|
3101 South Van Buren Enid, Oklahoma 73701 Phone: 580.237.1040 Fax: 580.242.3805 |
|
Tid Bits Newsletter |
|
Dorothy Cornwell was voted employee of the year by her peers at Mid-America. The annual award is presented at the company Holiday function. The winner receives a generous travel voucher valid for a full year. Dorothy an employee with Mid-America since 1996 came to work for us when the company acquired Bloom’s Meats. “She has had a major impact for many, many years in our fresh meat program” states Ken Owens, Marketing Manager for Mid-America. Ask her what a Clod, Peeled knuckle, or a Goose neck is and she knows exactly what you are referencing. Fortunately we can ask her and she will explain with a smile on her face. Congratulations Dorothy and Thanks! |
|
Dorothy Cornwell voted Employee of Year 2006 |
|
Congratulations Dorothy Cornwell (left) for receiving the 2006 Employee of the Year award! |
|
Mid-America Wholesale sold By Robert Barron Staff Writer Mid-America Wholesale, a half-century old Enid company, has been sold to Ron Lukenbaugh, the firm’s general manager. Mark Dick, president and CEO, announced the sale in a press release. “Ron Lukenbaugh is an intelligent, hard-working individual who has a strong understanding of the food service business. My family and I are dedicated to assisting Ron in any way possible to ensure his success,” Dick said in the prepared statement. Dick said this is the first step in a seven-year process to his eventual retirement. Mid-America has sales of $28 million annually and plans to be at $30 million in 18 months. Dick said the transition should be seamless, with management personnel re-maining in place. “My goal is to maintain the existing values and principles that have made and kept Mid-America an asset in northwest Oklahoma,” Lukenbaugh said. “Being an independent food service distributor has many benefits for our customers and employees. We will continue to strive to be a partner with our customers and vendors, enhancing relationships now and in the future. This purchase enhances our stability short and long term.” Mid-America Wholesale is competing for business against $20 and $30 billion companies, Dick said, as part of a $22 billion buying group. “We’re still a David among the Goliaths of the world,” he said. “There are only a few independent guys left. It’s too hard, too capital intensive. It takes a lot of money to stay in the game.” He expressed his confidence Lukenbaugh will be able to continue Mid-America’s growth. “He gets it. He knows what it takes to make the food service business go,” he said. “He’s got a lot of good ideas and likes to keep busy. He’s a hard worker. I’ve obliged that by piling on the work.” Dick said he will remain with the company for an indefinite period. He has an employment agreement for four years and then will talk to Lukenbaugh to determine if he wants to stay until he is 65. “It’s hard to just walk away,” Dick said. Lukenbaugh has been with the company eight years, starting when Mid-America had $20 million in sales annually. Since he has been general manager, the company has increased coverage into Kansas and the Oklahoma City area and increased the use of technology. The company also purchased property behind its building for future expansion. The company also purchased a 5,000-square-foot freezer. The company began when Jack Dick, founded Northwest Wholesale Inc. in Woodward in 1956. The company served the area as a candy and tobacco distributor. The first warehouse was a 1,900-square-foot building. Jack bought out his partner in 1959, and the company became family owned, which it has remained. In the mid-1960s, some food supplies began to be distributed, but the bulk of sales remained candy and tobacco. When Jack Dick died in 1978, Mark Dick, his son, left the pharmacy profession to develop a food service division. The first walk-in cooler was turned on in October 1978, and the first freezer came the following year. In 1979, Jack Dick’s three sons Jerry, Mark and David purchased Tydings Wholesale in Enid, changing the name to Enid Wholesale. The product line was expanded to include institutional foods, paper goods and janitorial supplies in addition to candy and tobacco. In 1986, Enid and Northwest Wholesale purchased a 50,000-square-foot building, the company’s present home. Mark and David Dick bought the stock of their brother Jerry in 1991, then in 1995 David sold the remaining stock to Mark, giving him sole ownership of Northwest/Mid-America Wholesale. The two merged into one by June 1991, making it the largest family owned wholesaler in Oklahoma. Mid-America purchased Bloom’s Meats in 1996, giving the company its own meat processing facility. Mark Dick credited the growth of the company to its employees and the ability to handle more products, furnish more services and distribute to more areas. |
