Reser's Fine Foods

Reser's Fine Foods, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Food processing
Founded	1950
Headquarters	Beaverton, Oregon
Key people	Al Reser, former president and CEO. Mark Reser, current president and CEO.
Products	Prepared foods
Revenue	$1.2 billion (2017)[1]
Number of employees	Approx. 4,000 (2020)[2]
Website	www.resers.com

Reser's Fine Foods, Inc., an American corporation based in Beaverton, Oregon, manufactures and distributes fresh and refrigerated prepared foods. Over 1,000 products are available in the 50 U.S. states, Canada, Guam, Mexico, and areas of the Far East. Its prepared foods are sold in national grocery chains, independent outlets, and convenience stores. Oregon State University's football stadium, Reser Stadium, is named after the company, which is one of its sponsors. The company recalled 19 salad products distributed in 29 states in 2016 for possible listeria contamination.^[3] Reser's consistently ranks in the top ten privately held Oregon companies by annual revenue.^[4][1]

History

The headquarters of Reser's in Beaverton, Oregon, in 2015

Reser's grew from the potato salad business started by Mildred and Earl Reser in their kitchen in 1950, based in Cornelius, Oregon. Initially selling potato salad to local butcher shops and mom-and-pop stores, the Resers landed a contract to supply Safeway stores in Oregon in 1951.^[5] Al Reser sits at the top of the Reser clan, and his grandson Alexander Reser died of fentanyl overdose in 2019.^[6][7]

Shortly after incorporating on May 14, 1959, Reser's moved from Cornelius to a 33,000-square-foot (3,100 m²) facility in Beaverton, Oregon. Rapid growth over the next 30 years brought Reser's to its present-day operations at 12 plants with over 2800 employees. In 2011, the company purchased Oklahoma-based competitor Vaughan Foods for $18.3 million,^[8] and the assets of Orval Kent for $69.2 million.^[9]

In 2010, annual revenue was approximately $700 million, ranking Reser's as the sixth-largest private company in Oregon by revenue.^[4]

As of 2014, the company had almost 4,800 employees and was operating 16 facilities, in the United States and Mexico.^[10] In July 2014, it announced plans to build a 310,000-square-foot (29,000 m²) facility in Hillsboro, Oregon, but indicated that its headquarters would remain at the site in Beaverton.^[10] In July 2015, the new Hillsboro plant, located on Century Blvd., was about three-fourths completed and was projected to begin being used for production in October 2015.^[11]

By 2017, annual revenue had grown to $1.2 billion, ranking Reser's fifth highest annual revenue for private companies. This ranked Reser's highest in revenue for a non-public Oregon food producer, ranking one spot higher than Tillamook County Creamery Association.^[1]

Reser’s is also a primary sponsor of Martin Truex Jr. and the #19 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Relationship with Oregon State University

In addition to the sponsorship naming rights of Reser Stadium, the company helped fund other projects on campus such as the Linus Pauling Science Center.^[12]

References

1. Sawyer, Brandon (July 9, 2018). "List Leaders: Unveiling Oregon's 10 largest privately held companies of 2018". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
2. "About Us - Reser's Fine Foods". 7 May 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
3. Loew, Tracy. "Reser's recalls potato, macaroni salad over Listeria fears". Statesman Journal. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
4. Stevens, Suzanne (July 29, 2011). "List: Oregon's top private companies". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
5. Duin, Steve (14 April 2010). "Al Reser dies at 74". Oregonian/Oregon Live. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
6. "One of Oregon's Most Prominent Families Appears to Want Another Family's Burial Plot". Willamette Week. 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
7. "Man Caught at Trailblazers Game Sentenced in Fatal Fentanyl Overdose". Inside Edition. 2024-05-02. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
8. Young, Molly (September 16, 2011). "Reser's Fine Foods completes acquisition of competitor Vaughan Foods". The Oregonian. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
9. Young, Molly (November 15, 2011). "Reser's Fine Foods buys rival Orval Kent in deal approved today". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
10. Hogue, Kendra (July 10, 2014). "Reser's outgrows Beaverton home – Explosive growth, demand spurs firm to build new Hillsboro facility". Beaverton Valley Times. p. A2. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
11. Siemers, Erik (July 31, 2015). "Faces of The List: New Reser's plant adds capacity, possibilities". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
12. "Friend to OSU Al Reser passes away after lifetime of service, leadership". Retrieved September 20, 2020.