Jan. 12. Gordon Food Service has opened a 300,000-square-foot distribution center which will begin shipping from Kannapolis in April. The center, which currently employs more than 75 people, is expected to employ 270 or more within five years.

CEO Jim Gordon said the new facility will broaden the company’s ability to serve customers in the Carolinas. Gordon Food Service has 24 distribution centers in North America, with 17 in the U.S. The company is said to be the largest family-managed foodservice distributor in the nation. It also operates more than 170 food service stores which are open to the public and provide restaurant-quality products