Editor's Note: Over the next few months, R&FF is teaming up with FCL Builders to bring you expert perspectives and real world insights from across the cold chain. Joining Editor in Chief Kelley Rodriguez on this special series is Greg Camp, vice president of project development at FCL Builders. Greg brings over 25 years of F&B experience to the industry, including extensive technical expertise in industrial refrigerated environments.

When it comes to designing, engineering and building a cold foods facility, sometimes the best lessons are those learned on the job!

Saxum Real Estate in 2024 broke ground on a new cold storage warehouse in Crown Point, Indiana, together with tenant Arcadia Cold Storage and design-build general contractor, FCL Builders.

The 322,600-square-foot cold storage facility was a BTS project for Arcada Cold. It features 50-foot clear height, an 80-foot-deep dock to expedite distribution and container handling services, and three convertible temperature zones. With about 45,000 pallet positions, the 26-acre Crown Point site along Interstate 65 is in a Chicago submarket, with access to Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis and Toronto within a day’s drive.

 “The project itself is substantially complete. We are looking to occupy in first quarter of 2026,” said Keiran Flanagan, principal at Saxum Real Estate. “It's got three convertible storage compartments, an 80-foot loading dock, and all our compartments are convertible from negative 10 degrees Fahrenheit to 40 degrees, and we really love the building. We really focus on delivering state-of-the-art projects and all our asset classes, but this one really shines.”

Case Study in Cold

When it comes to designing, engineering and building a cold foods facility, sometimes the best lessons are those learned on the job!

Listen to all episodes from the FCL Builders Podcast Series

Ground was broken in 2024, with about a year of work prior to shovels hitting dirt.

 “It starts before we even have a site. We really look to help them find their sites,” Flanagan said. “Saxum, we're full service, so we do everything from the acquisition of the land to the lining up the capital, obviously managing the whole approvals and entitlements, and then the working with FCL on this particular project for design and delivery and final construction.”

The state-of-the-art project was designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and includes technology like lithium ion forklifts with “opportunity” chargers on the docks, meaning equipment does not have to be corralled in one area to recharge and a transcritical CO2 refrigeration system that allows temperature convertibility.

 It also faced its share of challenges – including availability of electricity and a “waterway running through the middle of the project that had to be moved in order for us to have the buildable acreage,” Flanagan said.

“Coming in on schedule or early schedule and under budget, they're always key things, but I think just to see the teamwork and the comradery that goes into delivering one of these projects,” Camp said. “We tout the one FCL model and that's both an internal dialogue for our own organization and it applies to our clients as well. I always say the adage of ‘don't just be engaged, be entangled.’ This is a case where you got to get entangled, you got to take it to the next step and that's what makes the deliverables so much better.”

Arcadia operates facilities in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, South Carolina and Nevada with additional sites under construction in Florida, as well as the Crown Point project.

For more, listen to the podcast in the player above or download it from your preferred podcast platform.