A M King Completes Construction of Cheney Brothers’ Florence, SC Facility
Carolinas-based A M King, a national, fully integrated Design-Build firm, has completed its fourth major project for Cheney Brothers, Inc. The 386,047-sf refrigerator/freezer distribution facility in Florence, SC includes 45 loading docks, a Cheney Express and the largest culinary kitchen the company has developed to date.
Florida-based Cheney Brothers has had a Carolinas presence since 2016 when it purchased Pate Dawson Co., thereby acquiring distribution and processing facilities in Statesville, NC and Greensboro, NC. Founded in 1925, Cheney Brothers is now part of Performance Food Group.
Cheney Brothers’ Florence Facility
Cheney Brothers’ first location in South Carolina, the Florence facility is located on nearly 50 acres in the Pee Dee Commerce City East Industrial Park — across I-95 from Buc-ee’s. The new distribution center provides means for the broadline distributor to significantly expand its reach in the region.
“It’s simple when you partner with ‘best in class’ companies,” explained Mike Turner, Cheney Brothers’ Florence facility president. “It’s been a pleasure working with A M King over the years while they have helped us grow our footprint here in the Carolinas with the best buildings in the industry. We truly appreciate their professionalism, attention to detail, and the commitment to excellence throughout this project. We know A M King and they know us. Relationship matters!”
Warren Newell, Cheney Brothers’ Director of Development, stated, “I have worked with dozens of design-build and construction firms over the years, and I can honestly say that A M King is one of the finest. They designed and constructed a first-class distribution center for us in Florence, which will strengthen our ability to serve Southeast Atlantic coastal customers.”
A M King Vice President David Sawicki said, “We were thrilled to partner with Cheney Brothers to develop a facility of this magnitude and complexity. Our history of successful projects for CBI, along with our depth and breadth of food industry expertise, made this an ideal venture.”
Project Highlights
Scope of work included 100,963 sf of dry storage and a 36,098-sf dry dock; a 90,095-sf freezer; 60,683 sf of cooler with separate rooms and temperatures for dairy/meat, flour and produce, and a 31,533-sf cooler dock; 30,424 sf of office spaces; a 7,142-sf Cheney Express with walk-in cooler; and a 3,364-sf test kitchen. We also designed space for future expansion within the facility, including a 75,305-sf cooler-freezer; 47,856 sf of dry warehouse and a 6,620-sf unfinished mezzanine.
The installation of a robotic forklift battery exchanger carousel — a first for Cheney Brothers’ facilities — improves productivity and safety. In addition, our Design-Build approach seamlessly integrated dynamic seismic flexibility with high-wind protection into a single, resilient solution.
A M King’s past projects for Cheney Brothers include two major expansions at their Statesville facility, bringing the total square footage to 342,126. The projects comprised additional cold storage and dry warehouse space, a 2,000-sf commercial culinary center, cutting-edge penthouse refrigeration system, 37 new dock positions and a new receiving office. The complexity of these projects was heightened by the fact that all work was performed in an operational distribution center.
Our Design-Build team also transformed a vacant shell building in Greensboro into a state-of-the-art food processing facility for Cheney Brothers’ affiliate Southern Foods. A M King won a total of five prestigious industry awards for the Statesville facility and Southern Foods facility projects from organizations including ABC Carolinas, Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA) and Engineering News-Record.
A M King currently has a project underway for Cheney Brothers in Florida. Our team has completed design and commenced construction on a 78,000-sf, USDA-certified food processing facility in Pompano Beach. The complex project will feature dedicated spaces for meat and poultry, five loading docks, a Cheney Express, and state-of-the-art test kitchen.
About A M King
A M King is an integrated Design-Build firm based in Charlotte, NC with offices in Greenville, SC and Chicago, IL. An employee-owned company, A M King consistently and successfully delivers quality projects throughout the United States. With an experienced team committed to protecting clients’ assets, the firm provides property consulting, design, construction, and facility services in key market sectors including food processing, food distribution, industrial manufacturing, and corporate properties.
About Cheney Brothers
Cheney Brothers, Inc. is a broadline food distributor that delivers more than 16,000 different products throughout the Southeast region of United States and in more than 100 countries. Cheney Brothers is a Performance Food Group company.
About Performance Food Group Company
Performance Food Group is an industry leader and one of the largest food and foodservice distribution companies in North America with more than 150 locations. Founded and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, PFG and our family of companies market and deliver quality food and related products to over 300,000 locations including independent and chain restaurants; businesses, schools and healthcare facilities; vending and office coffee service distributors; and big box retailers, theaters and convenience stores. PFG’s success as a Fortune 100 company is achieved through our approximately 43,000 dedicated associates committed to building strong relationships with the valued customers, suppliers and communities we serve. To learn more about PFG, visit pfgc.com.
