As two of the largest food distributors in America are set to merge into one company, Maines Paper & Food Service says the merger could provide opportunities for growth and expansion in the future for the Conklin-based company. Sysco is purchasing U.S. Foods for about $3.5 billion in cash and stock, and officials for Maines believe their company could benefit. Maines hopes they will be able to hire talent that see their career advancement blocked as a result of the combining of the two larger companies, and they also think they could acquire some warehouse locations that the two merged companies will close due to redundant operations among their distribution centers. Executives for Maines also say that the combined Sysco and U.S. Foods will likely freeze out some vendors as it tries to get the best price for volume buys, leading to the shut-out vendors turning to regional companies such as Maines. Currently Maines employs 1,400 workers in Conklin and 3,000 at its twelve distribution centers across the country.
