KaTom Restaurant Supply, Inc. will expand its headquarters, warehouse and distribution, and call center facility in Kodak, TN. The restaurant equipment supplier will invest approximately $3 million and create 100 new jobs during the next five years in Sevier County.
“In 30 years, we’ve gone from selling to our friends out of our garage to supplying foodservice operations all over the world,” said KaTom Founder, President, and CEO Patricia Bible. “In those early days, we never imagined 100 people being part of this, to say nothing of doubling that number with a single project. We will be equipped to offer even more items for same-day pickup to our neighbors in East Tennessee and next-day delivery to much of the country, while continuing to provide the personalized customer service that has been the hallmark of KaTom since the start.”
Founded in 1987, KaTom Restaurant Supply works with more than 700 vendors, offering customers access to hundreds of thousands of essential pieces of foodservice equipment and supplies. From 2008 to 2015, KaTom Restaurant Supply was recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. on the Inc. 500|5000 list. In 2015, the company ranked No. 42 on Inc.’s list of the 50 fastest-growing, woman-led companies in the country.
In 2012, KaTom moved to a 20-acre campus and 100,000-square-foot headquarters in Kodak. As part of its latest expansion, KaTom Restaurant Supply will add 10,000 square feet to its existing presence in Sevier County, where the company’s operations include headquarters, warehouse and distribution as well as call center functions.
“Over the past thirty years, KaTom Restaurant Supply has grown into one of the nation’s largest restaurant equipment suppliers,” said Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. “Such a growth story shows why Tennessee is the place to start and grow a business. The continued success of our entrepreneurs is vital to creating jobs in Tennessee and I’d like to thank KaTom Restaurant Supply for bringing us another step closer to our goal of making Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”
“We strive to make Tennessee a welcoming place for businesses to thrive and grow. About three of every four job commitments TNECD received last year came from our existing businesses,” said Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Chief Operating Officer Ted Townsend. “It’s terrific news when a Tennessee company like KaTom Restaurant Supply benefits from our state’s strong workforce, central location and business-friendly environment. We’d like to thank KaTom Restaurant Supply for its continued commitment to Tennessee and Sevier County.”
Relocating or Expanding Your Business In Tennessee
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