DOT Foods cuts ribbon at Bear distribution center

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Dot Foods, Monday cut the ribbon at its $37 million site in Bear.

The 188,000-square-foot facility is located on 35 acres at 301 American Boulevard, near the intersection of Red Lion and Wrangle Hill Roads.

The development includes offices; dry, refrigerated and frozen warehouse space; and a truck yard and garage to service the Dot Transportation, Inc., fleet.

“This year marks our company’s 60th anniversary,” said Dot Foods CEO Joe Tracy. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by starting the year with the opening of our 12th distribution center. We always love adding to the Dot Foods family, and we’re really excited about the team we’re putting together here in Delaware. This is a great day for our business.”

Tracy lived in Delaware for a time when the company was far smaller and was setting up an East Coast presence. He said the company is pleased to return to the state.

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Dot broke ground on the Delaware site  in October 2018.

The company has hired 88 people —  truck drivers, warehouse personnel, management roles and support staff. The facility will employ 125 within its first year of operation growing to 200 by 2022.

Dot Foods will offer competitive wages and a  benefit package worth $20,000 that includes health insurance, prescription drug insurance, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k) with company match, profit sharing and college tuition reimbursement.

The family-owned company was founded by Robert and Dorothy Tracy in Mt. Sterling, Illinois. In its 60 year history, the company has never had a layoff.

Sales hit $8.1 billion in 2019, and Dot ranks 67th  on Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies.

The Bear distribution center will serve Dot’s distributor customers in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. The company also has centers in Maryland and New York.

Gov. John  Carney was joined by Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Poore, House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst, and New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer to mark the grand opening.

Dot Foods Delaware earlier  donated $25,000 to local organizations in 2019 before the start of operations and will continue to increase its monetary and volunteer support of the region in the months to come.

“Our success in any new location is heavily influenced by the community and the talent we find there.” said  Joe Little, Dot Foods Delaware General Manager. “I’ve been fortunate to work at four of our other facilities across the country throughout the course of my career, and I can’t say enough about our employees, this team we’re building here, and the level of talent we have on board as we open and get up and running.”

The Dot Foods Delaware development is the second of the company’s warehouses to use an L-shaped layout . The design allows for convenient expansion of offices and all warehouse temperatures.

Dot Foods Delaware will host an open house for the community on Saturday, February 29, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the distribution center in Bear.

Local contractors who contributed to Dot Foods Delaware include: Steinle Construction Engineers; Duffield Associates; Terracon Consultants; Landmark Science & Engineering; Cambridge Constructors & Engineers; Long Fence Company; Wilcox Landscaping; Proconcrete & Masonry; Fabcon Companies; PermaFloor LLC; Delaware Valley Paving; Hidalgo Stone; Hadry Masonry; Little Washington Fabricators; 3-D Fabrication & Design; Dabmar Company, Metal Structures; Stanley Access Technologies; Tri-State Glass & Panel; Floor Coatings Etc.; Jamestown Painting; Tuckers Carpet; ERCO Ceilings & Interiors; Signarama; Kevin J. Bailey & Son; Mid-Atlantic Entry; and Battaglia Electric

Dot Foods Inc. carries 134,000 products from 1,000 food industry manufacturers. It is the largest food industry redistributor in North America. Restribution involves buying truckloads of food products and breaking the shipments into smaller quantities for customers.

Through Dot Transportation Inc., an affiliate of Dot Foods, the company distributes foodservice, convenience, retail and vending products to distributors in all 50 states and more than 35 countries. 

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