LOGISTICS BRIEFS

The Tacoma (Wash.) Daily Index reported that Versacold Logistics Services, Vancouver, B.C., broke ground for a $30 million cold storage facility at the Port of Tacoma. Located at the Port Commerce Center, the facility offer 200,000 square feet of freezer and refrigerated storage space. Officials said the site has room for an 85,000 square-foot expansion. Officials said they expect to by July 2010 to complete and open half of new building (with the remainder opening by mid-August).

Following its December 2008 purchase of Seafreeze Cold Storage, Bay Grove Capital LLC, San Francisco, said it just purchased a second cold storage provider in Seattle, CityIce Cold Storage. Officials said the deal was completed by Bay Grove's holding company, West Coast Cold LLC. "Bringing these well established local operations together under the management of West Cold provides customers with enhanced cold storage services and deepens our partnership with the Port of Seattle while allowing for greater investment in the facilities," said Bay Grove Managing Director Kevin Marchetti. Bay Grove said it named Pat Floyd as president of West Cold. Floyd formerly was chief operating officer at Nordic Cold Storage, Atlanta, and previously was executive vice president-North American Operations at Total Logistic Control, Holland, Mich.

Whole produce and fresh-cut foods processor Lancaster Foods LLC, Jessup, Md., said its 215,000-square-foot warehouse there has been LEED certified by the U.S. Green  Building Council. Sources said the $23 million project involved the renovation (October 2007 to June 2008) of a former ice cream processing plant and storage operation. A subsidiary of Guest Services Inc., Lancaster Foods reportedly (1) installed an enhanced refrigeration system that does not release CFCs, (2) recycled 95 percent of its construction waste and (3) designed the facility to use 30 percent less water than average  plants. reduced overall facility use by 30 percent

Officials say the site has...
    * 28 shipping doors, 15 receiving doors
    * 20,000 lb. central ammonia refrigeration system
    * 3,000 ft. of roof top refrigerated piping
    * 28 refrigeration penthouses
    * 43 high speed interior doors
    * 15,000 gallon refueling station
    * 9 state-of-the-art ripening rooms
    * Storage capacity for over 7,500 pallets of product