Preferred Freezer Services (PFS), the world’s fourth largest operator of pubic refrigerated warehouses, has announced that it will expand its presence in the Pacific Northwest of the United States by building a new coldstore in Lynden, Washington. The facility, situated 95 miles north of Seattle and five miles south of the US-Canada border, will primarily serve local and regional seafood and agricultural producers, exporters and importers.
Construction has already begun to create 292,396 square feet of freezer space at the site, 31,092 square feet of temperature controlled loading docks, and 8,080 square feet of support area for a total initial phase build-out of 331,568 square feet. Additional property has been secured for future expansion.
The facility, which is expected to be open for business by September of 2015, will cost approximately $32 million dollars to build and could employ up to 30 people on a seasonal basis.
“We are extremely excited to join the Lynden community and to be able to serve current and new customers in this ever expanding market area,” said Todd Klumok, executive vice president for business development.
Meanwhile, construction of the new PFS cold storage facility Richland, Washington, is on schedule for an on-time opening in July. Upon completion it will be the largest single public refrigerated warehouse platform in North America and the biggest coldstore built at one time anywhere in the world.
Strategically positioned near an existing railroad spur, the automated facility will stand 120 feet tall and cover 455,000 square feet, with 313,000 square feet dedicated to freezer space served by robotic cranes. It will add over 40 million cubic feet of cold storage capacity to the company’s international network.
Headquartered in Chatham, New Jersey, Preferred Freezer Services has state-of-the-art coldstores at 34 locations in the USA, China and Vietnam. It currently offers customers 6,657,287 cubic meters of space, an increase of 562,068 cubic meters since 2012.
