nov-2017c

50 51 grades as business recovers from the hurricanes. Our short term plans include a major systems up- grade,more energy efficient lighting, new refrigerat- ing doors in our warehouses, and a resetting of the warehouse layouts to increase our order selection productivity.” “These island communities -St.Thomas, St. Croix, Anguilla, and St.Maarten-need to rebuild and they are rebuilding, business by business. It is going to take a while to have everyone up to pre-hurricane conditions but it will happen.The people on these islands are proud and resilient.They have gone through this before and they will rebuild.We have already seen numerous businesses reopen and this will continue.We have had to make some opera- tions adjustments because of these storms and we will continue to make adjustments to meet our cus- tomers’ needs as the market returns to normalcy.We have a vision to be the largest food service distribu- tion company in the Caribbean region by continually satisfying our customers every day and in every way better than any of our competitors.” As Merchants Market Group recovers and rebuilds, Wilson gives credit to the company’s long-time em- ployees and the McEnery family,who purchased the firm in 2013 and has since made significant invest- ments in upgrading its phone, computer systems, and fleet.“The reason why we are celebrating 50 years is because of the dedicated employees that we have; they have helped us build this business and continue to work hard to do that.They service our customers and their commitment to Merchants Market is unparalleled.As we continue to grow as a company,we are working to give back, not only to PREFERRED VENDORS n Badia Spices, Inc. www.badiaspices.com Established in 1967by Jose Badia,Badia Spices,Inc.is one of today’s leading fami- ly-ownedHispanic food companies.Badia manufactures,packages,and distributes over 120 products,including spices,season- ing blends,marinades,sauces,teas,health items,and other products tomore than 70 countries around theworld. n Sorrento Lactalis www.galbanicheese.com Sorrento Lactalis is a division of the LactalisAmerican Group,theworld’s largest dairycorporation.The company’s products include fresh and packagedmozzarella, ricotta,andmascarpone cheeses,string cheese,and cheese snackproducts for the food service and retailer markets in the United States. n Fonterra www.fonterra.com n Suram Trading www.suram.com MERCHANTS MARKET GROUP our customers, but to our employees–to provide themwith greater future opportunities through training. Part of our Mission Statement is that we will provide all of our employees with the opportunity for personal and professional growth and that is something that is im- portant to us and we are working diligently to live up to that state- ment.The McEnery family is committed to helping our employees and the island communities rebuild after the devastating hurricanes. They are committed to this organization, compassionately and finan- cially, to rebuild this company for our customers and employees, and we’re looking forward to the next 50 years.”