Global Cold Chain Alliance

General sessions at the CEBA Conference & Expo provide attendees a thorough look at the latest innovations in controlled environment design and building. This year’s conference will include presentations from the finalists of the CEBA Built by the Best Award enabling attendees to gain valuable insights from industry experts being the next generation of facilities for warehouses and food companies.

Opening General Session | Wednesday, November 3 | 9:00a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Built by the Best Award – Finalist Presentation – ESI Group USA

Project: Performance Food Group (PFG) / Reinhart Foodservice Food Distribution Center

Presenter: Tim Nguyen, Senior Vice President, ESI Group USA

ESI Group USA was signed by Reinhart Foodservice (now Performance Food Group) under a design-build contract to construct a 243,000sf greenfield food distribution center. The facility contains a refrigeration equipment skid package, dry grocery receiving office, perishable food receiving office, an operations and transportation office as well as a product demonstration kitchen, administrative/executive office areas and accessory buildings for fleet maintenance totaling another 16,50sq.

General Session II | Wednesday, November 3 | 11:15am-12:15pm

Built By the Best Award – Finalist Presentation – ARCO Design/Build

Project: Cold storage and food processing facility for MTC Logistics

Presenter: Brian Osterloh, Vice President, ARCO Design/Build Atlanta BTS, Josh Cronan, Vice President, ARCO Design/Build Altlanta CLS Division, Jake Stefan, CEO, ARCO Design/Build Atlanta BTS, Ed Cates, Director of Marketing, ARCO Design/Build, Curt Edmisten, Director of Engineering, MTC Logistics

When MTC Logistics wanted to add a Southeastern poultry distribution center in Mobile, AL, it turned to ARCO Design/Build as it had previously constructed two successful facilities for the company. The 295,761sf cold storage and food processing facility was completed in March 2021. It features an ALTA Refrigeration EXPERT system, 42,000 pallet positions of Flexspace 360 mobile racking with a clear height of 50 feet 7 inches. The facility also includes 23,072sf of -20 degree F QuickFreeze technology with the capacity to blast freeze over 1 million pounds of poultry per day. The facility also contains a USDA inspection site and embedded mobile rack rails spanning nearly two miles.

Built By the Best Award – Finalist Presentation – Primus Builders, Inc.

Project: Processing facility expansion for Case Farms

Presenters: Tony Dembickie, Director of Construction, Primus Builders | Michael Jones – President, Primus Design Services, LLC, |Ryan Jennings – Primus Solutions Project, Primus

Case Farms selected Primus Builders to expand an existing processing facility. The two phases of the expansion, which were undertaken simultaneously, include the addition of a 36,000sf chicken processing facility area with interstitial space, a new engine room, an access corridor, processing utility areas, a 138,000sf cold storage warehouse, -33 degree F automated carton freezing solution, a wet cooler dock, -10 degree F storage freezer, a loading dock and additional support spaces and office space. They also incorporated sustainable plumbing, lighting, and a reflective roof as well as an automated carton freezing solution, conveyors, palletizers and an automated wrapping component.

General Session III | Thursday, November 4 | 9:30a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Built By the Best Award – Finalist Presentation – Tippmann Innovation

Project: Meat processing and distribution facility for Nor-Am Cold Storage

Presenter: Rob Adams, Principle, Tippmann Innovation

Nor-Am Cold Storage brought on Tippmann Innovation (TI) to build a state-of-the-art, 148,000sf meat processing and distribution facility. The plant contains more than 17,000 pallet positions of storage space as well as an energy efficient QFM In-Rack Freezing System. TI helped Nor-Am integrate a new BRC-certified pet food processing sector into the facility, which works in conjunction with the adjacent freezer facility. The pet food processing facility contains DSI plate freezing equipment for accelerated freezing of large quantities of product. TI also made sure sustainable elements were a focus, designing an energy efficient facility at every point. They added motion sensor lighting, top-of-the-line processing equipment and created an energy-efficient refrigeration room.

Built By the Best Award – Finalist Presentation – Sistemas de Refrigeracion Totales (SRT)

Project: Distribution Center for Mexideli

Presenter: David Rios Garcia, General Director, Sistemas de Refrigeracion Totales (SRT)

Sistemas de Refrigeración Totales (SRT) was hired to design/build a distribution center in Mexico City, Mexico, to include process areas, storage warehouses for frozen and refrigerated products, a warehouse for dry products and household goods in a single work point. SRT added a Transcritical CO₂ natural cooling system—the only one in Mexico City—to offer better energy efficiency. It has a 420TR total cooling system capacity, a variable speed compressor rack and booster arrangement. Additionally, a CO₂ detection security system was installed. Other energy-efficient measures include state-of-the-art LED lighting with motion sensors, a 24/7 temperature monitoring system to record and store temperature data; and a heating recovery system through exchangers installed in the compressor racks.

Closing General Session & Luncheon | Thursday, November 4 | 11:45am-1:30pm

Built By the Best Award – Finalist Presentation – Williams Company

Project: Sysco Nashville Freezer, Cooler/Cold Dock Renovation and Expansion

Presenters: Drew Broderick, Senior Project Manager, Williams Company, Colin Williams, Project Manager, Williams Company, Leo A Daly Architects, Taylor Cherry, Senior Project Manager, Sysco

The Williams Company became involved in the Sysco Nashville Freezer cooler and cold dock renovation and expansion project after the Sysco facility was hit by a tornado in March 2020 that collapsed the freezer portion of the structure and compromised the exterior IMP skin. The Williams Company constructed a new 158,000sf cooler, freezer and cold dock that included a higher deck elevation to facilitate more storage at 35-foot racking heights. The new facility includes 55,825 square feet of cooler with four unique temperature zones including a 35 degree F cold dock, a 76,847-square-foot 0 degree F freezer that includes a 3,835-square-foot -20 degree F ice cream freezer. Using an existing rail dock that was previously used for storage and battery charging, The Williams Company created a 1,100-square-foot tornado shelter for employees.

Built By the Best Award – Finalist Presentation – Fisher Construction Group

Project: Fully automated warehouse for United States Cold Storage

Presenters: Scott Guimond, Partner & Senior Project Manager, Fisher Construction Group, Juan Arellano, Project Manager, Fisher Construction Group

United States Cold Storage McDonough-Medline is the company’s newest fully automated, state-of-the-art warehouse, done by design-build firm Fisher Construction Group. The ASRS high bay footprint is approximately 147,000sf and is comprised of two areas separated by a 5-inch IMP demising wall, allowing each space to operate independently. It is designed for -20 degree F to 55 degree F in the storage spaces and also has a 32 degree F to 55 degree F processing space. The project contains approximately 253,000sf of space offered to local operations teams comprised of various mezzanines, specialty spaces and docks depending on end-user needs. This includes 14,944,285cf of storage and 47,000 pallet positions. Additionally, the facility includes nearly 67,000sf of leased processing space, 11,000sf of new office space along with a production mezzanine and palletizing and bagging areas.

Learn more about the CEBA Built by the Best Award here.