Gordon Food Service

Gordon Food Service (commonly abbreviated GFS) is the largest privately held foodservice distributor in North America with sales of $5.5 billion in 2007 and expected to finish 2012 with over $10 billion. Headquartered in Wyoming, Michigan[1], GFS has stores in the states of Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Gordon Food Service also distributes to portions of Wisconsin, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. GFS was founded in 1897 by Isaac van Westenbrugge, a 23-year-old Dutch immigrant, and by his son-in-law Ben Gordon. It was started by Van Westenbrugge with only 300 dollars borrowed from his brother to start an egg and butter delivery service. In 2009, GFS opened a new distribution center in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and opened a warehouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin the next year. The company continued expanding by building a distribution center in Kannapolis in 2016, and now has warehouses in twelve states. According to Forbes Magazine, GFS is the 26th largest privately held company in the United States, a list that excludes publicly traded corporations.

Started at the Gordon Food Service warehouse in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the first "cash and carry" was a way for local restaurants to replenish their stock between deliveries. As these stores expanded, they all were first located in industrial areas with very little emphasis on the "retail look." As the stores became more popular, Gordon Food Service Stores started to emerge on busy streets and strip malls; not only to put them in the public eye, but also to be more convenient for customers. In 2003, Gordon Food Service purchased 7 retail locations and a distribution network from a similar retailer called Smart & Final. Gordon Food Service opened their 160th store in Daytona Beach, FL in the summer of 2013. They now have over 170 locations along the eastern half of the US. Each store is between 15,000–25,000 sq ft.