Pate Dawson to build Statesville distribution center
By From staff reports
Published in News on December 26, 2011 1:46 PM
Goldsboro-based Pate Dawson Co. has plans for a $9 million distribution center to be built in Statesville that will employ 49 people -- mostly truck drivers and warehouse workers.
Mac Sullivan, CEO of the 126-year-old company, and N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco announced the project earlier this month.
The company will use an existing 63,000-square-foot building and will add another 40,000 square feet of cooler and freezer space in the coming months. The new jobs will be largely in the fields of warehousing and truck driving. Salaries will vary, but according to the Department of Commerce the average annual wage will be $47,531 plus benefits.
"This new distribution facility will allow us to be closer to serve many of our food service customers and to enhance efficiency with all of our shipping locations," said PDC President David Stansfield. "We also have the capacity to expand in the future."
Sullivan said the project was possible because of the company growth -- growth that he expects to see continue both in Statesville and the company's home community.
The One N.C. Fund provided a $150,000 grant for the project. No money is provided upfront -- the company first must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify for grant funds. A local match is required, too.
The One North Carolina Fund provides financial assistance, through city and/or county governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state.
PDC is a fifth-generation, family-owned business. It is one of the largest independent food service distributors in the Southeast serving independent and chain restaurants in 14 states and employs about 240 people at its Park East location.
It added another 180 when it acquired Meat and Seafood Solutions, also doing business as Southern Foods, in Greensboro. Along with its Goldsboro distribution center, the company has a distribution center outside of Atlanta that just serves some of the company's chain accounts.
The company was started in 1885 and has distribution facilities in Goldsboro, Greensboro and Atlanta. Its current product line consists of about 6,000 items and includes fresh and frozen meats, poultry and seafood, fresh produce and dairy, frozen foods, canned and dry goods, paper products, foam and plastic containers, cleaning chemicals, supplies and small wares.