The ground officially broke Feb. 16 at the new distribution center location for Ahold Delhaize USA, the parent company of the grocery store chain, Food Lion.

Located near the border of Alamance and Guilford counties, construction has begun on the $860 million project. The new distribution center is expected to bring about 500 jobs to the Triad region and represents the largest economic investment in the area's history.

To celebrate the milestone, officials from across North Carolina and representatives from both Food Lion and Ahold Delhaize attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

Food Lion has deep roots in North Carolina, opening its first store in Salisbury in 1957. Since then, the company has expanded throughout the Northeast but has maintained a strong presence in North Carolina, with about half of its locations in the state and 23 stores in Guilford County alone.

During the groundbreaking event, Food Lion President Greg Finchum thanked those who helped move the project forward. He said projects like this happen when companies focus on alignment, trust and faith in long-term community impact. 

Finchum said the facility will be the first in the company where the food selection process is automated by robots. 

“All of the frozen products will be selected through automation, and the fresh product will be selected, as we do in our other distribution centers,” Finchum said. 

Finchum said the new distribution center will help the company continue to grow and expand into new areas. 

"We need to take some pressure off of our current facility,” Finchum said. “Inside of that, it's time for us to try to expand our capabilities.”

The distribution center will serve more than 300 stores, including some outside North Carolina. It will focus on frozen and fresh products, including dairy, ice cream, produce and meat.

Burlington Mayor Beth Kennett also spoke about the impact the distribution center will have on the Triad region. 

“Success is not just local, it's regional,” Kennett said.

Another official instrumental in securing the development for Guilford County was Melvin “Skip” Alston, chair of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. 

“This is not just a groundbreaking, it's a statement,” Alston said.

Both Kennett and Alston said the development will help drive future economic growth in Burlington and Guilford County.

In an interview with Elon News Network, Sanja Krajnovic, chief supply chain officer for Ahold Delhaize USA, said that the new distribution center will benefit college students in the area. She said she hopes it will create internship opportunities and noted there are many management and associate positions within the company. 

“You can be the executive vice president and kind of grow with the company,” Krajnovic said. “A lot of great opportunities for anybody who's interested to join us.” 

Construction on the project is estimated to be complete in two to three years. 

Anjolina Fantaroni contributed to the reporting of this story.