Dot Foods, North America’s largest food industry redistributor, has broken ground on a new $50.5 million, 179,000-sq-ft distribution center in Manchester, Tenn. The new facility will house a 78,000-sq-ft ammonia refrigeration cold dock, freezer, and cooler area, as well as an 83,000-sq-ft dry storage area, 17,000 sq ft of office and welfare space, and a 1,700-sq-ft on-site health clinic. Designed to offer convenient, low-cost, high-quality healthcare for Dot employees and their families, the health clinic will include exam rooms, an on-site lab, and all the equipment necessary to provide basic medical care, lab work, and immediate medical attention for acute injuries.
Scheduled for completion next fall, the greenfield project will expand Dot Foods’ Tennessee operations and create more than 250 new jobs within the first three years. Dot Foods chose Stellar as the design-builder for the project. In 2015, Stellar also designed and constructed a Dot Foods distribution warehouse in Dyersburg, Tenn.
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“Stellar and Dot Foods have been working together for more than 25 years. We’re delighted to be entrusted once again with helping Dot Foods achieve their current and future business goals,” says Daniel Stilling, Stellar’s project developer on the Dot Foods project. “In addition to installing an ammonia refrigeration system and state-of-the-art employee health clinic, we’re taking extra steps to design a flexible facility that can expand and remain functional as customer demand increases.”
“When we make the decision to establish a new Dot Foods distribution center, we do it to increase efficiency in our business and provide the best possible service to our customers,” says Joe Tracy, CEO of Dot Foods. “But the actual building is designed for our employees, and we strive to create the best work environment possible. Stellar’s team has performed excellent work for us in the past, and we’re excited to once again partner with them on our Manchester facility.”
