets of certain defined  contribution plans of other NSI divisions.  The
      investments  of the NSI DC Trust are  subject  to  certain  administrative
      guidelines  and  limitations  as to type and  amount of  securities  held.
      Certain  fund  assets are  allocated  to selected  independent  investment
      managers to invest under these general guidelines.

      Investment Options

      The  separate  investment  options  made  available  under the Plan may be
      changed,  eliminated,  or  modified  from  time to time by the  investment
      committee  of  the  NSI  DC  Trust.  Participants  make  their  investment
      elections  in 5%  increments,  with  changes  allowed  on a  daily  basis.
      Participants  may  not  direct  the  investment  of  company  matching  or
      profit-sharing  contributions.  These are  invested  in the NSI Stock Fund
      discussed below.
<PAGE>
Page 8


      The separate investment options offered by the Plan are as follows:

     o    Diversified  Equity  Fund.  This  fund  is a  diversified  stock  fund
          designed to invest in a broad range of common stocks providing capital
          growth.

     o    Stable Value Fund.  This is a fixed income fund  designed to provide a
          steady  level of current  income  while  focusing on  preservation  of
          principal.

     o    Balanced Fund. This fund is invested in a changing mix of high-quality
          stocks and bonds.  The fund is designed to provide  capital growth and
          current income while limiting the risk of principal loss.

     o    NSI Stock Fund. This fund is invested in NSI common stock, although it
          may hold other short-term investments from time to time. A participant
          may not direct more than 50% of his/her account balance to be invested
          in this fund.

     o    International  Fund.  This fund is  invested  in the stock of non-U.S.
          companies and is designed to provide long-term growth.

      Loans to Participants

      The Plan  permits  loans to  participants  up to the  lesser of 50% of the
      participant's  vested account balance or $50,000.  A participant has up to
      five years to repay the principal and interest, unless the loan is for the
      purchase of a primary  residence,  in which case the repayment period will
      be established at the time the loan is approved.  Loan processing fees are
      charged directly to the participant's account.  Interest rates on loans to
      participants  are  based  on  market  rates  as  determined  by  the  plan
      administrator.

      Benefits

      A participant  is entitled to receive the  distribution  of his/her vested
      account  balance upon death,  disability,  or retirement  (age 65).  These
      benefits are payable in a lump-sum  amount or can be paid in  installments
      at the  participant's  election if his/her  vested balance is greater than
      $3,500  and  he/she  is age 55 or  older.  A  participant  who  terminated
      employment  with the Company  for reasons  other than these is entitled to
      receive his/her  contributions  in a lump sum as soon as  administratively
      feasible.

      Benefits are payable in cash,  except that any portion of a  participant's
      account  balance which is invested in the NSI Stock Fund is distributed in
      the form of shares of NSI common  stock,  with  fractional  shares paid in
      cash.  If  the  equivalent  number  of  shares  to  be  distributed  to  a
      participant  is less than 100, then the  participant  may elect to receive
      cash instead of shares as his/her distribution.

      Hardship  withdrawals  may be made upon  proven  financial  hardship  of a
      participant,  as  defined in the plan  agreement  and as  approved  by the
      Plan's retirement committee.

      Plan Termination

      Although  the  Company  intends  for the  Plan to be  permanent,  the Plan
      provides that the Company has the right to discontinue contributions or to
      terminate  the Plan at any time.  In the event of plan  termination,  each
<PAGE>
Page 9

      participant  shall be vested in the balance of his/her account and his/her
      proportionate share of any future adjustments.


  2.  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

      Basis of Accounting

      The accounts of the Plan are  maintained  by the trustee on the cash basis
      of accounting.  The accompanying  financial  statements have been prepared
      using the  accrual  method of  accounting  by  application  of  memorandum
      entries.  The  preparation  of financial  statements  in  conformity  with
      generally accepted accounting principles requires the Plan's management to
      use  estimates  and  assumptions  that affect the  accompanying  financial
      statements  and  disclosures.  Actual  results  could  differ  from  these
      estimates.

      Investment Valuation

      Investments  of the NSI DC Trust,  except  for the  guaranteed  investment
      contracts ("GICs"),  are stated at fair value as determined by the trustee
      from quoted market prices.  Securities  traded on a national  exchange are
      valued at the last  reported  sales price on the last  business day of the
      plan year;  investments traded in the  over-the-counter  market and listed
      securities for which no sale was reported on the last day of the plan year
      are valued at the last reported bid price.

