In the ever-changing world of food distribution and transportation, the needs can be as nonstop and spread all over the country as the companies themselves. That’s why two industry leaders, Gordon Food Service (GFS) and McLane Sunwest have chosen to use the employee care strategic initiative provided by Marketplace Chaplains USA.

Headquartered in Wyoming, Michigan, GFS is the largest family-owned and operated foodservice distributor in North America. The company distributes to foodservice operators throughout the Midwest, along the entire East Coast of the United States and coast to coast in Canada.  “We were familiar with others in our industry, primarily on the supplier side, that were offering a corporate chaplain service and were happy with the positive impact they were seeing,” said GFS CEO Jim Gordon.

Opting to re-label its corporate chaplains as “Care Partners”, Marketplace Chaplains covers “several thousand” GFS employees, Gordon said. “The benefit helps people at their point of need.”

Account Manager for the GFS Care Partner service, Greg  Duvall, said “It’s no surprise that the company would embrace Marketplace Chaplains. A strong culture of care was already prevalent throughout GFS.  The Care Partners’ presence added yet another level to that care.”

In Phoenix, McLane Sunwest has seen the positive impact their Chaplain Care Team has had on their teammates and families for many years.

“The needs of our teammates range from basic to extremely complex, from easy to extremely complicated – yet they can each have a negative impact if the need goes unaddressed,” said McLane Sunwest executive Bobby Carlson. “The Chaplains extend and enhance our connection with the teammates to a broader level.  The servant leadership demonstrated by the Chaplains with our teammates reinforces that our teammates truly are our most valuable assets.”

“Sunwest is involved in company caring from the top to the bottom wherever they go and that’s why the partnership with Marketplace Chaplains is such a good and valuable one,” added Marketplace Chaplains Phoenix Area Team Leader Joel Rayfield.

Marketplace Chaplains already serves in 2,427 client company locations, covering 872 cities across 43 states, and 4 foreign locations, with over 2,500 chaplains.