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Stellar Completes Construction of Food Distribution Facility for United States Cold Storage

LAREDO, Texas (October 17, 2018) — Stellar, a fully integrated firm focused on design, engineering, construction and mechanical services worldwide, designed and built a new food distribution facility for United States Cold Storage in Laredo. The grand opening for the 232,366-square-foot warehouse was on October 16.

The facility distributes a variety of produce goods, including strawberries and avocados. The $35-million greenfield project included designing and constructing various features, including:

  • -10°F freezer area

  • 35°F cooler area

  • Refrigerated loading dock with 21 truck doors

  • Separate cross-dock area with four truck doors for inspections and transloads

  • State-of-the-art refrigerated repack room tempering room

  • 27,000 pallet positions

  • Fully secure drop trailer yard with 50 spots for ease of import/export of goods and border crossings

  • Bonded warehouse

  • 24,000 square feet of office space

Stellar also included the option for two additions in the site's master plan to accommodate for future growth.

Construction broke ground in August 2017 and was officially completed in March 2018. The aggressive, eight-month schedule was driven by the timing of the Mexican strawberry harvest.

“Not only was it a race against the clock to avoid missing the harvest and losing product, but significant weather delays posed a challenge as well,” said Mark Momberg, senior project manager at Stellar. “Work was halted for 28 days of rain and two days of snow. To stay on schedule, we brought in additional crews that worked ten-hour days and six- to seven-day weeks.”

“US Cold Storage has had a presence in Laredo for over 50 years, and we have forged many relationships with our customers for as long. As food trade with Mexico continues to grow, we found ourselves in a position to respond to our customers’ growing needs with more space,” said George Cruz, Senior Vice President – Southern Region, United States Cold Storage. “Time was a huge concern as many imported agricultural products have specific windows for harvesting and manufacturing. This is where Stellar came in with an unprecedented timeline to build this state-of-the-art facility. The tenacity and perseverance of the teamwork between Stellar and US Cold Storage was spot on! The facility was built in record time, and we were able to accommodate our customers’ demand during the 2018 peak season.”

The facility is located at 18728 FM 1472 (Mines Road), and is the company’s third location in Laredo.

Stellar has extensive experience designing and constructing refrigerated warehouses and distribution facilities, and the firm has completed numerous projects for US Cold Storage during their 30-plus-year relationship.

About United States Cold Storage

United States Cold Storage, Inc. (USCS), Camden, N.J., is a premier provider of public refrigerated warehousing (PRW) and related logistics services throughout the USA. With roots dating back to 1889, USCS has long served a diverse customer base with requirements ranging from primary storage to fully integrated third-party logistics. The company offers more than 291 million cubic feet of temperature-controlled warehouse and distribution space in 40 facilities located in 13 states including California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia. USCS is the third largest PRW Logistics provider in North America. It is a subsidiary of the U.K.’s John Swire & Sons Ltd.

About Stellar

Stellar is a fully integrated design, engineering, construction and mechanical services firm serving commercial, industrial and public sector markets across the United States and around the world. More than 750 Stellar employees worldwide create award-winning food processing plants, refrigerated warehouses, distribution centers, commercial buildings and military facilities. In addition to its Jacksonville, Florida, headquarters, Stellar operates nearly 50 support locations and offices throughout the United States, China and in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The company also serves Central and South America, Europe and India.