New Digs, Look, Tools and Teammates: Bay Food’s 2024 Year in Review

It’s been another exciting year for the Bay Food Brokerage family! In 2024, we seized many opportunities to continue growing and evolving for the success of our clients, retail partners and team.

Here are a few of our most significant company highlights from 2024.

Bought New Headquarters Office

In August, we purchased an office building in Tampa’s Westshore Business District. At nearly 12,000 square feet, the two-story property at 5201 W Laurel Street will nearly double the size of our existing office space on Memorial Highway in Tampa.

“We’ve been on a fairly steep growth trajectory for the past decade, and it was time to upgrade the size, location and amenities of our headquarters,” said Chris Chatterton, executive vice president of Bay Food Brokerage. “Our rapid growth in recent years – in terms of revenue and employees – prompted a need for space that’s comfortable for our team and also can support our growth into the future.”

Previously occupied by a food service brokerage company, the new property included features we needed, such as a commercial test kitchen. Location was also an important consideration, as our leadership wanted to prioritize commuting needs of our staff – approximately 50 employees in Tampa Bay – and convenience for out-of-town clients who travel in and out of Tampa International Airport.

Move-in is anticipated for March 2025.

Brand Gets a Fresh New Look

In December, we proudly announced our new company logo and refreshed brand. We’ve been in business for over 31 years, and in that time have had six company logos, including our commemorative 30^th Anniversary logo last year.

The newest logo captures the strength and solidity of our company over the past three decades, as well as a sense of action and forward momentum as we continue moving into the future with purpose and enthusiasm.

The four lines in the B icon also represent Bay Food’s core values: Partnership, Operational Excellence, Family and Philanthropy.

Standard Logo:

Leadership Recognized with Awards

This year, two of our executives were given much-deserved recognition from regional and national publications.

Our President and CEO Cammie Chatterton was the winner of the 2024 Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Magazine Apogee Awards in the Founders of a Large Company category. The Apogee Awards is a unique awards program, created by TBBW magazine, that recognizes distinguished C-suite leaders whose dedication to their industries and communities deserves recognition.

In addition, national industry trade publication The Shelby Report selected our Director of Fresh Meat and Private Label Nicki Crespo as an honoree in its annual Women of Influence in the Food Industry issue. Nicki was selected because of her high-level job performance, exemplary leadership skills, and civic and philanthropic work.

Commitment to Community Continues

Philanthropy is one of our core values, and 2024 brought many opportunities for our team to support the community.

One highlight was our company and the Chatterton family partnering with Feeding Tampa Bay to be a named sponsor in the Publix Charities Community Market at FTB’s new Causeway Center in Tampa. The Community Market offers fresh produce and other healthy grocery items to residents free of charge. This is in addition to our regular donations and drives in support of FTB.

We also supported Metropolitan Ministries’ school supply and food drives, and volunteered at the holiday tent; supported the Bullard Family Foundation through sponsorships and food donations; and attended and sponsored other special events benefiting nonprofits, like the Special Olympics Florida Golf Tournament.

       

Investment in Technology and Team

In 2024, we added more resources to our organization, in the form of technology and leadership.

In January, Nicki Crespo joined us as Director of Fresh Meat and Private Label, after retiring from a nearly 24-year career at Publix Super Markets. Now, Nicki plays an active role in Bay Food Brokerage’s private label opportunities and helping to guide the company in all initiatives involving meat departments in major supermarkets throughout the Southeast U.S.

In addition, we struck a partnership with Crisp, a tool that automatically ingests, harmonizes and integrates data from 40+ retailers and distributors to give consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers a single source of truth. This data and insight help our team and clients reduce out-of-stocks, increase sales, reduce waste, and plan and forecast with confidence. It’s just one more tool we’ve invested in in recent years.

“In 2024, our team had tremendous success and we also faced much heartache in our area, thanks to two major hurricanes,” Cammie said. “I am so proud of the Bay Food family and how we gave back to our community in countless ways over the last year. We look forward to a fantastic 2025, with the opening of our new office building and the continued growth we have planned with each of our manufacturers and retailers. May all of our friends and partners leave 2024 with a smile on their faces and hope for an amazing 2025 filled with many blessings!”

As we look into 2025, the future is bright! Contact us today to discuss how we can support your future success.