Food distributor continues growth
Photo/Brandon McKenney
Ron Dennis, president of Dennis Paper & Food Service in Bangor
Growing markets in southern and central Maine have put Bangor-based Dennis Paper & Food Service in line for 20% growth over last year's earnings.
The broad liner company, which buys, sells and distributes food and food-related products, has seen a steady increase in demand for its services, fueled primarily by independent restaurateurs who want to do business with a Maine-based broad liner.
"We've been finding that a lot of businesses don't know much about my company, that it's locally owned, that we're not specialty driven but carry a wide range of products and that we're competitors with the national broad liners (such as SYSCO)," says Ron Dennis, president. "Many restaurateurs in southern Maine are looking for options other than the national companies. A lot of our growth is coming from there."
Dennis hired four business development directors and three new sales reps this year to get the word out. The sales team collectively has added 200 new customers in 2010, bringing the total to 2,700. Dennis expects earnings will hit $45 million this year, a 20% increase over 2009.
While excited by the growth, Dennis says he is taking his time deciding on an expansion for the Mecaw Road facility, which has already outgrown its 60,000-square-foot footprint. The company is renting freezer space while managers weigh whether to expand the Bangor facility or build another facility in the southern part of the state.
"That would be a big bite to chew, especially with the economy in general," says Dennis of the multi-million-dollar investment needed to build a new storage and distribution facility. "We also would be open to an acquisition if we could find some other company that fit our niche that had a facility."
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