Congratulations to Jon Moore of Mt. Sterling’s frozen warehouse on his victory at the 2024 International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) National Championship in Orlando, Florida on October 24.
Piloting a double pallet jack (or “mule”), Jon, a 21-year Dot Foods warehouse veteran, competed against the best in the warehousing industry through a narrow and complex course to take the top prize.
According to Jon, more than 80 warehouse competitors were in attendance competing across seven different varieties of warehouse equipment including Jon’s double pallet jack. Jon says competitors couldn’t watch one another as to not let anyone have an advantage.
“They kept us kind of secluded throughout the competition,” he said. “They’d call four or five of us at a time and we had to wait until the previous person was finished before we could go out there. But the competition though, it was the best of the best.”
During his downtime, Jon and his guest–his sister Sarah–were able to enjoy the amenities of the Disney Coronado Springs resort and tour the area on their own.
“I had to do some work related stuff but we had plenty of free time to explore,” he said. “On the day we had the most free time we went on an airboat tour and went out to a nice restaurant. It was a lot of fun.”
While 2024 marked his first year on the IFDA mainstage, it was not his first taste of warehouse competition. Jon has competed in multiple Dot Foods Forklift Rodeos over the years, winning first place in both the 2023 and 2024 national competitions–the latter of which punched his IFDA ticket. As part of his Dot rodeo grand prize, Jon received a travel voucher good for anywhere in the world. Following his first win, he spent a week touring Japan with a friend. For his repeat performance, he plans to take his parents to Hawaii in early 2025.
“We are proud to have Jon Moore as part of the Mt. Sterling Warehouse Team. His outstanding performance in both the Dot Foods and IFDA forklift rodeos highlights his remarkable skill, dedication to safety, and representation of Dot Foods' core values,” said John Bordewick, Mt. Sterling Warehouse General Manager.
For Jon, squaring off annually against his Mt. Sterling colleagues stirs up more nerves than his championship IFDA run for which he received a medal, custom jacket, and $2,500.
“I’m actually more nervous at the Dot rodeos since there are so many people I know there watching me,” he said. “[At IFDA] I was not really expecting to win, so I wasn’t nervous. I was just there for the vacation really.”
Also representing the Dot family were drivers Aaron Fagan (Cambridge City), Lorenzo Eastland (Burley), Renee Thompson (Ardmore), Tanisha Davis (University Park), and Jimmy Murphy (Dyersburg), as well as Erik Ruiz of Dot Foods Burley.