Gordon Food Service (GFS) is a foodservice distributor based in Wyoming, Michigan serving the eastern half of the Unites States. It operates cash and carry stores in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
According to Forbes Magazine, GFS is the twenty-sixth largest privately held company in the United States.. Its biggest competitors are US Foods and Sysco.
Company lore
Working at Gordon Food Service Stores - Get an inside peek at what it is like working at one of our Gordon Food Service Store locations.
GFS was founded in 1897 by Isaac van Westenbrugge as an egg and butter delivery service. Van Westenbrugge, a 23-year-old Dutch immigrant, started with $300 borrowed from his brother. In 1916, Ben Gordon joined the company; five years later he married Van Westenbrugge's daughter. In 1942 Ben and his brother Frank renamed the company Gordon Food Service.
Wholesale distribution
GFS has distribution centers located in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, Wyoming, Michigan, Brighton, Michigan, Douglasville, Georgia, Aberdeen, Maryland, Miami, Florida, Plant City, Florida, Houston, Texas, Dallas, Texas, Imperial, Pennsylvania, Kenosha, Wisconsin, Boston, Massachusetts and Kannapolis, North Carolina. .
Canada
In 1996, the company began a series of acquisitions in Canada, forming GFS Canada. It has facilities in Edmonton, Alberta, and Winnipeg, Manitoba
- GFS Ontario - portions of Ontario
- GFS Atlantic - Atlantic Canada
- GFS Prairies - Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the remainder of Ontario
- GFS Quebec - Quebec
- GFS British Columbia - British Columbia
Stores
GFS opened its first cash and carry in 1979. Originally, they were in industrial areas, a competitor to Jetro's Restaurant Depot brand. GFS has since shrunk the store size to 15,000â€"20,000 square feet (1,400â€"1,900 m2) and put them in commercial areas, aiming for more retail trade. In 2014, there were 170 Gordon Food Service Stores.
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