Ground has been broken on a new $50 million food distribution centre that will bring 200 jobs to Ingersoll.
Dot Foods Canada Inc. put shovels in the ground at its new property at 100 Ken McKee Street near the 401 Thursday afternoon.
“We are very strategic in determining the best place to build a new facility,” said John Tracy, company executive chairman. “Ingersoll is a great location for us because of the workforce available here and the space available to support our future growth. We’re excited about the careers we have to offer and about the people who will join our Dot Foods Canada family. There’s a lot of opportunity for our distribution model in Canada, and we look forward to better serving our current customers and reaching new ones with the establishment of this distribution center.”
Construction of the 168,875 square-foot facility is expected to be completed in the spring. The 200 jobs will be created at the distribution centre within its first three to five years of operation. The positions will largely be for warehouse workers and truck drivers, with some office and administrative roles. The company has already begun hiring for truck drivers and will post the other positions in late 2022 and early 2023.
The new facility will replace the company’s current operation in Brampton. Employees at that facility are being given the option to move to the new location when it opens.
The new distribution centre is being built in such a way that it can easily be expanded to up to 350,000 additional square feet, should customer demand grow in the future. Dot Foods also plans to eventually add on-site garage facilities to support its transportation division.
“Dot Foods’ new distribution centre will be a wonderful addition here in Ingersoll,” said Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman. “Together with businesses like Dot Foods, we are growing the economy and creating great, well-paying jobs right here in Oxford.”
As part of the groundbreaking ceremony, the company also announced it is donating $50,000 to five local non-profit organizations.
The Salvation Army Food Pantry, Operation Sharing, Ingersoll Interchurch, STICH Supper Club, and Alzheimer’s Society will each receive $10,000 through the Dot Canada charitable giving program.
The five recipients were selected because they closely align with the company’s charitable areas of focus – fighting hunger, addressing food insecurity, and helping those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
“My parents felt strongly that our company has a responsibility to do our part to support the community we call home. This is where our employees will live and work, so it’s important that we invest in the groups that are doing the important work of caring for this community,” said Tracy. “This is just the start. We look forward to supporting many more groups in the region with time, talent, and treasure as we get our Ingersoll facility up and running.”
