New England Cold Storage Secures Funding for New 120,000-Square-Foot Refrigerated Facility

Sturbridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based New England Cold Storage (NECS) has announced it has secured financing for a new 120,000-square-foot public refrigerated warehouse for food producers, processors, wholesalers, and importers, and plans to break ground on 21 May.

The new warehouse has been made possible by debt financing, secured with Rockland Trust Company, to the tune of USD 22.9 million (EUR 18.8 million). The warehouse, to be located in Sturbridge Industrial Park, will offer one-day round trip access to New York City and New England Ports, and is an “ideal distribution location for the Boston, Providence, Hartford, and Springfield markets,” NECS said.

“Rockland Trust is thrilled to be working with New England Cold Storage to support their vision of offering flexible, temperature-controlled storage space. Their facility is unlike any we’ve ever seen, and we’re committed to ensuring they’re successful in their field,” Rockland Trust Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending Brian Griffin said.

The new building will feature, according to NECS, three temperature-controlled rooms, fifteen dock doors opening into a 65-foot-deep refrigerated loading dock, an automated mobile racking system, and access to 25,000 pallet positions. In addition, the site will have a “one-way-loop traffic pattern” for easier truck maneuvering and a lounge for truck drivers.
Company co-founder Jeff Eklund told SeafoodSource that the new facility will fill a need in the region for more modern refrigerated storage space.

“First off, a lot of the facilities are 35 to 40 years old in the area, and a lot has changed in that time frame,” he said.

Many of the older facilities have shorter loading docks that make quickly loading trucks more difficult. In addition, the facility will use more modern, non-ammonia-based cooling technology that uses less water and is more efficient while also being safer for employees. “It’s much better for the environment, and it really reduces the liability of having an issue,” Eklund said.

In addition, the new facility will use mobile racking, allowing for more efficient use of the storage space inside.

“I’m really excited about this project because the whole program has been customer focused from the beginning. As a result, I’m confident we’re going to provide superior service for a wide range of customer needs,” Vernon Rose, who is leading the operations team of the project, said in a release. “If you have storage needs in New England, I would encourage you to get in touch now because I expect this facility to fill pretty quickly.”

The facility completed its permitting process with the town in October 2020, and at the time was shooting for a Spring 2021 groundbreaking – a target it achieved. The facility has been designed by Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.-based ARCO Design-Build, an industrial construction company specializing in the design and build of cold storage facilities.

“The role we’ve played in helping NECS bring this project to reality has been a very rewarding experience for us. They have maintained a laser focus on the goal of the best facility we can build, and that’s exactly how we like to work,” ARCO Vice President of Business Development and Principal Brian Osterloh said.

Eklund said that the company is looking to open the facility on 1 April, 2022.

View at Seafood Source.