ARDMORE, Okla. – Dot Foods, Inc., the largest food industry redistributor in North America, announced today it will make a $13.9 million investment in its Ardmore distribution center.
The company plans to break ground in February 2024 on a 33,157 square foot expansion of its frozen warehouse. Dot will hire 35 people over the next three years to support the growth of its Oklahoma operations.
“We’re excited to expand our physical footprint and our workforce in Ardmore,” said Chris Landrum, Dot’s vice president of warehousing. “We have an amazing team in Oklahoma that has played a key role in Dot’s system for nearly 20 years, and we look forward to growing it even further over the next few years. Adding more frozen capacity to our Ardmore facility is a strategic decision that will help us better support our customers and the growth of our business.”
The expansion will add just under 25,000 square feet of warehouse space and 8,500 square feet of cold dock space, along with nine new dock doors on the west side of Dot’s existing facility, utilizing the remaining space on the campus located at 3411 Cypert Way. Dot plans to complete construction and have the new freezer space operational next fall, doubling its frozen storage capacity at the Ardmore distribution center.
“Frozen storage space is in high demand nationwide,” explained Rob Hendry, general manager of Dot Foods Ardmore. “We’re happy to be a frozen storage solution for our customers and business partners. We’ve been at capacity in our freezer in Ardmore for several years, and our employees are excited to get the additional space and take on even more volume for the business. The ability to continue to increase our workforce is the icing on the cake. We have access to a great talent pool in this region.”
“We’re thrilled Dot continues to see the potential in our community and invest in Ardmore,” said Bill Murphy, president of the Ardmore Development Authority and Chamber of Commerce. “This announcement reinforces the fact that Ardmore is a great place to do business. Our central location in the state and our commitment to economic development are a winning combination for businesses like Dot. They’re a family-owned and operated company that is at the heart of what drives American commerce. Dot’s success means success for our region.”
Another benefit of the Ardmore freezer project is reducing the amount of miles Dot’s trucking affiliate, Dot Transportation, Inc., has to log to move products within Dot’s system of warehouses. Increasing the size of the Ardmore frozen warehouse will decrease the amount of loads Dot Transportation has to transfer from Dot’s headquarters in Mt. Sterling, Illinois, to the Ardmore facility and other Dot distribution centers in the south. Dot has hired FCL Builders as the design-builder for the freezer expansion.
“The growth of our facilities and our workforce is a cause for celebration,” said Landrum. “When we’re growing, it means we’re successfully solving problems for our customers, which is always what we want to do. And that’s only possible because of our dedicated employees. We look forward to kicking this project off and seeing even more success at our Oklahoma distribution center.”
About Dot Foods and Dot Transportation
Dot Foods, Inc. carries 123,000 products from 1,500 food industry manufacturers making it the largest food industry redistributor in North America. 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 50 countries. Dot Foods operates 12 U. S. distribution centers, which are located in Bullhead City, Arizona; Modesto, California; Bear, Delaware; Vidalia, Georgia; Burley, Idaho; Mt. Sterling, Illinois; University Park, Illinois; Cambridge City, Indiana; Williamsport, Maryland; Liverpool, New York; Ardmore, Oklahoma; and Dyersburg, Tennessee. Dot’s 13th U.S. location is currently under construction in Manchester, Tennessee. Dot Foods’ Canadian operations are located in Ingersoll, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta. For information, visit DotFoods.com.
Dot Foods and Dot Transportation are both looking to fill several positions for full and part-time drivers and warehouse personnel at all U.S. locations. To learn more about careers at Dot Foods visit Careers.DotFoods.com and follow @DotFoodsCareers. For more on opportunities available with Dot Transportation, visit DriveForDTI.com.