GFS Marketplace Breaks Ground on New Evanston Location
Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, Aldermen Ann Rainey, Delores Holmes and Jane Grover along with the Evanston Chamber of Commerce, broke ground on Monday, November 21 on the future site of a GFS Marketplace at 2424 Oakton Street. It is the first project to be built within new environmental guidelines passed by the City Council in 2009.
“In a time when local, state and international economies continue to struggle, it is important to celebrate the addition of a new business, GFS Marketplace, to the area that will bring an additional retail grocery choice, generate jobs and help generate additional local property and sales tax dollars,” explained Mayor Tisdahl. “We welcome GFS to Evanston and look forward to a long community partnership as Evanston moves toward greater economic development in the area.”
“GFS partnered with the City of Evanston to work through the city’s Green Building Ordinance and environmental site remediation issues to bring this great opportunity to the south side of Evanston,” said Alderman Rainey. “I am looking forward to the ribbon cutting of this new business in the near future along with the 30 or so new jobs it will bring and thank them for choosing our community as the next location for a new Marketplace.”
To mark the occasion and in the “Spirit of Thanksgiving,” GFS Marketplace donated a $500 gift card to the Community Area Rescue Effort. C.A.R.E. is an all volunteer organization that works in conjunction with Evanston's municipal Animal Shelter to find homes for the unwanted and abandoned animals.
"We are excited about becoming an important part of the Evanston community and we look forward to our continued growth and commitment to the region,” said Jay Zylstra, president of GFS Marketplace, "As a member of the community, we are pleased that we can create new jobs and bring a store to this community that offers exceptional customer service and unique solutions for businesses, organizations or simply satisfying a family's shopping needs.”
GFS Marketplace is a foodservice store where restaurant owners and consumers can shop without membership and purchase quality items at excellent prices. The Evanston store, expected to open in the summer of 2012, will be the 14th GFS Marketplace in the greater Chicago area.
This construction project will provide jobs for many people in the Chicago suburban region. G.A. Johnson & Son of Evanston has been hired as the construction company.
Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Gordon Food Service is the largest family owned distributor of foodservice products to restaurants, schools and food service operators in the country. The GFS Marketplace Stores, begun in 1979, to service the emergency needs of GFS truck delivery customers and are also the primary supplier to many smaller operators who prefer to pick up their products. There are 148 GFS Marketplace stores throughout Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Tennessee and Wisconsin.