CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Sysco Long Island LLC, part of the nation’s biggest food service company, has opened a $92 million distribution center in Central Islip. The 420,000-square-foot facility will be used to serve customers on Long Island and the metro New York area.

The building, which is located at 199 Lowell Ave., includes dry- and cold-storage facilities and an administration area. Additionally, the facility includes a culinary center area in which chefs create dishes for customers and a state-of-the-art hydrogen fuel station to power all of the forklifts used in the facility. Aurora Contractors constructed the building, and the Town of Islip Industrial Development Agency provided $7.3 million in financial assistance.

“The construction of this distribution center will allow Sysco to serve Long Island from one centralized location,” says Frank Recine, president of Sysco Long Island. “In terms of size, this facility is unparalleled by any other food-service provider on Long Island. It was built to ensure that our customers could be served both efficiently and with the widest variety and best quality products. More than 10,000 separate food and specialty items are housed within our facility.”

Sysco distributes food and other products and services to locations where food is prepared, including restaurants, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, colleges, schools and summer camps.

The facility created 235 new jobs, more than previously projected. “We are gratified that Sysco has exceeded the hiring goals it indicated it would achieve in its application for assistance from the Industrial Development Agency,” says Tom Croci, Islip Town supervisor. “At a time when job creation locally, regionally and nationally has been at a best minimal, this project clearly is a boon for Central Islip, the town and all of Long Island.”

— Savannah Duncan