U.S. Foodservice, Rosemont, Ill., said it expects by July 2011 to complete a $33 million expansion at its Central Florida food distribution center in Port Orange, Fla.

The project will take Port Orange to 409,000 square feet in size and -- once completed -- U.S. Foodservice intends to close a nearby operation in Ormond Beach, Fla.

"Its more than 330 employees will move to the new facility which will have a combined workforce of more than 500," the company noted. "This consolidation will make Port Orange the hub of its central Florida business which serves nearly 5,000 restaurants, healthcare facilities, hotels, schools and government agencies throughout the state, southeast Georgia and southern Alabama."

“Our business is growing and we need more space to serve customers,” said Pat Kelly, president of U.S. Foodservice-Port Orange. “The expanded facility will enable us to respond more efficiently to our customers’ needs while serving a growing market from a modern and strategically located distribution center.”

Despite two prior expansions, the company had exhausted capacity at the Ormond Beach facility, Kelly said. The 60-acre site at Port Orange, however, offers ample space for growth. Officials said the expanded facility will offer:

-- Capacity for 14,000 fresh, frozen, non-perishable and non-food products

-- 127,000 square feet of freezer space

-- 48,000 square feet of refrigerated space

-- 155,000 square feet of dry storage space
51 loading docks
 
Kelly said the consolidated facility will feature the latest in food storage technology, including one of the largest private refrigerated transport fleets in Florida.

U.S. Foodservice said it is one of the country’s leading foodservice distributors with more than 43,000 national, private label and signature brand items and an array of services delivered to more than 250,000 customers.