New Jersey cold storage firm expanding to Victorville
A New Jersey refrigerated warehouse company is set to expand into California with the purchase of a 35-acre site in Victorville, Calif. and plans for a facility in Fresno, Calif.
The 118-year-old United States Cold Storage Inc. is in escrow on the site located near a proposed 300-acre Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail yard at the Southern California Logistics Airport. Estimates suggest that a cold storage facility on the site could create 30 to 60 new jobs with a growth of 10 to 20 more positions down the road.
Cherry Hill, N.J.-based USCS is also considering other expansions in the Southern California and Inland Empire areas.
“U.S. Cold Storage views the Southern California market as an excellent one for future plans to develop major modern cold storage warehouse distribution centers,” said Jerome Scherer, the company’s vice president of national sales, marketing and government affairs, to The Business Press. “One of the market areas of great interest is Riverside and San Bernardino' counties.
“We view the Inland Empire as an excellent location for cold storage warehousing and logistics services. We’re land-banking all over the country,” he said.
Earlier this month the firm announced expansion plans involving five new projects in Bethlehem and Hazleton, Pa.; Warsaw, N.C.; Lake City, Fla.; and Fresno. This will boost the firm's portfolio to 30 nationwide facilities with a total of 150 million cubic feet by 2008.
The firm serves about 3,000 customers nationwide, handling about 250 million to 300 million pounds of outbound shipping a year, with about 35 percent of this heading to international markets.