Dot Foods plans to open $36 million Bear distribution center in fall 2019

10 OCTOBER, 2018 | DELAWARE BUSINESS NOW

Dot Foods broke ground Tuesday on its dozenth distribution center and already has a trucking operation in place in Delaware.

The $36 million facility will be constructed on 35 acres in Bear, near Route 1.The 188,000-square-foot facility will be located at 301 American Boulevard, near the intersection of Red Lion and Wrangle Hill Roads.

The complex includes offices; dry, refrigerated and frozen warehouse space; and a truck yard and garage to service Dot’s fleet.

“A lot of work has been done to get us to this day,” said Dick Tracy, Dot Foods president, “And we are excited to move this project into the next phase. Dot Foods Delaware joins our other two East Coast locations, in Maryland and New York and will allow us to even better serve our customers in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. We look forward to building relationships with many more people in the region as we become part of the Bear community.”

Dot Foods leadership were joined by state and county leaders to mark the occasion. Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long, U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, and Director Damian DeStefano of the Delaware Division of Small Business attended the groundbreaking ceremony, along with State Sen. Nicole Poore and New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer.

Dot will begin work on the Bear distribution center next month, with an estimated completion date of fall 2019.

Dot will hire up to 125 people in the first year, starting with truck drivers. The company has established a terminal location in nearby New Castle for its transportation operations at 194 S. DuPont Highway.

Dot Transportation offers career opportunities for both experienced and new drivers at the New Castle terminal.

Drivers’ salaries are guaranteed in writing; experienced drivers who handle freight are guaranteed to earn $75,000 their first year, and those who do not touch freight are guaranteed $71,800. Experienced drivers also receive an assigned tractor on day one, vacation time match and health insurance gap coverage.

Dot will also have career opportunities for warehouse and support staff. Hiring will get underway next spring. Dot plans to employ 200 people by 2022.

“The best part of moving into a new community and establishing a new distribution center is building our team,” Tracy explained. “We’re so happy to be at the point that we can start meeting with potential employees in New Castle County and the surrounding area. These are the people who are going to drive our success in Delaware. Today marks a big moment in our company’s history.”

Dot’s Class A Regional Driver positions are currently posted on DriveforDot.com. Dot will employ 50 drivers by the time the Bear distribution center opens in late 2019. As additional positions in the warehouse and office become available, they will be posted at DotFoods.com/careers. Dot Foods and Dot Transportation 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.

Dot Foods Delaware will be led by general manager Joe Little. Little will celebrate his 30^thanniversary with the company in 2019. He began his career at Dot’s corporate headquarters in Mt. Sterling, Illinois. After spending 13 years there, he moved to Dot’s Maryland location, before transferring to Idaho to open that distribution center. For the last five years, Little has served as the general manager of Dot Foods New York in Liverpool. Little and his wife Janna are in the process of relocating to Delaware.

Dot Foods Inc. carries 127,000 products from 930 food industry manufacturers making it the largest food industry redistributor in North America. Redistribution involves breaking down truckloads of food products into smaller loads that are delivered to customers.

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

Dot Foods operates 11 U. S. distribution centers in Modesto, CA; Vidalia, GA; Burley, ID; Mt. Sterling, IL ; Cambridge City, IND; Williamsport, MD; Liverpool, NY; Ardmore, OK; Dyersburg, TN; University Park, IL; and Bullhead City, AZ. Dot Foods’ Canadian operations are located in Toronto and Calgary. For information, visit dotfoods.com.