Plans for the establishment of a wholesale grocery satellite distribution hub in Warren County were announced Monday by officials with the Greater Warren County Economic Development Council (GWCEDC).
The H.T. Hackney Company, headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., last week purchased a vacant facility in Truesdale at 1102 East Veterans Memorial Drive.
The company plans to immediately hire five employees, but hopes to increase its local work force in the future, GWCEDC officials told The Record.
This is the first new prospective business the GWCEDC has brought to the Warren County area.
The H.T. Hackney Company is one of the largest wholesale distributors in the United States, serving over 20,000 retail customers with over 25,000 products, including grocery, confections, snacks and beverages, according to a press release issued by the GWCEDC.
Establishment of the satellite distribution hub in Truesdale will make next-day delivery of products possible to retailers within the H.T. Hackney Company’s market in Missouri.
Additionally, a food-service kitchen also will be included in the Truesdale facility, allowing for food sampling and demonstration of new products.
“We would like to thank Josh Beck and the Greater Warren County Economic Development Council for their assistance in making this new opportunity a reality,” said Dean Ballinger, the H.T. Hackney Company’s vice president and chief operating officer. “The Truesdale facility will greatly enhance our ability to service our customers throughout the Missouri market, and we are excited to become a property owner, employer and a part of the community.”
“The city of Truesdale welcomes the H.T. Hackney Co. to our community,” said Murray Bruer, Truesdale mayor. “Our access to Interstate 70, low-cost business climate and strong work force make us a great location for businesses like this, and we thank the Greater Warren County EDC and city staff for their work on this exciting project.”
“The greater Warren County area has a great story to tell and this is an example of what can be accomplished when we — as a region — are prepared for opportunity,” said Scott Hays, president of the GWCEDC. “We are so pleased to welcome the H.T. Hackney Company to our business community and appreciate their investment in our region.”
The GWCEDC served as the lead organization in the effort to attract the H.T. Hackney Company to the Warren County area, according to Beck. Upon learning of the opportunity, officials with the GWCEDC assembled a group of local government representatives and real estate professionals who worked to identify potential properties which would serve the needs of the H.T. Hackney Company.
GWCEDC officials then hosted H.T. Hackney Company representatives for tours of the community and potentially suitable properties.
Promoting the County
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for us to achieve what we’ve achieved,” Hays told The Record. “It takes awhile to get an EDC up and running, so we’re very pleased to get (a closure) this quickly.
“We’re promoting (Warren County) hard to create new jobs and bring new businesses to the county, and we’re very pleased how everybody has come to the table,” he added.
Hays remarked that the GWCEDC has a “limited” amount of money currently available, so using those funds in the most effective manner to achieve the GWCEDC’s goal of new business recruitment and job creation for the county will be key to the organization’s success.
The list of contributors to the GWCEDC is growing, he asserted, “and this (project) should help even further, because we’re showing results.”
“We competed aggressively for this project,” Beck said. “There were many communities along Interstate 70 and Interstate 44 competing for this project, and we’re proud that we were successful and that they’re going to be locating here in Warren County.”
Advertisements for employment at the H.T. Hackney Company’s Truesdale facility will be published, interviews will be scheduled and then conducted at the company’s Truesdale facility. People may mail resumes in advance to H.T. Hackney Company, P.O. Box 2335, Paducah, KY 42002-2335.
