Dot Foods to build distribution center in Manchester, Tennessee

Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
·2 min read

Apr. 5—America's largest foodservice redistribution company will expand its Tennessee operations by establishing a new distribution facility at the Manchester Industrial Park.

Dot Foods, Inc., a 62-year-old, family-owned business based in Mt. Sterling, Illinois, announced Tuesday that it will invest $50.5 million to build and equip a new facility in Manchester where the company expects to create more than 250 jobs over the next three years. The 177,000-square-foot plant in Coffee County will be Dot Foods' second distribution center in Tennessee and the company's 13th distribution center in the U.S.

The Manchester site will function similarly to Dot Foods' operations in Dyersburg, Tennessee, and will include dry, refrigerated and frozen warehouse space. In addition, the facility will have the capacity to expand its square footage to meet its growing customer demand in the southeastern U.S.

"Tennessee has a lot to offer businesses like ours," Joe Tracy, CEO of Dot Foods, said in an announcement of the company's plans. "Dot Foods first called Tennessee home in the 1980s and early 1990s, and we've loved being back in the state since the 2015 opening of our Dyersburg facility."

Dot Foods anticipates breaking ground on its new distribution center by late summer and expects to complete the new distribution complex by the fall of 2023, company spokeswoman Emily Waterman said. The company will soon begin hiring drivers for the new facility, Waterman said.

Dot Foods, Inc. carries 133,000 products from 1,000 food industry manufacturers, making it the largest food industry redistributor in North America with more than $8 billion in annual sales. 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 55 countries.

The company typically buys its goods and products from food manufacturers and sells to food distributors such as US Foods, Sysco and other independent distributors.

"With our transportation advantages, business-friendly environment, and highly skilled workforce, it's clear as to why Dot Foods chose Coffee County," Coffee County Mayor Gary Cordell said in a statement Tuesday. "We're excited to have this great company join our community, and we look forward to many years of partnership and success."