Michael Muzyk, president of Baldor Specialty Foods in the Bronx, NY, told The Produce News that the company is officially announcing the opening of its new Washington, DC, location.

“It was an old building that had seen a couple of life phases,” explained Muzyk. “We gutted it and brought it up to our high standards, and we installed vertical docks, which is Baldor’s trademark facility signature.

“When we built our Bronx facility we did extensive research on ways to reduce workman’s compensation injuries because the number one injury in our industry occurs when the forklift driver is transitioning from the platform into the trucks,” he continued.

Michael Muzyk, president of Baldor Specialty Foods in the Bronx, NY.“In the process, we discovered other benefits to what are referred to as ‘vertical docks.’ In addition to resolving the injury issue, they also solve sanitation problems because they create a strong seal and can be easily cleaned. And they prevent damage to truck doors — a constant problem on traditional docks. Vertical docks are extremely expensive, but we have learned how to install them properly.”

The new building is also totally sustainable. Lights in the coolers go off automatically when the sensors detect no activity, which is only one of many examples of its efficiencies.

The new facility gives Baldor an outstanding opportunity from a business standpoint. Muzyk said that the city has strong multi-generational established businesses. And the location makes sense within the company’s geographical growth strategy.

“The new facility will service clients in a 120-mile radius,” said Muzyk. “Our Boston facility services from Southern Maine to Hartford, CT, also a 120-mile distance. Our Bronx location follows suit; we cover everything north to where the Boston facility stops, and south to where the D.C. facility’s range ends in the Philadelphia area. Now these three 120-mile radius circles touch, and our footprint is from Maine to Northern Virginia.”

But Baldor is thinking still much further ahead. Muzyk said it is considering opening further south, perhaps in Atlanta or Florida at some point in the future.

“There are endless possibilities,” he said. “We are even considering being a direct receiver and gathering product from grower-shippers in Florida and Mexico and bringing it back up to our northern facilities. There are many options for the future growth of Baldor.”

On April 21, Baldor held its second “Bite” event at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan. The first event held last year was such an outstanding success that the company decided to do it again this year.

“We expected to draw about 1,000 people total last year,” said Muzyk. “Our suppliers alone included some 300 people, and we expected about 700 visitors to attend. But within a short time of opening the doors we had 2,000 people in attendance and we had to close the doors due to fire regulations. The venue for this year’s event is larger, and we have even more suppliers coming because they heard of how successful it was last year.”

Muzyk explained that Baldor is buying from companies such as Ocean Mist, Driscoll’s, Andy Boy and other top names. As a premier distributor of fresh foods to the upscale hospitality industry, the Bite event gives the company an opportunity to put producers and shippers in front of end users, which is not typically their audience. And the event is produced in first-class style.

“Chefs can tell the producers and shippers what they like, why they like it, what they don’t like or what they’d like differently,” said Muzyk. “This is a priceless and powerful opportunity for both sides, as well as for Baldor as the buyer and distributor of the products.”

Although Baldor is known primarily as a foodservice supplier, its customer landscape is starting to change. Muzyk said the company has entered into confidential retail commitments.

“Some major retailers lean strongly toward organics, for example,” he said. “That has been somewhat of a struggle in the processing arena. But we are able to make a large commitment in this category.”

He referenced the Super Bowl XLVIII, Feb. 2, at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. The foodservice operation projected that retail sales in the region would increase between 30 and 36 percent the week of the event.

“Purchase orders started coming across from a retailer we committed to and the result was a 700 percent increase,” said Muzyk. “And Baldor fulfilled those orders in the middle of a snowstorm. What do you think something like this does to our relationship with that retailer? It goes way beyond solidifying it, and that’s our commitment to every customer under any circumstance.”