ROSEMONT, IL -  In late January of 2016, US Foods will put into gear an expansion that will double the size of its 123,000-square-foot facility in Fife, Washington. The food distributor looks forward to how the construction will broaden its customer base, improving its offering to Seattle restaurateurs, chefs, and foodservice operators.

"As the vibrant culinary market in Seattle continues to grow, US Foods is positioning itself to continue to be a significant player in the area," Matt Reynolds, President of the Mountain West Area, US Foods, said in a press release.

Once completed, the facility US Foods has operated out of for the last 17 years will be more than 216,000-square-feet in size, and will have a number of technological and environmental improvements.

"Once complete, our expanded facility will allow us to double our capacity for product storage, making it easier for us to bring our innovative, on-trend products and tried and true favorites to more customers throughout Seattle and beyond," Reynolds said.

Among the improvements and additions, the project includes:

• A state-of-the-art kitchen
• A training center that can be used for product demonstrations and customer ideation
• A technology center where customers can learn about industry-leading mobile apps and web-based business solutions.
• A highly efficient cascade refrigeration system
• Energy saving high-output fluorescent and LED lighting

Though many additions and improvements will be for sustainability and the latest offerings, US Foods stated that the majority of additional space will be used for increased product storage. This will allow the distributor to offer its customers an expanded product offering to more readily meet their needs.

Home to more than 300 employees, the facility serves thousands throughout Seattle and the surrounding market area, including:

• Independent restaurants
• Healthcare and hospitality entities
• Government institutions
• Educational institutions

The project is expected to be finished in the fall of 2016, with every effort on the company’s part to use locally sourced and recycled content, such as furnishings and building materials, during construction.

We will continue follow this and other moves foodservice influencers making to grow their footprint in markets around the county, so stay tuned.

US Foods