ESSEX, VT - Reinhart Foodservice is opening a new $26 million facility in Essex, VT in mid-October to significantly enhance the service it provides for its customers. The new building consolidates three warehouses into one, generating space for more products, more temperature zones, and more features focusing on energy efficiency than ever before.
“We’re really excited about this facility – it’s incredible,” said Chris Kurek, Division President at Reinhart Burlington. “Operating out of one building versus three will improve our productivity dramatically, and will allow us to be more efficient, provide a greater product selection for our customers and better meet the needs of this dynamic market. This new facility is also a huge investment in the community and a long-term commitment to Vermont.”
Some key figures on the new establishment include:
- Office Sq. Footage: 12,600
- Dry Sq. Footage: 47,700
- Freezer Sq. Footage: 34,000
- Coolers Sq. Footage: 21,600
- Dock Sq. Footage: 19,580
- Number of Warehouse Slots: 19,550
- Number of Employees: 137
The state-of-the-art facility will also feature several environmentally-friendly enhancements including, but not limited to, a new energy efficient refrigeration system, LED lighting, efficient plumbing fixtures to minimize water use, a fuel station for trucks, and battery chargers in the parking lot for electric-powered vehicles.
“As one of the first LEED® certified foodservice buildings in North America, we’re predicting over 30% savings in energy costs,” Chris tells me. “The energy efficient features are staggering. It’s an amazing building – down to the carpeting all the way to the materials they picked out for our desks and walls. Our employees are very pleased with the design, and are excited to move in.”
These improvements go beyond improving productivity internally. “Having a new building with products under one roof will prove to be a tremendous improvement for Reinhart’s customers,” Chris continued. “There’s less of a chance products will be damaged since they won’t have to be handled so often during cross-docking.”
It’s an impressive commitment to both Reinhart’s employees and customers nationwide to construct this massive environmentally-friendly undertaking. Here’s to looking forward to great things from Reinhart with its new warehouse.
