McLane Opens Distribution Center in Ocala, FL
McLane Co. Inc. has debuted a new Florida grocery distribution center within the Ocala International Commerce Center.
Known as McLane Ocala, the 400,000-square-foot facility encompasses 165,000 square feet of dry grocery, almost 200,000 square feet of perishables, and 35,000 square feet of office and support space. The first shipment arrived on Feb. 4, with deliveries slated to start on March 17.
According to McLane, the center will create more than 400 new jobs in surrounding Marion County. By the end of 2019, McLane Ocala plans to hire 316 warehouse and support teammates and 120 drivers and transportation support teammates. Driver hiring began last October to enable drivers to become acclimated with McLane’s customers and the delivery process in general. The recruiting team held a three-day job fair in January at the facility at which almost 600 applicants were interviewed, leading to 233 job offers.
The location is McLane’s sixth distribution center in Florida, in addition to its grocery center in Kissimmee and four foodservice centers in Lakeland, Haines City and Orlando (two), and was constructed to serve the company’s rapidly expanding customer base in north Florida.
“We are thankful for McLane Co.'s presence here in our community,” noted Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn. “We are excited about their growth, their services and their community involvement.”
“We are thrilled to open our new facility in Ocala where the business community is welcoming and open to growth,” said Michelle Chesnutt, division president of McLane Ocala, who will lead the operation with fellow company veteran Jerry Winterhalter. “The values and work ethic of the prospective workforce is an ideal fit with McLane’s culture. McLane Ocala continues our company’s core initiative to drive customer results.”
A wholly owned unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. employing more than 20,000 associates, Temple, Texas-based McLane provides grocery and foodservice supply chain solutions for convenience stores, mass merchants, drug stores and chain restaurants throughout the United States.
