USDA contract to boost area employment
by June 9, 2011 9:03 pm 78 views
Up to 15 new jobs could be the result of a new federal contract awarded to Van Buren-based Tankersley Foodservice.
According to this report from KFSM 5 News, Tankersley Foodservice has received a contract through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute food to public schools in Arkansas.
The business signed a 5-year contract with the USDA, which means they will soon distribute food to between 350 and 400 schools all over the state.
“This place is gonna be completely filled up with flour, sugar, oil, rice, any kind of commodity products that they’re gonna send me,” Thomas Moon, executive vice president and general manager at Tankersley Foodservice, told KFSM.
About 200 people work for the company. Tankersley Foodservice plans to purchase new equipment and hire extra workers to handle the extra products.
“We’ll probably add staff, probably up to maybe 12 to 15 people,” said CEO Don Tankersley.
Tankersley expects the deal to bring in close to $100 million over the next five years. It is a move he hopes also helps the local economy.
“This contract has always been in Little Rock for the last 35 years and now we’re bringing it to Northwest Arkansas, so it’ll help the overall economy here,” said Tankersley.
The building in Van Buren will serve as the storage and distribution point for all of the goods.
“Over 450,000 cases will come through this facility going out to all the 400 schools in the state of Arkansas,” Moon said.
The contract takes effect July 1. The company plans to start moving inventory in shortly after that.