Ben E. Keith Foods, Fort Worth, Texas, announced plans to build a 425,000-square-foot foodservice distribution center in New Brockton, Ala. The new state-of-the-art facility will be designed to accommodate future expansion up to 1 million square feet to expand distribution coverage in the Southeast. 

The project will create 80 new jobs over the next five years, in addition to the more than 230 individuals the company already employs through its distribution center and manufacturing facility in Elba, Ala.

"When we acquired Kelley Foods in 2016, we saw it as our gateway to expand in the Southeast to better serve new and existing customers and to uncover new opportunities," says Mike Sweet, president. "We are deeply committed to the communities of Alabama in which we live, work and serve, and we look forward to many more years of shared success." 

Construction for the project will begin by December with a completion date by December 2021.

Ben E. Keith Foods also plans to expand the manufacturing facilities at Kelley Foods, which is located in nearby Elba. Kelley Foods is a division of Ben E. Keith, and has been producing pork and related products since 1957.