Vertical Cold Storage recently named West Hutchison president and CEO in a move the operator of temperature-controlled distribution centers says positions it to capitalize on the opportunities available in a growing cold-storage industry.
Hutchison brings 25 years of experience in cultivating temperature-controlled businesses internationally, having served with two of the world’s largest cold storage companies, Lineage Logistics and Emergent Cold.
He assumed his new role on Sept. 12.
“West has a comprehensive set of experiences in warehousing and transportation operations culminating in senior leadership positions that are reflected by the success he’s had at a series of rapidly growing and innovative companies,” said Ryan Anderson, co-president and co-founder of Platform Ventures, the private-equity real estate firm behind Vertical. “With our efforts to grow Vertical Cold both organically with greenfield sites and through acquisitions, West is the perfect addition to our strong and growing group of experts.”
Hutchison will spearhead the company’s journey to build a global network of facilities utilizing standardized processes and automation to deliver customer-focused solutions for frozen, refrigerated and dry storage, blast freezing, exports, case picking and rail transloading, Vertical said. He most recently served as senior vice president of network optimization, and mergers and acquisitions for Lineage. He previously served as partner and global COO for Emergent, which was sold to Lineage in 2020.
Hutchison also spent 20 years at Americold Logistics, serving in senior leadership roles for transportation, warehouse operations, business development, customer service, and IT.
“Vertical Cold is off to an amazing start with a great team, five strategically located sites, an integrated best-in-class IT platform and customers that want to grow with us,” Hutchison said. “I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside and learn from many great people in the cold chain during the last 25 years, and I’m excited to join the Vertical Cold team and continue the cycle of listening, learning and sharing so we can help the company realize its full potential.”
