Dot Foods mission statement is to positively and significantly contribute to the success of our business partners. The Dot brand promise is trusted values, innovative solutions and shared growth. Robert Tracy founded Dot Foods with the support of his wife, Dorothy, in 1960. Today, seven of his twelve children are involved full time in the operation of the business. RT and Dorothy knew if their new business was going to be a success, it would have to be built on a strong foundation. So, they instilled a set of values within Dot that has never wavered in fifty years. Today, the trucks in the Dot fleet bear their brand promise: trusted values, innovative solutions, and shared growth. It reminds their employees what the company expects of them, and what their business partners can expect from Dot Foods. Dot Foods is the largest food redistributor in the United States, serving more than 3,000 food distributors with coast-to-coast deliveries from 480 manufacturers. Dot consolidates these products and delivers in less-than-truckload (LTL) quantities to distributors nationwide on a weekly basis. With headquarters in Mt. Sterling, Illinois, this family-owned and operated business has experienced strong and steady growth since it was founded in 1960. It started from a one man operation delivering fifteen different products from the back of a station wagon, to a thriving national corporation employing over 2,000 people and delivering goods from an inventory list of over 40,000 products. Dot Foods remains the family business it always was, operating on values of innovation, integrity, hard work, and respect for others. In addition to their headquarters in Mt. Sterling, Illinois, Dot has seven other regional distribution centers across the country. This expansive reach ensures that their customers receive the products they need in the quantities they want, no matter where they are located. Dot Foods distribution centers are located in: Modesto, CA; Vidalia, GA; Burley, ID; Cambridge City, IN; Williamsport, MD; Chesterfield, MO; Liverpool, NY; Ardmore, OK and Joliet, IL. Since 1960, Dot Foods has been helping manufacturers with the logistics of proving products to distributors in LTL quantities. In doing so, they help both parties address the unique challenges of their own business. Dot helps manufacturers increase sales by giving them access to thousands of distributors they otherwise might not be able to serve efficiently, by providing them with weekly access to tens of thousands of products without incurring the high cost of inventory and warehouse space. Dot’s redistribution model also serves multi-unit accounts, benefiting the distributors who supply them and the manufacturers whose products are specified.
Dot Foods has always had a reputation for developing innovative solutions to help their food industry partners increase their sales and profits. The biggest innovation that RT put into place was the company’s original concept food redistribution. Food manufacturers are experts at product development, production, and marketing; but their transportation systems are only set up to efficiently sell full truckloads of their products. In the United States, there are more than 15,000 distributors. Many of them are not large enough to regularly order from manufacturers in truckload quantities, or do not want to warehouse large quantities for long periods. Dot Foods answer to the problem is redistribution. Dot Foods buys full truckloads from 600 manufacturers, and consolidates their products in eight distribution centers across the country. Then they resell these products in less-than-truckload (LTL) quantities to distributors on a weekly basis. There is normally no extra cost to the distributor when buying from Dot, and manufacturers compensate Dot Foods to handle distribution of their costly LTL orders. It is essentially a win-win for everybody along the food supply chain. There are many benefits to Dot’s redistribution. They are: * Broadest product offering * Sell more products with fewer assets * Reduced costs * No individual lines minimums * Reduce inventory and increase turns * Extensions of the manufacturer * Improved service to operators * Consistent pricing
Dot Foods is committed to corporate social responsibility, their commitment is, “At Dot Foods, we’re proud of our role in the communities where we operate, and understand the importance of our social responsibilities. It’s consistent with our values, it’s good for business, and it’s the right thing to do.” Dot is committed to nurturing an inclusive and diverse work environment in every location, and at every level of the company. Every Dot employee is required to take a training class that focuses on inclusion and outlines Dot’s expectations that include; choosing your words, leaving no one behind, speaking up, encouraging everyone to succeed, showing curiosity, and including their business partners.
