In This Issue

Network with Key Legislators and Government Officials

GCCA President Visits Columbia Colstor

EPA Alert for PRWs

Property Insurance on Customer’s Product

Chemical Security Act Approved by Committee

The Cold Chain in Tajikistan

Cold Storage Industry News

Food Industry News

Government News

When Maines Paper & Food Service, Inc., needed a partner to achieve higher service levels, profitability and efficiency, it chose Raymond. Read how Raymond goes above and beyond by clicking here.

Important Note: The hotel cutoff date for the 2009 Assembly of Committees is 7 July. Reserve today!

The 2009 Cold Chain and Food Industry Reception on Monday, 27 July 2009 is a highlight of the 2009 GCCA Assembly of Committees (25-28 July, 2009) at the Four Seasons Hotel, Washington, DC, USA. The Reception brings together cold chain industry leaders, U.S. House Representatives and Senators, along with government and regulatory officials for a enjoyable and valuable evening of networking. Learn more about the Reception and the Assembly of Committees.

Be sure to invite your House Representatives and Senators to the Food Industry and Government Reception. Identify your Representatives and Senators and download the invitation template here. Any invitees should RSVP to Susan Shores by calling + 1 540 479 6064 or emailing sshores@gcca.org. The Reception will be held in the Dumbarton Room at the Four Seasons Hotel, 2800, Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, USA on Monday, 27 July 2009 from 5:45 to 7:00 PM. We’ll see you and your elected representatives there!

GCCA President and CEO Bill Hudson and Vice President Corey Rosenbusch recently paid a visit to Columbia Colstor, headquartered in Moses Lake, Washington, USA. Columbia Colstor President Don McGraw arranged for a full day of visits to some of their regional facilities to introduce Hudson and Rosenbusch to Columbia Colstor’s operations and personnel.

Dan Klein (Division Manager and IARW Board Member), Mike Bolander (VP of Operations), and Russ Lytle (Regional Manager) hosted Hudson and Rosenbusch during their visits. The first stop was to Colombia Colstors’ headquarters, which has been awarded the LEED Certification for green building. Next, the tour continued with visits to facilities in Quincy and Othello, Washington, USA. Hudson and Rosenbusch had the opportunity to meet with Columbia Colstor CFO Patty Paris regarding labor and financial matters pertaining to GCCA benchmarking efforts.

The tour also included a stop at the company’s impressive training facility run by Bob Wilson, Training and Development Manager. Hudson and Rosenbusch were able to observe classroom training for both company and customer employees as well as a racked facility designed specifically for fork lift training.

Reportedly, the EPA is conducting surprise audits particularly focusing on process safety management for contractor programs as part of their risk management plans. Most recently, warehouses in Arkansas, USA are reporting audits. The EPA is conducting very detailed reviews. PRWs are strongly encouraged to review their risk management plans. If you have questions, please call GCCA headquarters at +1 703 373 4300.

The IARW Insurance team along with our new program in London, UK has been successful in writing all risk property coverage for customers of IARW members. Please remember to refer us to your customers should they require all risk property coverage on their product that they store with your company. We can also print out a brochure with your name offering this coverage and directing them to the Lockton Team. If you have any questions, or if we can be of any assistance, please contact your IARW Insurance Services/Lockton team by calling Connie Phipps at +1 816 960 9946.

After three days of consideration, the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee approved H.R. 2868, The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009 on 23 June. The legislation passed on a party-line vote of 18 to 11. The bill would continue the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program and establish additional measures intended to improve the security of facilities which store or process chemicals.  Read more here or visit the GCCA Government Affairs website for more information.

As UNICEF works to fight the resurgence of measles in Tajikistan since the collapse of the Soviet Union, when measles immunization was routine, maintaining the cold chain in the region has become of the utmost importance to their cause. The mountainous terrain of the country presents a particular challenge, with health workers forming the critical link in the chain that relays cold storage equipment for safeguarding the vaccine at the correct temperature. From central cold storage in Dushanbe, the vaccines are delivered by truck to health centers equipped with refrigerators and, from there, by vaccine carriers lined with ice packs to the vaccination points.

Need has given way to a industry as cold storage has developed in nine districts totaling nearly 7,000 square meters of storage space. The Isfara district in the northern Sughd Province alone maintains half of that space. Isfara’s famous apricot orchards have encouraged its development ahead of other districts in the country. Read more about Tajikistan and UNICEF’s Combined Annual Technical Review and Planning 2009 and look for more updates on the development of the international cold chain in future editions of Cold Connection.

Aslan Cold Storage LLC purchased a 49,360-square-foot cold storage facility in Reedley, California, USA for $3.3 million.  See full release.

The Department of Food Processing and Harvesting Technology has recommended the construction of a cold storage plant in Udupi, Karnataka, India.  See full story from Food Business Review.

Diethelm, controlled by Switzerland's DKSH Group, opened a $8.8 million USD cold-storage distribution facility in the Samut Prakan province of Thailand.  See full story from The Nation.

USDA released its Cold Storage report on June 22 at 3:00 p.m. EST.  See full report.