Coke Florida opens new distribution and adds executives as it celebrates 10 years of growth
Coca-Cola Beverages Florida LLC opened its new Tampa distribution center and fleet facility, hosting company leaders, local officials, and community members for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and facility tours on May 30. The new center, a $300 million investment, is situated on the company’s 156-acre site and includes an 800,000 ft2 fully automated warehouse facility and a 250,000 ft2 fleet maintenance facility.
The Tampa Bay region is a key part of the company’s product supply network, and the new facility allows Coke Florida to upskill 400 associates who work here at the Tampa site, said Jim Boyce, territory general manager for the Tampa Bay region.
The facility opens as Coke Florida marks its 10-year anniversary. Founded in 2015, Coke Florida opened its sales and distribution operations in central Florida and acquired operations in north and south Florida within 22 months. Today, the family-owned company operates in an exclusive territory that spans from Jacksonville to the Florida Keys, allowing it to serve more than 21 million residents and 140 million visitors annually.
“From the first truck that rolled out of our Tampa facility on May 30, 2015, to today, I am immensely proud of our growth, success and contributions over the past decade,” said Troy Taylor, chairman and CEO of Coke Florida in a release. “When we set out on this journey, we never said we wanted to be the biggest bottler in the country; we said we wanted to be the best. I often share that our two biggest assets are our brands and our people.”
Since its inception, Coke Florida has built a new facility in St. Petersburg, and purchased and expanded facilities in Jacksonville, Orlando, Ocala, Sarasota and Winter Haven.
New executives position Coke Florida for growth
Jamaal Medley was promoted to vice president, field franchise operations for Coke Florida. Medley will provide strategic and operational leadership to local territory general managers, who are responsible for overseeing the integration of sales, manufacturing, distribution, warehouse and merchandising operations to improve local business outcomes.
Finally, Guillermo Mora joined the company as senior director of supply chain and logistics technology. He most recently served as director of delivery at O9 Solutions, leading the implementation of retail allocation and merchandise financial planning systems for multi-billion-dollar clients.
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Linda Becker | Editor-in-Chief
Linda Becker is editor-in-chief of Automatic Merchandiser and VendingMarketWatch.com. She has more than 20 years of experience in B2B publishing, writing, editing and producing content for magazines, websites, webinars, podcasts, newsletters and eBooks, primarily for manufacturing and process engineering audiences. Since joining Automatic Merchandiser and VendingMarketWatch.com, Linda has developed a new appreciation for the convenience services industry and the essential role it plays. She is dedicated to serving readers by covering the latest news in the vending, office coffee service and micro market industry. She can be reached at 262-203-9924 or [email protected].
