Thursday, July 26, 2012

Great news for Woodstock! Sysco announces huge distribution facility....

“Good Things” Come to Woodstock:

Sysco Plans to Construct Distribution Center in Commerce Way Business Park

Woodstock, Ontario (July 26, 2012) -- The City of Woodstock has reached an agreement to sell 57 acres of vacant industrial land in the Commerce Way Business Park to Sysco Canada, where it plans to build a 400,000-square foot (37,160 m 2 ), state-of-the-art food distribution facility. Construction is expected to start as early as this fall.

Mayor Pat Sobeski welcomed the official announcement of Sysco’s investment in the community by saying, “We are extremely pleased to be able to confirm that Sysco has selected Woodstock for this important investment. Sysco is a Fortune 75 company, and their decision to invest in Woodstock says plenty about the benefits our community can offer a new or expanding business.”

“Sysco Canada is pleased to be locating our newest facility in this region to Woodstock and the Commerce Way Business Park,” said Rodney Stroud, market president of Sysco Canada-East and president of Sysco Central Ontario. “This reinforces our commitment to be our Ontario customers’ most valued and trusted business partner. We are excited about the location, the surface-roads infrastructure, and the ability to serve our current customers and grow our business from a state-of-the-art distribution center.”

Sysco has agreed to pay approximately $2.7 million (CND) for the land. Plans call for Sysco’s facility to have approximately 89,000 square feet of freezer space; 49,000 square feet of cooler space; 41,000 square feet of cold dock space; a 101,000-square foot dry warehouse; a 31,000-square foot dry dock; 17,000 square feet for material handling and equipment storage; and 67,000 square feet of office space.

Mayor Sobeski noted “this investment is an excellent example of Woodstock’s ongoing efforts to diversify the local economy.”

City staff worked diligently to secure the Sysco investment for well over a year. Through the process, Woodstock advanced from a long list of prospective communities to a short list of locations that were invited to respond to a formal request for proposal, and ultimately to a preferred site for the company’s investment.

Development Commissioner Len Magyar welcomed Sysco to Woodstock’s business community noting, “This announcement is great news for our community on so many fronts. This investment represents a significant land sale, a huge construction project and the creation of good paying jobs. As a bonus the investment comes from a company (Sysco) with a great reputation and a long-term commitment to doing business in southern Ontario”.

Sysco Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas, sells, markets and distributes food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home, primarily in the United States and Canada. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. The company operates 177 distribution facilities serving approximately 400,000 customers. For the fiscal year 2011 that ended July 2, 2011, the company generated record sales of more than $39 billion.

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City of Woodstock Contacts

Mayor Pat Sobeski, City of Woodstock Phone: (519) 539-2382 begin_of_the_skype_ highlighting Email: mayor@city.woodstock.on.ca

Len Magyar, Development Commissioner Phone: (519) 539-2382 Ext 2112 Email: lmagyar@city.woodstock.on.ca

Sysco Contact

Charley Wilson, Vice President-Corporate Communications

Phone: (281) 584-2423

Email: wilson.charley@corp.sysco.com