SYSCO Broadens Coverage In Alabama With Geneva County Foodservice Distribution Center
HOUSTON - SYSCO Corporation, North America's largest foodservice marketer and distributor, today announced plans to extend its industry-leading distribution coverage in southern Alabama by opening a new broadline distribution company. SYSCO has tentatively selected and completed due diligence on an existing facility for the company, located on a 49-acre site on Alabama Route 52-Geneva, Alabama in Geneva County, Alabama. Initially the company will create 227 new jobs and ultimately could employ up to 800 people as sales continue to grow.
The new company, to be named Sysco Food Services-Gulf Coast Inc., is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2005 following modifications to the facility to meet SYSCO's requirements. It will serve restaurants, hospitals, schools, colleges, retirement homes, hotels and other foodservice operations in southern Alabama and the northern Gulf Coast area. The complex will include approximately 327,000-square-feet of refrigerated, frozen and dry warehouse space, as well as administrative offices. Foodservice customers in the area currently are being served by four other SYSCO broadline operating companies in the Southeast region.
Richard J. Schnieders, SYSCO's chairman and chief executive officer, said, "Our 'fold-out' companies have been a significant contributor to SYSCO's internal growth and have supported our commitment to helping customers succeed. The strategy of opening 'fold-outs' to get closer to the customers we serve and become an integral part of the local community has been a major factor in our historical success. The strong growth patterns in the Gulf Coast marketplace influenced our decision to expand our service capabilities in this area, and we will continue to systematically add fold-out companies in other marketplaces across North America that exhibit similar growth characteristics."
Instrumental in selecting the location were Governor Bob Riley, the State of Alabama Development Office, Enterprise Coffee Geneva Economic Development Corporation, Geneva County Commission, Alabama Power Company, City of Geneva, Alabama Office of Workforce Development, Alabama Industrial Development Training and the Hart Corporation. Jack D. Carlson, vice president of real estate and construction for SYSCO, said several factors were involved in selecting the facility's location. "This site was chosen because of the availability of an existing high quality building in a location that could easily serve a growing Gulf Coast marketplace. Additional factors influencing the decision were an available outstanding workforce, and the willingness of the city, county and state officials to assist in securing economic development incentives and other assistance."
SYSCO, the largest foodservice marketing and distribution organization in North America, provides food and related products and services to approximately 400,000 restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other foodservice customers, generating sales of $30.0 billion for calendar year 2004. SYSCO's operations, supported by approximately 46,000 associates, are located throughout the United States and Canada and include broadline foodservice distribution companies, specialty produce and custom-cut meat operations, Asian cuisine foodservice distributors, hotel supply operations and chain restaurant distribution subsidiaries. For more information about SYSCO visit the company's Internet home page at www.sysco.com.
Source: SYSCO Corporation