Gordon Food Service
Encyclopedia
Gordon Food Service is the largest privately held foodservice distributor
in North America with sales of $5.5 billion in 2007. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan
http://www.gfs.com/content_us/contactus/contactus.html, GFS has GFS Marketplace stores in the states of Florida
, Illinois
, Indiana
, Kentucky
, Michigan
, Ohio
, Pennsylvania
and Tennessee
. GFS also distributes to portions of Wisconsin
, Arkansas
, Alabama
, Georgia
, Mississippi
, Missouri
, North Carolina
, Virginia
, and West Virginia
. Gordon Food Service was founded in 1897 by Isaac van Westenbrugge, a 23-year-old Dutch immigrant, and later taken over by his son-in-law Ben Gordon. It was started by Van Westenbrugge with only 300 dollars borrowed from his brother to start an egg and butter delivery service. This past year (2009) GFS opened a new distribution center in Pottsville, PA adding to the extensive distribution web that it already has, and is also planning on opening another new warehouse in Kenosha, WI in April 2010. GFS now has warehouses in 7 states, and is continuing to grow. Marketplace Stores=
Started at the GFS warehouse in Grand Rapids, Michigan the first "cash and carry" was a way for local restaurants to replenish their stock between deliveries. As these stores expanded they all were first located in industrial areas with very little emphasis on the "retail look" as the store fast became popular GFS saw that locations that were on busy streets, and in strip malls not only put them in the public eye but were more convenient for their customers. In 2003 GFS bought 7 retail locations and a distribution network from a similar retailer Smart & Final; it now has 130 location along the eastern half of the US. Each store is between 15,000-25,000 sq ft.
and has Distribution Centers in much of Canada
:
The company also sponsored the NASCAR
Nextel Cup
GFS Marketplace 400
race from 2003 to 2006.
Foodservice distributor
A foodservice distributor is a company that provides food and non-food products to restaurants, cafeterias, industrial caterers, hospitals and nursing homes....
in North America with sales of $5.5 billion in 2007. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
http://www.gfs.com/content_us/contactus/contactus.html, GFS has GFS Marketplace stores in the states of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. GFS also distributes to portions of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, and West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. Gordon Food Service was founded in 1897 by Isaac van Westenbrugge, a 23-year-old Dutch immigrant, and later taken over by his son-in-law Ben Gordon. It was started by Van Westenbrugge with only 300 dollars borrowed from his brother to start an egg and butter delivery service. This past year (2009) GFS opened a new distribution center in Pottsville, PA adding to the extensive distribution web that it already has, and is also planning on opening another new warehouse in Kenosha, WI in April 2010. GFS now has warehouses in 7 states, and is continuing to grow. Marketplace Stores=
Started at the GFS warehouse in Grand Rapids, Michigan the first "cash and carry" was a way for local restaurants to replenish their stock between deliveries. As these stores expanded they all were first located in industrial areas with very little emphasis on the "retail look" as the store fast became popular GFS saw that locations that were on busy streets, and in strip malls not only put them in the public eye but were more convenient for their customers. In 2003 GFS bought 7 retail locations and a distribution network from a similar retailer Smart & Final; it now has 130 location along the eastern half of the US. Each store is between 15,000-25,000 sq ft.
Canada
Gordon Food Service also distributes under the name GFS CanadaGFS Canada
Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, GFS Canada distributes fresh foods, canned and dry foods, fresh and frozen meats, seafood and poultry, imported special orders, equipment, supplies and much more. GFS Canada distributes in every province of Canada. GFS Canada is one of the largest...
and has Distribution Centers in much of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
:
- GFS Ontario - portions of OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
- GFS Atlantic - Atlantic Canada
- GFS Prairies - AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, SaskatchewanSaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, and the remainder of Ontario - GFS Quebec - QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
- GFS British Columbia - British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
Technology
GFS has an automated distribution center located in Shepherdsville, KY. With GFS Marketplace stores developing in other states the company continues to grow year by year. The company also has over 11,000 employees.The company also sponsored the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Nextel Cup
NEXTEL Cup
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing . The series was originally known as the Strictly Stock Series and Grand National Series . While leasing its naming rights to R. J...
GFS Marketplace 400
GFS Marketplace 400
The Pure Michigan 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race being held annually at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan since 1969. However, during the 1973 season it was not held after Roger Penske replaced the race with a Champ car event. The inaugural event was scheduled to be 600...
race from 2003 to 2006.