LINCOLN, NE (July 12, 2011 - Journal Star)—Sysco Lincoln, Inc. has confirmed plans for a huge expansion of its Lincoln operations. Charley Wilson, a spokesman for Houston-based Sysco, said Tuesday that the company plans to nearly double the size of its food distribution facility near Lincoln Airport.
Sysco last week filed a $19.4 million building permit for the site. Wilson said work would include both renovation of the existing building and construction of an addition.
Sysco acquired the existing 210,000-square-foot building when it bought Lincoln Poultry in July 2010.
At the time, Sysco said it planned to expand, and it purchased an additional 25 acres adjacent to the Lincoln Poultry site.
The expansion includes 180,000 square feet of new warehouse and distribution space, Wilson said. Work has begun, but he said the company has not yet set an anticipated completion date.
The addition will include increased capacity for refrigerated and frozen storage and expanded refrigerated dock capacity.
"We're looking to the future to make sure we have a modern distribution facility," Wilson said.
Because the expansion's aim is to put the company in a position to accommodate anticipated growth, it does not plan to add more employees, at least not immediately.
But if that growth materializes as expected, it likely will create the need for more workers, Wilson said.
Sysco has more than 600 employees in Lincoln working at 800 Cattail Road and another site in south Lincoln at 1700 Center Park Road.
Wilson said the south Lincoln site would remain open even after the expansion in north Lincoln has been completed.
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