Last Updated on 08/17/2021 by GS Staff
Is Gordon Food Service Publicly Traded?
Gordon Food Service (GFS) is a private company. In fact, it is one of the largest private companies in the United States. According to Forbes, it ranks #20 on its list of largest private companies in America.
Since GFS is private, the public cannot purchase its stock. The company does not have a ticker symbol, stock price, and shares do not trade on an exchange such as the NYSE or NASDAQ.
Unfortunately, you will have to wait for GFS to go public before investing in it is an option. However, at the time of the article, we had no information to indicate that GFS will ever be public. We suspect the company will remain private for the foreseeable future.
Who Owns Gordon Food Service?
Gordon Food Service is a family-owned company. As you may have guessed, the owners of the company are the Gordon family. GFS has been in existence since 1897 when Isaac Van Westenbrugge started the business as a delivery service for eggs and butter. Ben Gordon was the first Gordan to work at the company in 1916 and would go on to marry the daughter of Isaac. He later became a partner with Isaac in 1933 and the company was renamed The Gordon Van Cheese Company. Isaac would go on to retire in 1942. This same year Ben and his brother Frank renamed the business Gordon Food Service.
It wasn’t until 2016 that the company hired its first non-family CEO. On November 1, 2016, Rich Wolowski took over the CEO position from Jim Gordon. Despite this change in leadership, it appears that Wolowski and the board appear content with staying private.
Major GFS Competitors
| Company | Description |
|---|---|
| US Foods (USFD) | The company is a foodservice distributor that is involved with 300,000 restaurants and operators. US Foods distributes a large variety of food and non-food items including food that is fresh, frozen, and dry. |
| Sysco (SYY) | Sysco is one of the most recognized foodservice distributors in the world. It has more than 300 distribution centers globally. |
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