Fort Worth, Texas – Ben E. Keith Company announces the opening of its newest distribution center in North Little Rock, AR. The 24-month project included a 348,000-square foot warehouse, with 78,850 square feet of office and maintenance facilities. The new center is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certified and will include the installation of the Dematic Automated Storage and Retrieval System, or ASRS. The three automated cranes will provide Ben E. Keith with the flexibility to fulfill orders and perform warehousing functions with maximum efficiency.
The facility currently stocks over 18,000 SKUs, with 350 full-time employees. The new distribution center replaces two existing facilities in Central Arkansas, and will distribute in Arkansas, Southern Missouri, Northern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Central-Western Tennessee.
“Today is an exciting day for our customers and employees of the Mid-South Division. Our customers will now have access to a more diverse selection of items as well as facility they can use to help them in their business. For our employees this facility represents the hard work and enthusiasm they display each and every day. This facility will provide a great work environment for them and something that they will be proud of to call home,” states Mike Sweet, President, Ben E. Keith Foods.
“Ben E. Keith is everything we want an Arkansas company to be. I am very proud of the fact that we can be a partner with them, and that we can increase the economic growth of our state. It is about that partnership that is our future,” said Asa Hutchinson, Governor, State of Arkansas.
About Ben E. Keith Foods:
Established in Fort Worth, Texas in 1906, Ben E. Keith is the nation’s eighth largest broad line foodservice distributor and operates today with eight divisions shipping to fourteen states throughout the country.
For more information about Ben E. Keith contact:
David Werner, Vice President, Independent Sale & Marketing. 817-759-6826. wdwerner@benekeith.com