Monday, October 27, 2014

Gordon Food Service to Build Distribution Center in Cabarrus County

and Create 275 New Jobs
Oct 27, 2014
Raleigh, N.C. - Governor Pat McCrory and N.C. Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker, along with the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., announced today that 275 new jobs will be coming to Cabarrus County.  Gordon Food Service is planning to build a new distribution center in Cabarrus County, and will be investing approximately $58 million over the next five years in Kannapolis.
 
“Gordon Food Service is a world leader in food service distribution,” said Governor McCrory. “This fourth-generation family-managed business will feel at home in North Carolina and we look forward to seeing them grow in the future.” 
 
Gordon Food Service is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is North America's largest privately-held, family-managed broadline foodservice distributor.  Founded in 1897, Gordon Food Service distributes to foodservice operators within the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest regions of the United States and coast-to-coast in Canada. The company also operates more than 170 GFS Marketplace retail stores in the U.S.  This will be the company’s first presence in North Carolina.
 
“I am so happy to welcome Gordon Food Service to North Carolina,” said Secretary Decker. “This is the type of company we want to continue to recruit to our state; a company that offers good paying jobs and has a strong tradition of doing business the right way.”
 
Salaries will vary by job function and experience, but the average annual payroll for the new jobs is expected to be $12.3 million when all the new jobs are added.
 
“We are excited to add the Kannapolis location to our distribution network,” said Jim Gordon, CEO of Gordon Food Service. “The addition of this facility increases our capacity to serve national concepts, Group Purchasing Organizations and independent foodservice customers in the Southeast region of the United States.”
 
The project was made possible in part by a performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund of up to $500,000. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state. Companies receive no money up front and must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify for grant funds. These grants also require and are contingent upon local matches.
 
“This new distribution center will be a great addition to the economy here in Cabarrus County,” said Senator Fletcher Hartsell.  “Gordon Food Service is a leader in the food service industry, so I welcome this company to our community.”
 
“I welcome Gordon Food Service and these new jobs to Cabarrus County,” said Representative Linda Johnson.  “New quality jobs are always great news for our area.” 
 
The N.C. Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. partnered with N.C. Community Colleges, N.C. Department of Transportation, Golden LEAF Foundation, Duke Energy, Charlotte Regional Partnership, the City of Kannapolis, Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Cabarrus Economic Development Commission to make this project possible.

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