T H (Ted) Elicker is Vice President of Planning and Engineering for Griffco Design/Build Inc. and works out of its Mid-Atlantic office in York, PA. Ted is responsible for planning, program management and material handling solutions, including the design of material handling systems for conventional and mechanized/automated warehouse facilities. He has 34 years of professional experience in distribution and food projects facility engineering with positions ranging from Project Engineer to Owner and Principal of his own professional engineering firm.

Ted has directed the detailed design and construction of conventional, mechanized and automated distribution facilities for retail, wholesale, foodservice and manufacturing distribution clients throughout the world. This includes the first flammable AS/RS in the United States. His industry background encompasses in-depth experience in the areas of retail, wholesale and food service distribution, refrigerated facilities, food, dairy, beverage, pharmaceutical and durable goods manufacturing.

Associated Grocers New England, Manchester, NH - Led planning efforts to assist AGNE in deciding whether to stay in the existing facility or move to a Greenfield facility. Project included collecting data, developing multiple facility options and providing Return-on-Investment analysis.

Martin Bros. Distributing Co., Cedar Falls, IA – Provided master planning study for independent foodservice company to determine best use of acquired adjacent property. Analysis included data collection, development of multiple solutions, budget costing and recommendation.

Associated Grocers (AG), Baton Rouge – Led planning study team to provide AG with a detailed capacity analysis. The study included the analysis of movement data and sizing of each department based on volume and item growth. Site planning to accommodate truck parking and site logistics was a key element in the study.

H.E. Butt Grocery Co., San Marcos, TX – Developed concept, provided detailed engineering and construction/start-up for a slow-moving grocery distribution facility. Featured 5-level pick-to-belt modules and unique, category separation scheme feeding elevated, manual palletizing stations. Also used Cleco “Condor” AS/RS cranes for pick-face replenishment.

Merchants Distributors, Inc, Hickory, NC – Performed planning, design and construction of advanced mechanized storage and selection system for the slow-moving grocery and HBA in addition to conventional material handling design for new 1 million square foot dry grocery, perishables and frozen food distribution complex.

Wegman’s Food Markets, Rochester, NY - Led study to develop material handling system for Wegman’s dry grocery and produce “flow through” operations for new Pennsylvania distribution facility. Wegman’s is one of the leaders in the grocery industry in the use of “pick on receipt” technology.

Giant Food Stores, Carlisle, PA - Provided material handling design for 170,000 square foot conventional perishables facility expansion and renovation. The project included extending existing dock and complex renovation of existing perishables expansion.

Giant Food Stores, Inc., Carlisle, PA - Planning, design and construction of 167,000 SF Perishables warehouse expansion and renovation. Included produce, meat, dairy / deli and seafood.

American Sales Company (Division of Ahold, Inc.), Buffalo, NY - Material handling engineering, building design and construction of 285,000 SF mechanized health and beauty care and general merchandise (HBC/GM) expansion.

Maines Paper and Foodservice, Conklin, NY - Planning, design and construction of 100,000 SF perishables and frozen expansion.

American Sales, Buffalo, NY - Designed and managed the installation of American Sales 300,000 square foot expansion to its HBC/GM facility. Project included extensive expansion and rework of existing pick-to-belt system. American Sales is Ahold, USA’s central HBC/GM facility for its US operations.


Bridgford Frozen Foods, Dallas, TX - Responsible for the design development of a 2,500 position AS/RS cold storage facility with automatic replenishment of pick faces by the SRM’s.

Darigold, Inc., Sunnyside, WA - Directed the entire concept development, detail design and construction management of this single crane, multi-deep, 1,300 position AS/RS cold storage facility for this cheese plant.

Edy's Grand Ice Cream, Multiple Projects - Implemented the modernization of conventional warehouse layouts in Gaithersburg, MD, Union City, CA, and Fort Wayne, IN.

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Antwerp, Belgium - Developed concept design and engineering specifications for 21,000 position, 8-crane (tandem-shuttle), double-deep AS/RS system featuring extremely high resiliency/redundancy to ensure uninterrupted operation.

General Foods, Avon, NY - Responsible as Program Manager and Project Engineer for automatic sortation and palletization operation within a -10F cold storage facility

General Mills, Lodi, CA - Design development of a 28,000 position AS/RS warehouse project that included mechanized, rainbow-pallet selection with interface to an existing.

Giant Food, Inc., Jessup, MD - Program Manager and Project Engineer of an 8,000 position AS/RS cold storage facility featuring semi-automatic de-tiering into an automatic case-selection system.

Iceland Seafood Corporation. Camp Hill, PA - Managed design development for the 40,000 square foot cold storage addition and the 60,000 sf process area plant expansion.

Kraft-General Foods, Mattoon, IL - Managed design development for the 4,000 position AS/RS -10F cold storage facility featuring live-lane staging onto the truck dock.

Nabisco Biscuit Company , Chicago, IL - Project Engineer responsible for the conceptual planning, estimating, detail design, and construction management support of this 20,000 position automated storage and retrieval warehouse project This was the first AS/RS built within the city limits of Chicago.

Nabisco Biscuit Company, Raleigh, NC - Directed all of the material handling and related automation activities for the storage and distribution aspects of this $1 billion project. Responsibilities included concept design development, specifications, bid, and award of the thirteen aisle finished goods AS/RS, the complete case and pallet conveyor systems for the packaging operations, and the complete AGV system which transported both raw materials and finished products throughout the new bakery facility.