Dyersburg, TN – Dot Foods, the nation’s largest food distributor, revitalized a rural community that lost more than 3,000 manufacturing jobs between 2010-2013. The company partnered with RDP for $11.4MM in NMTC allocation to construct a new 167,000 square foot warehouse facility and garage for their trucking fleet. The new facility serves as a logistics hub for the southern U.S. (AL, AR, FL, KY, LA, MS, TN), giving the ability to streamline operations for timely, cost-effective food shipments to more than 600 customers while improving support to the regional agricultural base.
CATALYTIC GROWTH
The Dyersburg operation helps support a small peripheral economy of its own, spurring economic revitalization through their use of many local businesses for Dot’s operational needs. At least 270 new indirect jobs were created in 2017-2018, also influencing the expansion of a fabricating business that constructed a new manufacturing complex to meet increased consumer demand. Dot utilizes local businesses for steel rack systems, fuel, tires, catering, medical, and overnight accommodations, with a ripple effect in expansion of housing and other local services – an economic boom for the Dyersburg community.
Community Investment Program
In 2015, RDP and Dot provided a matching grant of $114,000 to the local Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT), establishing a new truck driving certification program at its Newbern campus. The 9-week program was held in the evening to allow students to continue to work during their training. The Program helps local students find high paying jobs at trucking companies, including Dot; job placement rate is nearly 100%. 143 students have gone through the program as of May 2020. Dot guarantees eligible graduates of the program a starting salary of at least $55,000.
Six years after the NMTC investment in Dot, the Dyersburg community finds itself on improved footing. According to community interviews and economic indicators, Dot’s entry into Dyersburg catalyzed an economic ripple effect extending well beyond the facility itself.