Withstanding the test of time: A.F. Wendling’s Foodservice honored with prestigious Centurion Award

A.F. Wendling’s Foodservice, founded in 1913 and now West Virginia’s largest independent broadline distributor serving nine states with 9,000+ products, received the West Virginia Centurion Award for enduring and anchoring the economy.

Katie Kuba
August 18, 2025

From operating as a simple fresh meat delivery service founded in 1913 in Charleston, West Virginia, to meeting the demands of restaurants and businesses with over 9,000 products across nine states, A.F. Wendling’s Foodservice has prided itself on impeccable customer service with a hometown touch.

One might even say, “That’s the Wendling Way.”

West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner traveled to Buckhannon on Aug. 12 to honor A.F. Wendling’s owner and president, Chris Wendling, with the prestigious West Virginia Centurion Chamber of Commerce Award. The accolade is bestowed upon businesses that have “withstood the test of time and troubles,” while functioning as anchors for the local, regional and state economies.

Warner, who came for a facilities tour and celebratory meat-sampler luncheon, complimented the hospitality, cleanliness and efficiency of the operation.

“I’m here today, though, for a very specific reason, and that’s to present the West Virginia Centurion Chamber of Commerce Award to a longtime member of the Upshur County business community, and indeed, a respected member of the West Virginia business community and the supplier for my restaurant many years ago in Morgantown,” Warner said.

Warner delved into a snippet of the history surrounding the award’s title, saying ‘Centurion’ is a concept that came from the Roman Empire. A Centurion was a professional officer in the Roman Army, “an officer who was treated with much respect and reverence for their leadership and bravery.”

“A Centurion was a critical part of the Roman military,” Warner noted. “They were respected members and anchors of their community. In an effort to recognize those West Virginia businesses that have stood the test of time and served as anchors in their community, the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office hosts the West Virginia Centurion Chamber of Commerce program.”

Now operating as West Virginia’s largest independent family-owner broadline foodservice distributor, A.F. Wendling’s was opened by Albert Wendling in 1913 in the Kanawha Valley as a fresh meat distributor. Following successful growth, the business expanded to allow for an investment in refrigerated trucks and two new buildings. Then, between 1976 and 2007, the Wendling Family acquired five additional structures and approximately 55,000 square feet of additional space.

Between 2007 and 2018, A.F. Wendling’s Foodservice added another 11,000 square feet of freezer space and a slew of new service territories, and, most recently, in 2024, the food distributor constructed new offices and a 7,990-square-foot USDA-approved meat processing plant. It currently employs about 132 people.

Since 2019, the WVSOS office has been honoring Mountain State-based businesses that have been in continuous operation for 100 years or more.

“The centurions are the anchors of our communities, their local economies and of our state,” Warner said. “Centurions are active in the areas that they serve, and they have a history of giving back. Centurions have withstood the test of time and troubles.”

Warner observed that A.F. Wendling’s had survived World War I, the Spanish Flu epidemic, the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, national recessions and other military conflicts.

“Most recently, [it persevered through] the COVID epidemic that claimed the lives of over 6,794 West Virginians, and they survived the technology revolution, the internet and everything that social media brings with it,” Warner said. “Since 1913, they have, as is the case with many of our other centurions, found a way with their employees to grow and expand in those times.”

Warner noted that Wendling’s serves customers in nine states with more than 9,000 products.

Chris Wendling said he greatly appreciated the recognition.

“It’s been a long journey, but we’re proud to be based here in West Virginia and to be able to do it here in rural West Virginia,” Wendling remarked. “We’ve been able to succeed and be successful, and we want to thank you and everybody else.”