Jessica Burnam

With several hundred million dollars in annual sales and more than 900 employees, Request Foods is one of the largest, family-owned and operated, co-manufacturing food companies in the nation. We make food products for retail, club store, and foodservice customers under their national brands and private labels. Request Foods was started in 1990 by Jack De Witt. Prior to starting Request Foods, Jack was instrumental in the success of Bil Mar Foods, which grew from a flock of turkeys in 1938 to become a major turkey processor in the United States by 1985. Jack’s father and uncle co-founded Bil Mar, and Jack worked there for over 30 years eventually becoming their Executive Vice President. Bil Mar’s successful retail brand, Mr. Turkey, attracted the Sara Lee Corporation, which acquired Bil Mar in 1987. Jack De Witt had a passion for the food business and approached Sara Lee with the idea of purchasing the frozen food business that Bil Mar had started in 1970. Given that Sara Lee was most interested in Bil Mar’s turkey processing operation, in 1990 they agreed to sell Jack the frozen food division of Bil Mar’s business. Early on, Jack developed Request Foods’ mission statement naming it “Our Quest”. The statement reads -- “To honor God in all we do, to help people develop, to pursue excellence, and to grow profitably.” Jack was very open about his Christian faith and worked hard to live this out in his daily life at Request Foods. In 1996, Jack’s son, Steve De Witt, joined Request Foods. After many years of experience with the company, Steve was appointed President of Request Foods in 2017. Request Foods has been blessed with strong growth and financial success over the years. Jack believed it was important to be ready when good opportunities came along. With that philosophy in mind, Request Foods proactively expanded its manufacturing facilities multiple times and offers over 600,000 sq ft of manufacturing capabilities.