Food/bev distributor opens $275M Caroline County center

Food and beverage distributor World Class Distribution has opened its nearly finished $275 million, 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center in Caroline County with 400 employees, the county’s board of supervisors announced Tuesday.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin initially announced the project in November 2022, at which time WCD expected to add 745 jobs. The company now plans to hire 1,000 employees, which would make it the largest employer in Caroline County, according to a news release.

“The opening of World Class Distribution is another step forward for the logistics industry in the commonwealth, one of North America’s premier supply chain destinations,” Youngkin said in a statement. “With plans to hire 1,000 employees, the company is well on its way and already providing opportunities for hardworking families in Caroline County.”

The 400 employees the company has hired so far are working on-site in the Caroline 95 Logistics Park in Ruther Glen while the remaining sections of the building’s interior are completed.

“World Class Distribution is another major new business in Caroline, hiring more citizens and creating even greater revenue for the county,” Caroline County Board of Supervisors Chairman Floyd Thomas said in a statement. “This is one of the businesses, along with … M.C. Dean’s 169,000-square-foot expansion, the Lingerfelt 325,000-square-foot building in Carmel Church and the $6 billion Amazon data center project near Thornburg that is making 2023 a banner development year for Caroline.”

Founded in 2009, World Class Distribution is a subsidiary of Tact Holding. It distributes food and beverage products, including canned foods, dry foods, candy, grocery, beer and wine, frozen foods and other refrigerated products. WCD manages 11 distribution centers throughout the country and has more than 4,500 employees in eight states.