NEW CASTLE, Del., – At today’s ribbon cutting ceremony, County Executive Thomas P. Gordon welcomed Restaurant Depot, a wholesale cash and carry food service supplier, to New Castle County.
Restaurant Depot Chief Operating Officer Larry Cohen thanked the New Castle County Department of Land Use for its help in completing the two and a half year project and Greg Pettinaro, who sold the company the land and provided guidance.
“Most of all, though, I would like to thank County Executive Tom Gordon and CAO David Grimaldi,” said Mr. Cohen. “Very early on in the project, we hit a few speed bumps. I heard good things about Tom Gordon so I called him up. I said, we’re thinking about coming to New Castle County. I didn’t even finish my sentence when he said, ‘Come down. Talk to us. Let’s see how we can help you.’
“We open in a lot of jurisdictions and it was the first time I’ve heard that, and he actually followed up on that,” he added. “He spent an hour with me and said, ‘We’re here to build businesses and to help people be successful in New Castle County.”
Restaurant Depot is a wholesale distributor of fresh, high quality food for the food service industry, Mr. Cohen said. Typical customers are small, independent restaurants, sub shops and pizzerias.
County Executive Gordon thanked Restaurant Depot for coming to New Castle County, building a new facility, and hiring 28 local residents. “You’re in the right place at the right time,” he said. “County Government is spending a lot of money in this area; it’s going to be transformed in the next two years. We thank you for hiring from the community.”
The arrival of the Restaurant Depot to New Castle will complement the County’s Route 9 Innovation District initiative, anchored by the Innovation Center/Library focused on providing state-of-the-art technology for patrons. New Castle County’s Department of Community Services has also invested in the Route 9 area through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.
Joining the County Executive for the ribbon cutting were CAO Grimaldi, Land Use General Manager Eileen Fogarty, Economic Development Director Marcus Henry, and Jim White, branch manager of Restaurant Depot.
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