By Hillary Gavan
For StatelineBusiness

ROSCOE -- There's a trail of Twinkies making its way through the village.

Interstate Bakeries Corporation (IBC), a Fortune 500 company, the largest wholesale bread and cake distributor in the United States has opened a 20,000-square-foot distribution facility in Roscoe. The new distribution location currently services the surrounding counties and is home of two American icons -- Hostess Twinkies and Wonder Bread. IBC has contracts with the Rockford School District, area nursing homes, restaurants, retail stores and more.

The company operates 52 bakeries throughout the United States and employs more than 30,000 people. From these strategically dispersed bakeries, the company's sales force delivers baked goods to more than 200,000 food outlets on approximately 9,000 delivery routes. The business has about 24 employees in Roscoe and may be hiring more as the company expands. IBC is a union employer.

Dave Forshay, the owner of the building and president of Forshay Development, has worked hard to get the new tenant in. ClimbTech, a ladder manufacturer, left the space in December due to manufacturing competition from China.

Knowing ClimbTech was on its way out, Forshay had to act fast. He spent six months in negotiations with IBC.

Although IBC likened the site's proximity to Illinois Route 173 and Interstate 90, the building needed a carbon monoxide system, new drainage and two new docks built specifically for bakery trucks. With a high number of trucks going in and out, ventilation is key. With bakery carts and wheels, trucks must be able to have plenty of room to back in so products stay in place.

After IBC signed the lease on Dec. 1, Forshay and various subcontractors worked 45 days straight to get the building ready.

When the building is completely updated, Forshay will have invested $130,000. It's worth it to Forshay. With the price of fuel going up and pressure on manufacturers, Forshay thought IBC would be a good tenant to have because of the area's growth as a food processing region.

Ken Yokers has worked as an IBC mechanic for 10 years and is thrilled to be moving from Elgin, Ill., to the Roscoe area. He is confident his employer will be a boon for the area, especially being a union shop. Yokers noted that IBC purchases 400 gallons of diesel a week from the nearby Road Ranger, alone.

IBC is the largest wholesale baker and distributor of fresh delivered bread and snack cakes in the U.S.

The company's products are distributed throughout the United States, primarily through its direct route system and approximately 1,100 company-operated thrift stores, and to some extent through distributors.

For more information on IBC visit their Web site at www.interstatebakeriescorp.com.