Wednesday, August 30, 2006

By Kelly Wilson

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — Dot Foods plans a $12 million expansion of its frozen warehouse in Mount Sterling.

Jim Tracy, senior vice president, says the 119,000-square-foot expansion will allow the company to grow its frozen foods business, which could lead to 50 new jobs.

Construction is expected to begin within the next few weeks and should be finished by June 2007.

"This expansion allows us to plan and handle our frozen volume through 2010," said John Long, vice president of distribution centers. "The frozen foods category continues to grow rapidly in our industry, which is great for us and our business partners."

Tracy says the extension of the Quincy/Adams County Enterprise Zone to Brown County last year provided tax incentives for this and other expansion projects at Dot Foods.

"The enterprise zone ... is a continuous incentive to grow the business here in Mount Sterling," he said.

Members of the Adams County Board, Brown County Board, Quincy City Council and Mount Sterling City Council approved resolutions last year to allow a new configuration of the enterprise zone so that it reaches into Mount Sterling. After state approval, the extension went into effect in November 2005.

Dot Foods' most recent expansion will bring the total frozen warehouse space to 511,000 square feet.

"This is good news for the area,"

Tracy said. "Continued expansion at Dot means continued job opportunities. There will be warehouse and transportation jobs ... a whole mix of jobs because you need support staff to support all that."

Mount Sterling-based Dot Foods is the nation's leading food redistributor, with more than $2 billion in revenues. The company delivers food service, convenience and retail products from the nation's top manufacturers to distributors in all 50 states.

The company employs 2,826 people nationwide, including more than 1,600 employees in Mount Sterling. Tracy emphasizes that employees in Mount Sterling come from throughout the West Central Illinois region. For example, more than 300 workers come from Adams County alone.

Tracy attributes the company's continued success to two main factors.

"The industry we're in is growing," he said. "And servicing our customers ... when you do a good job servicing your customers, they reward you with business."

Contact Staff Writer Kelly Wilson

at kwilson@whig.com or (217) 221-3391