      GICs  included  in the NSI DC Trust are fully  benefit-responsive  and are
      therefore  carried at contract  value (cost plus accrued  interest) in the
      accompanying financial statements in accordance with Statement of Position
      94-4.  At December 31, 1996 and 1995,  contract  value  approximates  fair
      value. At December 31, 1996, the weighted average crediting  interest rate
      was 6.74%.  For the year ended  December 31, 1996, the annual yield on the
      GICs held by the NSI DC Trust was 6.9%.  For  certain  of the GICs held by
      the NSI DC Trust,  crediting  interest  rates may be  changed  if  certain
      events occur, such as early retirements,  plant closings,  etc., but in no
      case are  adjusted to a rate less than 0%. GICs are subject to credit risk
      based  on the  ability  of the  insurance  company  to  meet  interest  or
      principal payments, or both, as they become due.

<PAGE>
Page 10

  3.  NSI DC TRUST

      Investment Income

      Investment income of the NSI DC Trust for the year ended December 31, 1996
      is summarized as follows:



          Dividends on common stock ....................   $   360,166
          Interest income ..............................     4,320,463
          Net appreciation in fair value of common stock     1,031,354
          Net income from mutual fund ..................    10,129,284
          Net income from common/collective trust ......     7,315,993
          Net income from pooled separate account ......       160,826
          Total investment income ......................   $23,318,086


      The investment  income of the NSI DC Trust for the year ended December 31,
      1996 is allocated among participating plans as follows:

          National Linen Service Retirement
          and 401(k) Plan for Eligible
          Management Associates .....................      $   559,064
          All other NSI plans .......................       22,759,022
                        Total .......................      $23,318,086

              
      Net Assets

     The net assets of the NSI DC Trust are as follows at December  31, 1996 and
     1995:

                                                  1996                1995

          Mutual fund ......................   $  63,411,122    $  47,636,487
          Common/collective trust ..........      57,558,795       48,146,903
          Guaranteed investment contracts ..      55,187,898       55,129,605
          Loans receivable from participants       6,828,607        6,104,302
          NSI common stock .................      11,279,289        7,637,554
          Money market fund ................       3,704,985        1,377,443
          Pooled separate account ..........       2,723,094          871,467
                                                 200,693,790      166,903,761
          Cash .............................          13,342          127,031
                                                 200,707,132      167,030,792
          Accrued investment income ........         100,534           76,779
          Adjustments for pending trades ...        (223,542)        (211,964)
          Other ............................         (54,239)          49,961
          Net assets .......................   $ 200,529,885    $ 166,945,568

<PAGE>
Page 11

      The  allocation  of the net  assets  of the NSI DC Trust to  participating
      plans is based on  participant  units and is as follows as of December 31,
      1996 and 1995:

                                             1996                 1995
                                       Amount    Percent    Amount      Percent
   
     National Linen Service Retirement
      and 401(k) Plan for Eligible
      Management Associates .....   $  4,313,930    2.2%  $  3,103,744     1.9%
     All other plans ............    196,215,955   97.8    163,841,824     98.1
              Total .............   $200,529,885  100.0%  $166,945,568    100.0%

      Investment in NSI Common Stock

      As  of  December  31,  1996  and  1995,   approximately   5.6%  and  4.6%,
      respectively, of the NSI DC Trust's net assets were invested in the common
      stock of NSI, a party in interest to the Plan.


  4.  TAX STATUS

     The Plan has  received a favorable  determination  letter from the Internal
     Revenue  Service dated  December 5, 1996 stating that the Plan was designed
     in accordance  with plan design  requirements as of that date. The plan has
     been amended since receiving the determination  letter.  However,  the plan
     administrator  believes  that the Plan is  currently  designed and is being
     operated  in  compliance  with  the  applicable  requirements  of the  IRC.
     Therefore,  the plan administrator believes that the Plan was qualified and
     that the related trust was tax-exempt as of December 31, 1996 and 1995.


  5.  SUBSEQUENT EVENT

     In June 1997 NSI  reached an  agreement  to sell  portions  of its  textile
     rental  segement to G&K Services,  Inc. The  transaction  is expected to be
     completed  by August 31,  1997.  The Company  estimates  that the sale will
     affect a significant number of current plan participants.






<PAGE>

Page 12

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS








As independent public accountants, we hereby consent to the incorporation of our
report  included  in this Form 11-K into  National  Service  Industries,  Inc.'s
previously  filed  Registration  Statement  covering the National  Linen Service
Retirement and 401(k) Plan for Eligible Management Associates.



/s/ Arthur Andersen LLP
    Arthur Andersen LLP



Atlanta, Georgia
June 25, 1997



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