Cleveland Cold Storage Fills a Need in Ohio

Cleveland Cold Storage is a 156,000 square-foot freezer that is under development for the Opportunity Corridor in Cleveland, Ohio. This state-of-the-art storage facility is the first development in the Corridor and has been in consideration for several years as a solution for food storage needs in the region.

The food industry is an emerging ecosystem in northeast Ohio. Cleveland Cold Storage offers a solution for food companies in Ohio and the surrounding areas that are looking to freeze a high volume of products. This facility will not only provide a solution for business needs but also create jobs as part of the Opportunity Corridor. Cleveland Cold Storage will attract even more food business to the region while supporting established local and regional companies in need of a cold storage solution to minimize cost and reduce travel.

After conversations between President and CEO of Orlando Baking Company John A. Orlando, Nick Pacitti—a 40-year veteran of the food industry, and CBRE executive Howard Lichtig about the overall need for a cold storage facility in Northeast Ohio, the team got to work on a plan to build a facility of their own. They ultimately selected Northeast Ohio because of its location, infrastructure, highly skilled talent pool, and the support they received from Ohio partners.

Cleveland Cold Storage became a reality with support and investment from JobsOhio and other Ohio partners. The project is supported by a $2 million investment from JobsOhio as part of the Ohio Site Inventory Program (OSIP), a program to fill gaps in Ohio’s real estate inventory and support speculative site and building development projects. Cuyahoga County, TeamNEO, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, and the city of Cleveland also provided support for the storage facility.

Weston, a Cleveland-Based industrial property owner, is constructing the facility with Orlando Baking Company using 20–25 percent of the facility’s space as the anchor tenant, while the rest of the facility will be rented to other food companies. Orlando Baking Company is a Cleveland staple in the food industry and needed to expand its storage space.

“Our goal was to focus on an individual cold chain corridor that could leverage the region’s food advantages, while keeping costs low and providing highly responsive services for customers and their customers,” said Nick Pacitti, Head of Sales, Cleveland Cold Storage. “In improving responsiveness and resiliency, Cleveland Cold Storage will focus on selected producers, products and customized transportation solutions in developing a highly efficient cold storage and distribution program nationwide.”

Cleveland Cold Storage is the first development in the Opportunity Corridor, and positions Northeast Ohio to be a major link in the supply chain for food manufacturing and processing companies. “Orlando Baking Company’s expansion demonstrates how Ohio is prepared to fill the growing need for cold food storage space in the United States,” said Terry Slaybaugh, Vice President of Sites and Infrastructure at JobsOhio. “The new refrigerated space will attract food processing companies and promote future development along the Opportunity Corridor.”

JobsOhio is hard at work to find sites and buildings for businesses looking to grow or build in Ohio. Learn more on how to put Ohio’s cold storage to work for your business.