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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Dietz & Watson-Black Bear Distribution Begins Construction On $50 Million Operations Hub In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

10/10/2014
Dietz & Watson, a national producer and distributor of deli meats and cheeses, in conjunction with Black Bear Distribution, began construction on its more than $50 million food campus which will include a 200,000-square-foot distribution center in the Tacony section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The company will also enhance its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility along with building a new fleet-maintenance facility. A state-of-the-art conveyer system will efficiently transfer food from its kitchens directly to new storage facilities, eliminating more than 200 weekly truck trips over the Delaware River, reducing congestion and pollution, Governor Tom Corbett’s Office said.

“Philadelphia has been Dietz & Watson’s home for 75 years, so it’s only appropriate that when we looked for a location to rebuild our distribution center we looked no further than this great city that has supported us since the very beginning,” said Louis Eni, President/CEO of Dietz & Watson. “This new ‘food campus’ right here in Tacony will allow us to operate more efficiently, so that we can better prepare and distribute the hundreds of delicious Dietz & Watson products to our customers all across the U.S. We thank Governor Corbett, Mayor Nutter and all those who worked so hard to allow us to grow right here in Philadelphia.”

The expansion will add approximately 20 acres to their existing 22 acres along the North Delaware waterfront. The company’s growth was facilitated by a 73-acre land assemblage which included properties owned by the Commonwealth, the City and the private owner of the adjacent former Frankford Arsenal. Of this new assemblage, 20 acres will be acquired by Dietz & Watson for their expansion; 23 acres will support a boat launch, expanded public riverfront trails and open space; and the remaining 30 acres will be available for future commercial and industrial development. The Governor’s Action Team noted Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Philadelphia City Councilman Bobby Henon, and PIDC partnered with Dietz & Watson to make the expansion possible.

Dietz & Watson will add 48 manufacturing, sales and administrative jobs and Black Bear Distribution, an affiliated logistics firm established by Dietz & Watson, will relocate 110 jobs from Delanco, New Jersey, in the wake of a devastating fire in September 2013 that destroyed the company’s national distribution center, the Governor’s Office reported.

The Governor said the manufacturer’s expansion, which is projected to add 158 jobs, will nearly double its footprint in the Tacony section of Philadelphia. “Dietz & Watson is another Pennsylvania success story; it’s a company that is expanding and creating jobs right here in our commonwealth,” Governor Corbett said. “By making strategic investments and working with local partners, we are encouraging job creators to ‘Make-It-In-PA,’ grow our economy, and join us to build a stronger Pennsylvania.”
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