Dot Foods, the Mount Sterling IL-based food industry redistributor, has its sights set north of the border. The company plans to establish its first operations in Canada following its recent acquisition of Marketwest.
A Vancouver, British Columbia-based redistributor, Marketwest was once PJB-Primeline’s logistics branch. Grant Huxtable, owner of PJB-Primeline, plans to separate the business into two entities: food brokerage and redistribution/logistics. The redistribution part, or Marketwest, was acquired by Dot.
According to Steve Eighinger, staffer with The Herald Whig based in Quincy IL, Dot views this move north of the border as making logical sense. In his article accessible here, Eighinger quotes John Tracy, Dot’s chief executive officer:
“Moving into Canada is a logical progression for Dot as we look to expand our operations globally,” said Tracy. “We believe this market has the potential for significant growth, and we’re very excited about the possibilities.
“We are fortunate to have an experienced operator to provide support and education during our introduction to the Canadian market,” he said. “There are certainly similarities between Dot and Marketwest, but we know we have a lot to learn. We are both redistributors, but our business models do differ in some ways. And while Dot does have customers across the globe, this is the first time we’ve established a wholly owned operational presence outside the United States. It’s a major milestone for us.”
In operation since 1994, Marketwest maintains warehouses in Toronto and Calgary and supplies frozen and dry products to 120 Canadian distributors. All Marketwest employees will keep their jobs, and the firm will continue to operate as Marketwest, transitioning into the name Dot Foods Canada by year-end 2016.
