Building customer relationships requires time, effort and sincerity. For SYSCO, it began with a promise to assist foodservice operators in providing consumers with solutions for meals consumed away from home.

Since the initial public offering in 1970, when sales were $115 million, SYSCO – an acronym for Systems and Services Company – has grown to $30.3 billion in sales for fiscal year 2005.

Many solid customer relationships have been nurtured along the way, countless dining trends and meal alternatives have evolved, and today the decision to consume meals prepared away from home is as much necessity as choice.

In 1977 SYSCO surpassed its competitors to become the leading supplier to “meals-prepared-away-from-home” operations in North America. Since then, the industry it serves has expanded from $35 billion to more that $200 billion.

Today, SYSCO has sales and service relationships with approximately 390,000 customers and remains committed to helping them succeed in the foodservice industry and satisfy consumers’ appetites.

Operating from 170 locations throughout the contiguous United States and portions of Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada, today SYSCO’s product lines are as diverse as the 47,500 employees who support its daily operations. They include not only the ingredients needed to prepare meals, but also numerous ancillary preparation and serving items.

Local operations in Ocoee have served the Greater Orlando area for more than a decade. Residing in a 340,000 square foot facility in Ocoee, Sysco Central Florida has 84,000 square feet of freezer space, 40,000 square feet of cooler space and the remainder is designated for dry storage and office space. The facility is computer controlled to three temperature settings for optimal freshness of nearly 1,600 perishable items.

Sysco Central Florida is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer employing 600 employees who are responsible for the daily operations of the Central Florida location.