Dot Foods Founders Robert and Dorothy Tracy, were passionate supporters of environmental stewardship. RT would turn lights off around the house and adjust thermostats. Dorothy is fondly known within the Tracy family for her habit of recycling tin foil, and even birthday cards. Dot has five main points of sustainability that they focus on. First is recycling, Dot foods recycles more than a million pounds of cardboard, stretch wrap, and paper products across the company. They also now recycle broken pallets, which are converted into mulch or wood pellets for heating. The next point is fuel consumption; Fuel is an essential part of Dot Foods business. Finding new ways to reduce consumption and lower emissions are a priority. They have equipped their trucks with cab heaters to reduce idle time, use bio-diesel fuel whenever possible, and also pay their drivers three cents per mile for adhering to a fuel efficient speed of sixty miles per hour. The next point they are working on is energy consumption. Dot uses refrigeration control systems and advanced technologies, such as variable frequency drive systems help them maximize efficiency. They also have motion sensors in their offices and light dimmers in their warehouses. The next step of sustainability for Dot Foods is going paperless. They offer electronic transactions to all customer and vendor communications, and are scaling back on the number of hard copies that they print. The last point is supplier sustainability. Dot’s conservation efforts also help their supplier partners operate more sustainably as well. With their LTL trucks off the road, there are fewer trucks burning fuel. Also, by sourcing products from their plant and bypassing their distribution centers, Dot can help them reduce their carbon footprint from both a warehouse and transportation standpoint.
One of the best ways to attract and retain superb employees is to support the communities where they live, work, and raise their families. That’s one reason why Dot is such an enthusiastic supporter of local schools, United Way, and other charitable organizations in and around their various locations. Dot’s Teaming with Local Charities (TLC) program, encourages employees to volunteer with selected partner agencies to help them fulfill their missions. In Illinois, Dot employees work with Big Brother Big Sister, local food pantries, the local school district’s academic volunteer program, and Habitat for Humanity. TLC programs at Dot’s other locations may differ depending on community needs and employee suggestions. Through the TLC program, employees who volunteer can request grants to their favorite charities or earn paid time off.
In their commitment to giving back Dot Foods also maintain two grant programs, The Tracy Family Foundation and the Charitable Giving Program. The Tracy Family Foundation was inspired by the values set forth by RT and Dorothy. The multiple generations of the Tracy family created the foundation as a means to share their good fortune and proactively impact the world; beginning with Brown County in Illinois and the west central Illinois region. Dot Foods is committed to its communities, and supports them through it Charitable Giving Program. A committee of employees at each facility reviews applications and awards grants for charitable endeavors. Not-for-profit agencies or organizations may apply for causes that are community development, secondary education, and health and wellness.
Curbing waste and helping the community are important to Dot Foods, and the Dot Country Store in Mt. Sterling, Illinois helps them do both. The Dot Country Store sells product that have been slightly damaged in transit, near their expiration date or being discontinued. The store carries a large selection of dry, frozen, refrigerated and non-food items. They also bring in special holiday and seasonal items.
After researching this company and its social responsibility programs, I am really proud of this company for what they do. They are very active in their community and are striving to make it better and more sustainable. It is not every day that you read about a company that will pay its drivers a premium to not drive faster than sixty miles per hour. I wish that Dot Foods had a location closer to us so I could possibly get a position within their company.
The programs that benefit their local community the most is the Teaming with Local Charities program and the Dot Country Store. The TLC program encourages employees to get out into their community and volunteer. Although Dot Foods does reward their employees for doing this, it does lead to people doing more volunteer work on their own and to getting more involved in their community. The Dot Country Store is a great way for the company to help eliminate waste by reselling their slightly damages products and the product that is getting close to their expiration date. Even though the company is benefitting from the money that they are taking in by the store, the community benefits because they are able to find product that is perfectly good and safe but at a deep discount.
This company is not in our community so there is no evidence of their support.
Dot Foods website is typical to what you would see in a company website. It describes who they are, what they do, and who they serve. The top part of the page has a sky view with clouds and view of a grassy field, which made me feel that they are very conscious of the environment. The whole website is blue, with animation only in the few videos that show the family talking about a few key points. I found most of my information for this project under the “About Dot” and “Who we Serve” tabs on the website.