Florida-based company chooses Port Charlotte for new distribution center, creating 380 jobs and $40 million in capital investment.

When Cheney Brothers, Inc. (CBI) began operations in West Palm Beach in 1925, the food distribution giant never imagined a customer base of 20,000 and deliveries on an international scale. CBI has maintained operations and headquarters in Florida thanks in part to the state’s top-ranked infrastructure, which provides speed to market and efficient delivery of products both locally and globally.

With facilities in Riviera Beach, Orlando and Ocala, CBI needed to find another location to help increase their reach and deliver products more efficiently to their growing customer base.

Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI), the state’s principal economic development organization, works to assist businesses with their expansion and location plans. EFI focuses its efforts on a wide range of industry sectors, including logistics and distribution, manufacturing, life sciences, and aviation and aerospace.

EFI and its local partners at the Charlotte County Economic Development Office worked with CBI to identify potential locations in the region to meet the company’s needs for strong infrastructure and available workforce. The company broke ground on its new Port Charlotte location in March 2014.

CBI’s investment in the community represents a major impact to the local economy as Charlotte County was an area hit particularly hard by the recession. The jobs provide new and better opportunities for local families, and add important funding to the region’s tax base, housing market, local schools and area businesses.

Competitive economic development projects like the Cheney Brothers expansion are vital to creating jobs and improving Florida’s economy. With support from state and local leaders, regional economic development offices, utility partners and community organizations, EFI will continue its efforts to expand and diversify the state’s economy through job creation, and promote Florida as a premier business super-state.

“Cheney Brothers has operated successfully in Florida for almost 90 years due in part to the global access the state offers. Florida’s superior infrastructure and inbound/outbound logistics make the state an ideal location for distribution.” – Byron Russell, CEO and Chairman, Cheney Brothers, Inc.