Americold to build rail-located Missouri facility
Americold Realty Trust recently broke ground on a $127 million cold storage facility in Kansas City, Missouri.
The 335,000-sq.-ft. facility, which is expected to create nearly 190 new jobs in the region, is part of a strategic collaboration with the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) railroad to co-locate Americold warehouse facilities on the CPKC network.
“We are thrilled to break ground on a new cold storage facility in Kansas City,” Americold CEO George Chappelle said in a news release. “This facility is the first to be built as part of our strategic collaboration with CPKC. By combining our cold storage capabilities with CPKC’s extensive rail network, Americold is poised to deliver a differentiated offering to support more customers across North America.”
State and local leaders joined Americold executives to celebrate the company’s new investment in Missouri.
“Americold is yet another example of an industry-leading employer choosing Missouri due to our economic advantages,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said. “This innovative company’s presence in Kansas City is a welcome addition to the region’s thriving logistics sector. We congratulate Americold on its new facility and look forward to the benefits that this investment will provide for Missourians.”
The new facility will support CPKC’s Mexico Midwest Express (MMX) service, North America’s only single-line rail service offering for refrigerated shippers between U.S. Midwest markets and Mexico, the companies reproted. It will also enable more seamless and efficient service for MMX customers.
“Today’s groundbreaking for this new facility marks the beginning of a significant collaboration that shows what we can achieve with vision and working together for our customers,” said Keith Creel, CPKC president and CEO. “This project is the first of many across our network and, when combined with our unparalleled cross-border service, will build a new refrigerated supply chain for our customers.
“Just over one year ago here in Kansas City, when we celebrated the creation of CPKC, we talked about the unique economic benefits our unrivaled network would bring to Kansas City, Missouri and beyond.
“We are seeing that happen today.”