Unprecedented Growth

As warehouse skills grew, C&S ambitiously pursued new clients.

During the first ten years in Vermont, C&S surpassed their $300 million goal and grew to more than one-billion dollars in annual sales. By now, Lester had retired, Rick was the third generation CEO, and C&S flourished under his leadership. To accommodate increasing business, in 1993, C&S purchased a 350,000 square foot warehouse in South Hatfield, Mass. That same year, C&S opened one of the largest freezers in the world in Westfield, Mass.

In 1996, C&S became owner of what could become the world's largest freezer. The Westfield, Mass. freezer facility, at Phase I, has a capacity of 15 million cubic feet. The company's goal is a 22.7 million cubic feet capacity. The world's largest freezer to date is 16 million cubic feet.

Prior to the acquisition of the new freezer, C&S operated with a 20,000 cubic foot freezer in Brattleboro. In 1981, that freezer held 100,000 cases and shipped 200,000 cases each week. A 1988 expansion of the Brattleboro freezer made it possible for Brattleboro to ship 700,000 cases each week, the same quantity that Westfield ships. The total Brattleboro grocery and freezer facility now has a capacity of 1 million square feet.

Hundreds of trucks move thousands of tons of product daily from C&S facilities.