Hundreds of new jobs and truckloads of natural and organic foods are coming to Gilroy.
United Natural Foods, Inc., a nationwide distributor of specialty/health foods, has chosen Gilroy as the location for a new distribution center.
“Of course I’m excited,” said Gilroy mayor Don Gage, confirming the announcement. “They’re bringing 500 jobs and filling 700,000-square feet of building.”
The business will fill 75-acres on the McCarthy Business Park on Highway 152, between Cameron Boulevard and Camino Arroyo, just east of U.S. 101. President of the Gilroy Economic Development Corporation, Tammy Brownlow, told the Dispatch in June development of the land and construction of the distribution center will be completed in two phases.
Gage said the whole process of finalizing UNFI’s move to Gilroy has been fairly quick, estimating a year to a year-and-a-half from beginning to end.
He credits a gamut of city staff, including Brownlow, Planning Department personnel and City Administrator Tom Haglund for helping facilitate the arrival of a major company that will generate significant employment opportunities in Gilroy.
“They come from a different state with different expectations,” Gage said, of UNFI. “We walked them through the process and they felt this is where they wanted to be. The City worked hard to do everything to get them in.”
A representative with UNFI could not be reached for comment, but Gage said new construction, warehouse and management jobs will be on the docket in the future.
“We’re pleased to have them,” Gage added. “Once you get anchors in the community [like UNFI], people start noticing this is a great place to be. And more start coming.”
UNFI has dozens of other distribution centers scattered across the United States and Canada with close to 7,000 employees, according to the company’s website. UNFI identifies itself as the country’s leading independent national distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods and related products including nutritional supplements, personal care items and organic produce. It caters to major retailers including Whole Foods, Costco and Wild Oats, to name just a few.
