Food industry redistributor Dot Foods is expanding its operations in Washington County, Maryland and plans to add 100 new jobs by 2023. The company is scheduled to begin a two-phase project in spring 2017 and anticipates completing the expansion in 2019.
Dot Foods currently employs 400 workers in the county. The majority of the 100 new jobs will be high-wage warehouse positions for Dot Foods and Class A drivers for Dot’s trucking subsidiary, Dot Transportation Inc.
“This expansion of space and workforce will allow Dot Foods Maryland to boost its capacity from the current 450 million pounds per year to 700 million pounds per year,” said Brian Duffield, Dot Foods’ Maryland general manager. “This expansion shows Dot’s continued commitment to the Williamsport and Washington County areas.”
Phase one of the project is scheduled to begin in early spring 2017 and will take place at a recently purchased property in Williamsport. Dot Foods will lease the location to Dot Transportation where it will house a new truck maintenance facility. Phase two is slated to begin in spring 2018 at the company’s existing Williamsport facility and includes renovating the office, refrigeration, and freezer space and expanding the warehouse to add dry space. The company anticipates investing about $35 million to expand the distribution center by 100,000 square feet to a total of 350,000 square feet.
“The continued investment by a company with a national and global footprint like Dot Foods is a tremendous asset to western Maryland and our state as a whole,” said Gov Larry Hogan. “Our administration is committed to helping businesses like Dot Foods, which is providing outstanding job opportunities for our citizens and contributing to the positive growth of our economy.”
To assist with project costs, the Maryland Department of Commerce has approved a $250,000 conditional loan through the Maryland Economic Development Assistance Authority and Fund (MEDAAF). Washington County is also supporting the project with a $250,000 conditional loan and tax increment financing. The company is eligible for a number of state and local tax credits, including Maryland’s Job Creation Tax Credit and One Maryland Tax Credit.
To learn more about careers at Dot Foods, go to www.DotFoods.com/careers. For more about opportunities at Dot Transportation, see www.DriveForDot.com.
