Rebranding with Heart: Five Questions With Jennifer Batley, Gordon Food Service

Posted by Shirley Brady on December 23, 2014 01:01 PM

Gordon Food Service was founded in 1897 by Dutch immigrants as a simple butter-and-egg delivery service by horse and carriage, and has grown to become the largest family-managed business in North America’s foodservice industry.

With more than 115 years in business, the Wyoming, MI-based company made its name on its commitment to heartfelt service, precise delivery, innovation—and remaining passionately committed to its own people and customers. 

Operating in recent years as GFS, its management team felt it was time to bring those values more to the fore, and last month revealed a more modern and personal look and feel, including a new logo, tagline and naming system to bring the Gordon family name front and center. The goal of the rebrand is to reinforce, internally and externally, that it’s a people-focused company and that customers are part of the family, too.

With that in mind, the new tagline—“Always at your table”—aims to showcase the company’s readiness to partner with customers to achieve their goals. brandchannel spoke with Jennifer Batley, North America Senior Manager of Customer Experience, to find out what the refreshed branding means for existing and new customers.

brandchannel: You’ve been serving customers for over a century. What was the impetus for rebranding?

Jennifer Batley (right): A couple of things. First, we’ve seen an enormous amount of growth over the past few years, and we continue to enter new markets. As we grow, there’s an opportunity to tell our story in a more meaningful and consistent way. We’ve also been deliberate in bringing together the distribution and store channels of our business, rebranding our stores as Gordon Food Service Store(from GFS Marketplace) to make the connection between our distribution and store business more clear.

Second, there’s a lot of disruption in the foodservice industry right now. We felt the time was right to emphasize Gordon Food Service’s steadfast commitment to being a family business. We are able to thoughtfully and purposefully run our business with a focus on people—our employees, our customers, our suppliers, our communities—and still maintain a focus on growth.

Rebranding gave us a chance to reflect on the values that are most important to us, and to emphasize those to both our customers and our employees. Elevating the family name within the brand visibly reinforces an important brand element that sets us apart in the industry.

bc: What’s at the heart of the new identity? What do you see in the new look, feel and expression?

Batley: As a company, we emphasize three main principles: having a heart to serve, a passion for precision and being a partner for tomorrow. These principles are the foundation of our brand. Our new tagline—“Always at your tableTM—demonstrates our commitment to our customers. In other words, we’re always ready to partner with them to help them reach their goals.

The table exemplifies such a large part of who we are—it’s where people come together to share meals and ideas; it’s where partnerships and relationships are formed.

We designed the new visuals so we could keep what was working well, but at the same time give us a fresh and contemporary look. The new logo and truck designs show that we have a personal approach to business.

Our trucks are everywhere and are a very visible part of our brand, so we’re excited about all the mouth-watering images of food that we’ve incorporated. Great visuals are a way to express a passion for good food.

bc: From the beginning, you’ve been a values-driven organization with a big focus on corporate citizenship. What sets your approach to stewardship apart? 

Batley: Good stewardship has been a part of the Gordon Food Service culture from the beginning. We have always had a deep appreciation for growers, producers, and the environment.

In 2009, we developed a Stewardship Statement of Direction to respond to a growing interest in sustainability and to stay true to the Gordon family philosophy—part of which is taking care of what we’ve been blessed with and passing it on to those who come after us.

Our last stewardship report had some great highlights, like our LEED-certified headquarters, reducing fossil fuels for our transportation and decreasing customer food waste. From an employee perspective, we have always emphasized community service, food donation and participating in domestic and international aid programs.

bc: You’re also expanding coverage with new partnerships in the West and expanded presence in cities like Atlanta and Pittsburgh. What do you want new customers to know about? What makes you different from your competitors? 

Batley: Having quality products and being good at distributing them are minimum expectations in our industry. How and why we do things is what truly differentiates us. Being a family business, guided by a set of Cornerstone Values, lets us lead with our heart, and that means being completely dedicated to the success of our customers and our employees.

bc: With such a people-focused story, customers may not know about your commitment to industry-leading technologies and innovation. What’s on the horizon and what are the opportunities for your brand, business and customers? 

Batley: Being a forward-thinking organization, we are constantly looking ahead to what our customers need next. Today, there’s a significant focus on making it easier for our customers to do business with us.

This includes efficiencies in ordering processes, easy access to our stores and new online and mobile offerings. We have teams focused on developing proprietary tools and programs that help customers operate their businesses better and more efficiently.

Finally, an amazing culinary team is dedicated to understanding food trends and interpreting how those trends apply to foodservice operations across North America.