Dot Foods to Expand Operations in Western Maryland
Dot Foods will expand operations in western Maryland with a two-phase project that will add at least 100 new jobs over the next seven years, many of which will be truck drivers, the company announced on Sept. 14.
Dot Foods will invest about $35 million to purchase a new property and expand the distribution center from 100,000 square feet to 350,000 square feet.
The company will also construct a new maintenance garage and increase parking for its transportation arm, Dot Transportation Inc., in the first phase next spring. The Mount Sterling, Illinois-based company current has about 140 tractors and 200 trailers in its western Maryland facility in Williamsport, but it will grow to 225 tractors and 350 trailers within the next decade, said Brian Duffield, general manager for Dot Foods in Maryland. Volume has grown at a double-digit pace historically in western Maryland, he says, and the project is aimed at keeping pace.
“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,” Duffield said. “This expansion shows Dot’s continued commitment to the Williamsport and Washington County areas.”
Phase two is slated to begin in spring 2018 at the company’s existing Williamsport facility and consists of renovating the office, refrigeration and freezer space and expanding the warehouse to add additional dry space.
Dot Foods ranks No. 27 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America. It owns more than 3,000 tractors and trailers.
