SYRACUSE — Hofmann Sausage Company both makes hot dogs and sells hot dogs, so it only makes sense that its two major divisions have their own workspace, company officials say. That’s why Hofmann (www.hofmannhotdogs.com) has moved its sales offices to downtown Syracuse in the Onondaga Tower building on East Jefferson Street, says Frank Zaccanelli, CEO. […]
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SYRACUSE — Hofmann Sausage Company both makes hot dogs and sells hot dogs, so it only makes sense that its two major divisions have their own workspace, company officials say.
That’s why Hofmann (www.hofmannhotdogs.com) has moved its sales offices to downtown Syracuse in the Onondaga Tower building on East Jefferson Street, says Frank Zaccanelli, CEO.
More than a move, he says, the change is an expansion — one that will allow the sales division room to grow as sales increase and also free up space in the company’s processing plant at 6196 Eastern Avenue in the town of DeWitt. The company has moved between five and 10 salespeople to the new office, according to Reginald Bailey, chief operating officer at Hofmann Sausage Co.
“We’ve just made a separation really … between the manufacturing side and the sales and marketing side,” Zaccanelli says.
Onondaga Tower is the ideal location, right in the heart of downtown in a central location that’s easy for the sales force to get in and out of, he says. He hopes that it’s the first of several Hofmann sales and marketing offices in cities around the country.
“It’s the next logical step in the growth of Hofmann’s,” he says.
While Onondaga Tower is just the right location for Hofmann, the company is also just the type of tenant CBD Companies is looking for to fill the building, says Michael Durkin, leasing and sales agent with CBD.
Hofmann, which is currently occupying temporary offices on the 11th floor, will soon move to its permanent offices in 3,600 square feet on the 10th floor of the 130,000-square-foot building.
Work to complete the offices will begin in a few weeks and take between 60 and 90 days to wrap before Hofmann can move in, Durkin says.
CBD (www.cbdcos.com) offers Class A office space (which includes services such as security and janitorial) in the building, which is already home to Aspen Athletic Club, CBD’s own offices, and Resort Funding. A restaurant will soon open on the ground floor. All told, CBD has between 80,000 and 90,000 square feet in the building available for lease. In addition, the building has a parking garage with space for 400 vehicles.
National expansion
Zaccanelli’s Dallas–based Zaccanelli Food Group, with Oneida Nation Enterprises as lead investor, purchased Hofmann in May of this year with plans to take the regional hot dog to the national level.
Based in Syracuse, Hofmann Sausage Company is a meat manufacturer and distributor, founded by Frank W. Hofmann in 1879, that offers more than 80 products at a variety of retail locations and online.
So far, the Hofmann expansion plan is right on track, Zaccanelli says. The company kicked off its expansion Memorial Day weekend when 67 Albertsons grocery stores in Texas began carrying Hofmann products. Hofmann products also began showing up on more shelves regionally including Wegmans and Tops stores in Rochester, Buffalo, and in Pennsylvania.
The latest store to carry the brand is Brookshires Food & Pharmacy, another Texas–based chain, which will carry Hofmann products in 161 locations starting in mid-October.
By the end of October, Hofmann will launch another phase of its expansion plan when it opens its first stand-alone Hofmann restaurant — Hofmann’s Hots — in Dallas in late October, Zaccanelli says.
He hopes it will be the first of many Hofmann quick-service restaurants in cities around the country as well as locations such as mall food courts and airports.
In July, Hofmann announced a partnership with competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi as a business partner and brand ambassador for Hofmann. As part of the deal, Kobayashi now has an ownership stake in Zaccanelli Food Group, and Hofmann created a Kobayashi business division to create a Kobi line of hot dogs as part of the Hofmann family of products.
Kobayashi kicked off his stint as a Hofmann ambassador on Aug. 26 at the New York State Fair, where he ate as many bun-less Hofmann hot dogs as he could in 10 minutes. He set a new world record by downing 110 hot dogs.
Other major investors in Zaccanelli’s acquisition of Hofmann Sausage Co. include Syracuse University (SU) men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim, former Syracuse Police Chief and SU basketball player Dennis DuVal, and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach.
