New operation will add jobs and increase distribution capacity
A multi-million dollar expansion for one of Pulaski County’s most storied businesses is well underway at Valley Oak Technology Complex.
Team Modern, owned and operated by the Ray family, purchased the former Safe Auto office building on Valley Oak Drive late last year and is building a 115,000-square-foot distribution center on 70 acres adjacent to the building to serve its distribution division. The distribution center will increase Team Modern’s freezer/cooler capacity for its growing foodservice business and will allow product movement and sortation to be automated.
The new facility will allow Team Modern to maintain its more than 200 current jobs and provide a platform to add 20 to 40 jobs in the future.
“It’s a good problem to have, but we have completely outgrown our current facility,” Team Modern Chief Financial Officer Michael Ray said. “We knew we could not continue to grow and service our customers with our current real estate. Our growth and our foodservice focus demanded that we find new space, and we have been very blessed that this project fell together to allow us to do that.”
Team Modern’s expansion is just one of many projects moving forward in the Valley Oak area. In addition to the Ky. 80-461 road project — which includes installing a cloverleaf interchange at the intersection of the two highways, expanding Ky. 461 to four lanes from the intersection to Buck Creek, and building new entryways at Valley Oak Commerce Complex — the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA) has added truck overflow lots to help with traffic congestion and is building a new, state-of-the-art fiber optic data center in partnership with The Center for Rural Development.
Taking care of existing businesses, improving the local workforce and creating an environment that that is desirable for expansion are top priorities for SPEDA, President and CEO Chris Girdler said.
“Team Modern’s expansion is a tremendous project that has amazing short- and long-term benefits,” Girdler said. “We, as a community, stand solidly behind this three-generation company and are proud of the work they do every day. And we also stand solidly behind our existing businesses, continuing to listen to their needs and help provide solutions that will help them continue to see progress and success.”
Read more about the history of Team Modern and this project.