Cold chain third-party logistics provider RLS Logistics, through its affiliate RLS Partners, announced Thursday that Premier Refrigerated Warehouse has joined the network. The addition expands RLS’ footprint into the Texas Triangle region, Oklahoma and Arkansas, as well as other Southern states.
Premier Refrigerated Warehouse has been renamed RLS Premier and will soon be operating out of a new 200,000-square-foot facility with 28,000 frozen and refrigerated pallet positions south of Fort Worth, Texas. RLS Premier’s prior space housed only 8,000 pallet positions.
In addition to temperature-controlled warehousing, RLS Premier provides less-than-truckload shipping, tempering and cross docking services.
“We look forward to collaborating on transportation opportunities and enhancing our technology to serve our customers better,” said Ron Buford, president at RLS Premier. “Partnering with RLS is a natural fit because we share the same principles and commitments for serving our customers; additionally, RLS brings a wealth of knowledge and support for our growth strategy.”
In addition to the current team, RLS Premier will add Michael Black as vice president of business development. Black has 40 years of experience in the industry, most recently serving as a regional director at a national cold storage provider.
Headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, RLS is putting together a national network of independent, family-owned cold storage providers. The value proposition is to provide food manufacturers the ability to expand nationally without relying on the large cold storage operators.
“RLS’ network provides a refreshing alternative to national conglomerates for expansion minded food manufacturers that are used to working with family run warehouses,” the press release read.
The goal is to have geographic partners in 10 to 12 very large regions of the U.S. and eastern and western Canada. RLS Premier joins existing operations in New Jersey as well as warehouse partners in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
In addition to warehousing, RLS provides truckload and less-than-truckload freight brokerage and e-commerce fulfillment services.
RLS Partners is a joint venture formed by industry veterans and RLS Logistics to create a national network of regional cold chain operators.
“Premier’s achievements prove its commitment to preserving relationships with its customers,” stated Russell Leo, CEO at RLS Logistics. “This makes them an ideal complement to our network of top regional family run cold storage providers.”
