Gordon Food Service is poised to construct a 40,000-square-foot North Buffalo distribution center with work to begin in the next few weeks.

The center, the company's first in New York state, received a sales tax incentive package from the Erie County Industrial Development Agency that was critical for the $7 million project to advance. The ECIDA's directors unanimously approved the tax breaks, which amount to approximately $393,750, during the agency's Jan. 27 meeting.

Gordon has agreed to renovate a former Office Depot store at 2001 Elmwood Avenue into the its first New York site. Gordon will be expanding the 30,000-square-foot building to 40,400-square-feet.

The Buffalo site was selected over several others under consideration including ones in such northern suburbs as Tonawanda and Amherst.

Buffalo was selected over other upstate and Pennsylvania sites because of the growing number of new restaurants and national chains. Atlanta and Charlotte were also considered by Gordon before the company opted for the Buffalo site, with the ECIDA incentives playing a significant role in the final decision.

Gordon supplies restaurants, food truck operators and supermarkets with a wide variety of products they need for their respective operations. It does not conduct retail sales.

Officials expect the Buffalo location to handle approximately 250 customers daily and employ 46 people full- and part-time workers.

Gordon has 170 stores across the Midwest. Its current closest store to Buffalo is in Erie, Pa.

Gordon Food Service's arrival in the DDR Corp.-owned plaza comes just after Checker's Drive-In opened an outlet in the same shopping center this past fall.