Leading food service sales, marketing agency announces three acquisitions, six Grand Rapids jobs

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Grand Rapids-based Wolff Group, a food service sales and marketing agency, recently announced the acquisition of three food industry companies serving central and southern Ohio, Cleveland and Kentucky. The acquisitions position Wolff Group, formerly Steiner-Wolff, to develop an expansive network operating from a single point of contact across the four new regions and Michigan.

Wolff Group, 525 Ottawa, acquired A.W. Schroder Company, Enterprise Food Brokers and Parsley Marketing for undisclosed amounts.

"We represent the manufacturer," says Mike McDonald, senior vice president and CFO. "We sell and market their goods for them in certain geographies. That way they don't have to have their own sales people in the market.

"To have locations in several states, historically a manufacturer would go to each market and sell to their customers. Now they can simply come into the Grand Rapids office and we'll execute a sales plan for them across these areas."

McDonald says recognizable local companies Gordon Food Service and Sysco are Wolff Group's two largest clients.

"These acquisitions have created two jobs we're already filled," McDonald adds. "We're scheduled to hire four more in West Michigan this year, for customer service, financial, administrative and business development positions. We also have two new jobs in the Detroit office."

In addition, the company brought aboard all existing employees of the acquired companies, bringing Wolff Group's employment rolls to about 60. McDonald expects the firm to generate some $250 million in sales this year.

Source: Mike McDonald, Wolff Group; Tim Sipols, Amanda Passage, Lambert, Edwards & Associates

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].