Maritime Economic Development: Georgia
Georgia: PortFresh Delivering New Chilled Cargo Logistics Capacity
Georgia-based PortFresh Logistics plans to build a 100,000-square-foot cold treatment facility dedicated to perishable cargoes imported through the Port of Savannah.
"Using the Port of Savannah offers significant time and money savings per container for areas throughout the Southeast region," said PortFresh Logistics CEO Brian Kastick. "We believe the growing population of the U.S. Southeast, government policy changes and perishable industry consolidation will break open significant pent-up demand for the new perishable supply chain gateway built around the Port of Savannah."
Slated to open in late summer 2016, the facility will be located on 20 acres off Interstate 16, seven miles from Interstate 95 and 15 miles from Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden State Terminal.
"We are proud to welcome PortFresh Logistics to the community of service providers supporting customers at the Port of Savannah," said Georgia Ports Authority Incoming Executive Director Griff Lynch. "Perishable foods are an important growth sector for the GPA."
Designed to allow multiple climate zones and engineered to maintain cold chain integrity, the PortFresh Logistics facility will handle both import and export cargo in a manner aimed at ensuring delivery of the freshest and safest produce from the port to the customer.
The additional capacity will strengthen Savannah’s new role as an entry point for South American produce. Citrus, avocados, blueberries and other products are already moving through the port. The GPA hopes to grow that portfolio.
"This project will create 40 full-time jobs when it opens in the third quarter of 2016 and more than 75 full-time jobs by the fourth year of operation," said John Henry, CEO of the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority. "It will also help Effingham County open a new section of the Coastline site (160+ acres) to the market and it will create an immediate attraction for other companies on the site adjacent to Interstate 16."
Mr. Henry said PortFresh Logistics will contribute $1.5 million annually in local taxes and nearly $5 million total in local, state and payroll taxes. The development has been made possible, in part, by a $400,000 OneGeorgia grant to the Effingham IDA to help cover the cost of laying water and sewer lines to the area of the site.
Schematic of the 100,000 square-foot facility cold treatment PortFresh Logistics is constructing 15 miles from the Port of Savannah's Garden City Terminal.
Source PortFresh Logistics