Baldor Speciality Foods, a premium produce, dairy, and grocery distributor, opened a new 100,000-square-foot warehouse in Lanham, Maryland on Sep. 17.
The warehouse, less than 20 miles from D.C., is located near major highways, and is the fourth hub for Baldor’s operations, alongside the company’s headquarters in the Bronx and regional hubs in Boston and Philadelphia.
Baldor has been seeking out this property since November 2022, and first came to Maryland in 2012 with a small cross-dock facility in Jessup that served roughly 1,000 of the company’s nearly 15,000 customers.
This warehouse is eight times the size of the former cross-dock facility, and will house 7,000 products along with 35 dock doors and on-site refrigeration. 140 employees have already been hired, and the company will be hiring additional jobs, including drivers and warehouse staff.
“As our business has rapidly expanded in the Washington area, we knew we needed a facility that could match the pace of our growth and support our commitment to getting our customers the best products as efficiently as possible,” said Baldor owner and CEO TJ Murphy. “At the same time, we wanted to maximize product sales for our vendors, and bring on more local farmers and producers, while also increasing career and salary opportunities for our employees. With this move, we believe we have hit the trifecta.”
Baldor’s Mid-Atlantic Sales Director Bill Hodge is excited for what this warehouse will offer for local grocers and eateries.
“Our 100K-square-foot warehouse in Lanham will help us to deliver the freshest perishable and most interesting non-perishable food to our more than 1,000 chef, retail and corporate customers across the DMV area. Our delivery zone stretches from Belair in the north, the Maryland and Delaware beaches to the east, Richmond to the south, and Frederick to the west—and of course, includes many businesses right here in Prince George’s County,” said Hodge. “We came to Prince George’s in large part because it had the right talent pool for our needs, and we’ve already hired 60-plus new employees from the area.”
Hodge emphasized how the organization hopes to further engage with Prince George’s residents and businesses.
“We have joined the local Chamber of Commerce, and are excited to be a part of this community. As we get more settled, we will look for opportunities to give back,” he said. “Through our Baldor Cares initiative, we donate millions of pounds of surplus food to nonprofits fighting food insecurity, and we will be looking for a large partner in this area to continue that commitment.”