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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Americold Realty Trust Expands Russellville, Arkansas, Cold Storage-Distribution Facility

06/29/2021
Americold Realty Trust, a global leader in integrated temperature-controlled warehousing and transportation solutions for the food industry, will expand its operations in Russellville, Arkansas. The $84 million project is expected to create 30 new jobs.

Construction started on a new 131,000-square-foot state-of-the-art cold storage and distribution facility at its existing Russellville site, which currently employs more than 70 full-time employees. The company plans to complete the facility by the end of 2022.

“We are excited to expand our presence in the state of Arkansas,” said Fred Boehler, President and CEO of Americold. “The Russellville facility will be highly automated to provide mission critical, long term infrastructure for one of our top tier strategic customers and one of North America's leading branded food companies.”

Americold has entered a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement as an incentive with the city of Russellville to abate up to 65 percent of property taxes for 20 years. The company also qualified for the AEDC Advantage Arkansas Program, which provides state income tax credit for job creation based on the number of new employees hired as a result of the project, and the AEDC Tax Back Program, which provides sales tax refunds on building materials, taxable machinery, and equipment associated with the project.

“It is always a great day when one of our companies decides to continue investing in our communities and our economy, especially when that company is as familiar with Arkansas as Americold is,” Secretary of Commerce and Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) Mike Preston said.

The new facility will feature high-bay automation to maximize footprint efficiency and lower energy costs. With this expansion, Americold will add 13 million cubic feet to the facility, creating approximately 42,000 pallet positions for product storage. This facility will be built to suit the operational needs of one of Americold’s top-tier clients, Conagra Brands.

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