U.S. Foodservice-Albuquerque, N.M. broke ground today on a $24-million distribution center. The 135,000-square-foot facility will enable the company to provide better service to customers throughout New Mexico, West Texas and Southern Colorado.
The new facility will occupy a 42-acre site at 3700 Prince Street SE and is expected to be complete by October 2011. More than 50 community leaders, U.S. Foodservice employees and government officials attended today's groundbreaking. Local officials in attendance included Bernalillo County Commissioners Art De la Cruz, Maggie Hart Stebbins and Michael C. Wiener, representatives from the offices of U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman and Congressman Martin Heinrich, as well as representatives from the Bernalillo County Management and Economic Development teams.
"The new facility will greatly increase the volume and variety of products we offer customers, as well as improve our operational efficiency," said John Szurek, Division President, U.S. Foodservice-Albuquerque. "In a challenging economy, we are especially proud of our ability to grow, maintain high levels of customer satisfaction and support our community."
Szurek said the new facility will allow U.S. Foodservice-Albuquerque to provide its more than 1,300 customers with about 40 percent more products. The expansion will more than double the company's current cold storage capacity and increase the number of shipping and receiving docks.
The facility currently employs more than 125 and is expected to add jobs in the coming years with the addition of new customers and increased sales volume. The 42-acre site also allows for future expansion as demand increases.
The distribution center will include a number of sustainable design features, including:
- high-output, energy-efficient lighting
- low-flow plumbing fixtures
- high-efficiency central refrigeration system
- a heat-reflecting insulated roof
- low-solar transmission glass windows
- state-of-the-art high speed dock doors
- landscaping using native plants that require no additional water
U.S. Foodservice-Albuquerque will also begin using methanol or hydrogen fuel cell technology in many of its warehouse vehicles to reduce electricity usage and increase efficiency.
