FLOWOOD, MS - US Foods has opened a new distribution center in Flowood, MS with a grand opening event for employees, customers and stakeholders today.
The new facility is 272,000 square feet and is expected to serve more than 4000 chefs, restaurant owners and foodservice operators throughout Mississippi and Louisiana. The company also says this is its 6th LEED-certified facility, featuring an environmentally conscious design maximized for energy efficiency, according to a press release.
“This is an exciting day for US Foods and for our customers throughout Mississippi as this new facility allows us to more efficiently service our customers and provides our employees with an exceptional working environment,” said Gil Smith, Division President of US Foods. “This new building has everything we need to be able to keep kitchens cooking for our customers for many years to come.”
A focus of the new Mississippi building is its state-of-the-art kitchen, US Foods Kitchens. This kitchen welcomes more than 10,000 restaurateurs each year to collaborate on developing new menu items and ensure profitability and popularity for their own diners. This facility, known as the Jackson Division, features a demonstration kitchen stocked with culinary tools, the latest A/V equipment and menu development software, allowing for training and product testing.
The new distribution center was built after the original location was destroyed by a tornado last April. Now, over a year later, US Foods has reconstructed what the company calls a bigger and better facility that allows them to continue to support and service its Jackson and New Orleans area customers.
“This past year has been all about rebuilding, and we couldn’t have done it without help from our community,” said Smith. “The support that we’ve received just reinforces what we already knew – Flowood is one of the best business communities in the country.”
Other notable facility features include temperature-controlled zones for optimal food safety, a significantly increased selection of fresh produce and products, and two produce ripening rooms.
