Gordon Food Service had its beginnings in 1897 when Dutch immigrant Isaac Van Westenbrugge began an egg and butter delivery service after borrowing $300 from his brother in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Today, according to Forbes, GFS is the 26th-largest privately held company in the United States, with revenue in FY 2017 of US$13.7 billion and 19,000 employees across the U.S. and Canada. In 1916, Ben Gordon joined the company, eventually marrying Van Westenbrugge’s daughter and later changing the name of the company with his brother Frank. By 1960, sales of their growing range of grocery goods reached US$5 million, and a fourth and fifth generation of Gordons had entered the family business. By the end of that decade, the brand innovated their food distribution model via the use of a two-trailer hook-up system, allowing the company to cover a wider territory by truck, meaning fewer distribution centres were required. The first Cash & Carry store was opened in 1979, and further innovations and acquisitions have continued to allow the exponential growth the company has enjoyed since this period. In 1996, GFS began a series of acquisitions in Canada, forming GFS Canada with facilities in Edmonton, Alberta and Winnipeg. Currently, the company operates more than 175 Gordon Food Service store locations across the U.S. and is still based in Wyoming, Michigan.
- Family name: Gordon family
- Sector: Consumer Products & Retail
- Founded: 1897
- Founder: Isaac Van Westenbrugge
- Country: United States
- Company headquarters: Wyoming, Michigan
- Revenue: 12.6
- Employees: 17,000
- Website: gfs.com
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