QCD Orlando Receives Golden State Foods' Highest Company Honor

February 26, 2021

Chairman’s Challenge Award Recognizes Orlando Distribution Center As Leading Facility of 2020 Throughout the GSF Family of Companies

Golden State Foods (GSF), one of the largest diversified suppliers to the foodservice and retail industries, announced this week its 2020 Chairman’s Challenge Award for outstanding facility achievement in safety, quality, customer service, associate engagement, growth, innovation, and corporate social responsibility. A company tradition now in its 21st consecutive year, GSF’s highest internal honor recognizes the Quality Custom Distribution (QCD) team in Orlando, Florida.

“With persistence and integrity, our people in Orlando achieved so much together during a year that brought so many challenges to our industry, our customers, and our communities,” said Mark Wetterau, chairman and chief executive officer, Golden State Foods. “Rooted in our GSF Creed and Values, the QCD Orlando ‘dream team’ unified around their common goals and made their ambitious aspirations a reality.”

During GSF’s first-ever all-virtual Partners’ Meeting this week, Wetterau revealed the Chairman’s Challenge winner through a virtual broadcast of the awards ceremony, which included remote presentations from leaders around the globe. The Orlando team’s recognition resulted from its remarkable performance in many areas, including key accomplishments in improving safety performance, exceeding financial goals, achieving customer satisfaction, and maintaining the highest standards in associate engagement.

Before the Chairman’s Challenge Award announcement during this week’s virtual event, QCD Orlando also received GSF’s Three-Year Positive Trend Award for its outstanding results in the company’s most recent Associate Survey conducted in January 2021. Among this facility team’s numerous accomplishments, the Orlando Committee of the nonprofit GSF Foundation garnered 100 percent participation in the 2020 Associate Campaign to generate support for children and families in need in the local community.

Demonstrating steadfast dedication in supporting several quick service restaurant (QSR) customers, the Orlando team’s efficient service delivery earned the facility consistently high quarterly rankings and the top annual U.S. recognition last year from one iconic QSR customer. The distribution center also scored above 99 percent on its annual International Featured Standards audit in 2020.

“I am so proud and excited for this amazing team, which came off two very challenging years in the business,” said QCD Orlando General Manager Kevin McDade. “At the beginning of 2020, we laid out what we needed to accomplish to win the Chairman’s Challenge. This team went above and beyond to meet and exceed the expectations! Never saying no, only saying yes to any challenge in front of them. I was pleased to announce to the team that all their hard work and dedication paid off!”

In addition to the Chairman’s Challenge Award, GSF presented its “Best in Class” awards in four categories that recognize large facilities (Platinum Awards) and small facilities (Diamond Awards) in distribution and food processing. The distribution category winners include QCD Orlando for the “Best in Class” Platinum Award and QCD Fontana, Calif. for the “Best in Class” Diamond Award. In the food processing categories, GSF’s Protein Products facility in Opelika, Ala. won the “Best in Class” Platinum Award, and the company’s Produce Products team, GSF Fresh! China, earned the “Best in Class” Diamond Award. An annual tradition for the past nine years, the “Best in Class” honorees comprise the finalists for each year’s highest honor, the Chairman’s Challenge Award.