84 Gilroyans among 140 hires at United Natural Food, Inc.

GILROY—UNFI, the $6-billon natural foods distribution company opening soon in Gilroy, filled 140 positions during a three-day job fair, with most slots offered to Gilroy residents.
“We were overwhelmed and very pleased and excited to be part of the Gilroy community and to be welcomed so much by the Gilroy community,” said Anne Thumann, Regional Human Resources Director for UNFI.
The firm announced the job fair last month in anticipation of a late July opening of its new, 400,000-square-foot distribution hub in the McCarthy Business Park off Hwy. 152 in southeast Gilroy.
At final build out, the Rhode Island-based United Natural Foods Inc. expects to occupy 700,000-square feet of space.
Another 100 jobs will be filled by February, Thumann said, with a total of 500 positions expected once the new plant reaches full capacity.
During the three-day job fair May 29-31, 720 people were interviewed by UNFI at the Hilton Garden Inn on Monterey Road in Gilroy. Of those, 140 were offered jobs on the spot – 84 of them from Gilroy, Thumann said.
Their job orientations and first day of work will be during the last week in July, she said.
For the next round of hiring, applicants not offered jobs last weekend still might be hired, she said, adding, “We’ll be in a continuing hiring mode.”
Right now, UNFI’s biggest hiring challenge is to find truck mechanics, but Thumann said she is confident those positions will be filled.
Of the 140 jobs offered, most are warehouse workers or big rig truck drivers, according to Thumann. Both come with full benefits and the potential for a lot of overtime, she said.
Warehouse workers will earn a base pay of $15 per hour, which works out to $31,200 per year. For truck drivers, starting pay is $21.25 per hour, an annual salary of $44,200.
It’s a big deal for Gilroy, according the business leaders; if the projection of 500 jobs at build-out is realized, it would make UNFI the city’s fourth largest employer after, in order, the Gilroy Unified School District, Christopher Ranch and Saint Louise Regional Hospital, based on current employment figures.
“The Chamber is very encouraged, not only by UNFI’s presence in the community, but by their commitment to hiring local talent. Job creation should be one of the highest priorities of our city,” said Gilroy Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Mark Turner.
 We need to attract industry, foster entrepreneurship, and develop a business friendly environment where businesses feel welcomed and supported. By doing so, we will begin to see greater job opportunities for our residents,” he said. 
“This is an exciting time for us as we are finally seeing the result of years of work on this project,” said Tammy Brownlow, President/CEO of the Gilroy Economic Development Corporation.
“ UNFI is a great fit for Gilroy, being the leading national distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods in the U.S. The GEDC actually began working with UNFI and their site selection consultant in September 2012 as they were searching for a site for the new distribution facility to serve the Bay Area,” she added.
“Business expansion is good for Gilroy,” said Terry Feinberg, chair-elect of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and vice chair of its public affairs arm.
“UNFI choosing to expand in Gilroy validates the strength of our community and our strategic location with accessibility to the Salinas Valley, Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area,” Feinberg said.
“UNFI is providing a range of much-needed jobs for the community, with starting wages well above the minimum wage, and opportunities for advancement within the company. The city should do all it can to ease the bureaucratic and government imposed cost burdens for companies, ranging from small businesses to large corporations such as UNFI, to relocate, remain and expand in Gilroy,” he said.
UNFI provides natural foods to grocery chains such as Whole Foods, Costco and Wild Oats. It’s the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor of natural, organic and specialty food in North America.
The new facility is part of the firm’s plans to expand into the Bay Area and build upon its distribution network in California, which now includes similar facilities in Rocklin and Moreno Valley. With the Gilroy plant’s completion, the firm will have 18 such facilities in the country.
Construction on the sprawling new plant began in June 2014. The official opening is expected in early August of this year.
“This what it’s all about – seeing the hundreds of people at the hiring event and knowing these are well paying jobs with benefits,” Brownlow said. “This is what economic development is all about and why it’s so important to our community.”