Taking Agile Cold Storage to New Heights

Announcing a 125′ ASRS Expansion to their Gainesville Facility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 4, 2023

Gainesville, Georgia: Agile Cold Storage announced today the addition of a 116,000 SF ASRS (automated storage retrieval system) to the Gainesville, GA facility. The 125-foot ASRS structure allows for high-density storage, maximizing overall distribution volumes. This state-of-the-art system uses software controlled robotic stacker cranes and pallet moles to store, relocate, and retrieve product throughout the sub-zero, cold storage high-bay warehouse. The robotic system addition will increase the facility’s ability to operate at maximum efficiency and increase overall productivity. This milestone is a major move for Agile Cold Storage on its mission to meet client’s cold storage and distribution needs.

“We are thrilled to open our first automated building alongside our facility in Gainesville,” said Agile President and CEO, Don Schoenl. “We are focused on long-term investments, partnering with superior manufacturers and hiring and training the best employees.”

“We’re excited to partner with Agile Cold Storage as the builder on this project. The addition of the ASRS to their Gainesville facility will be a great supplement to our growing portfolio of ASRS projects, utilizing the latest technology in automated storage,” stated Dan Powers, President and CEO of Fisher Construction Group.

Alliance Freeze dry Group’s facility will be the largest freeze-dry pet food facility in North America

State-of-the-art facility investments in the Lynden, Washington Community

Lynden, Washington—Friday, October 21, 2022—Fisher Construction Group and Alliance Freeze Dry Group (AFD Group) hosted a Commencement Ceremony to announce AFD Group’s new, state-of-the art 200,000 SF freeze-dry pet food and treat facility.

As North America’s largest integrated freeze-drying producers specializing in pet food and treats, AFD Group’s subsidiary, Canature Kitchen Ltd. is expanding with the company’s largest expansion to date. Not to mention, this project will be the largest freeze-dried pet food factory in North America. The facility is expected to be fully operational in 2024.

Chris Lang, Vice President of Operations for Fisher Construction Group stated, “This project is the first of it’s kind in the United States, using sustainable materials and practices. This is a project we can all be very proud of.” The project will be utilizing recycled concrete, recycled steel, and high-energy preserving insulation and building materials.

This facility will help meet increasing demands for healthier pet food products from consumers across North America. Focusing on environmental protection and sustainability, the plant will operate with an automated storage retrieval warehouse for high-efficiency storage. It will also feature a freeze-drying sector, and a processing/packaging area with advanced technology and automated production lines.

Ocean Tang, Senior Vice President of ADW Acosta proudly announced at the ceremony, “Costco’s senior executive has just confirmed approval this week that the Beef Liver Treats will be at all 551 Costco’s across the country.” Making it a major milestone for both AFD Group and ADW Acosta to celebrate. The facility will produce 4,000 metric tons of product annually, once fully operational.

“Since we started this project we have received the support of all of Lynden. Together we will make a beautiful and bright future,” Gary Xu, President of AFD Group stated at the Commencement Ceremony.

Mayor Scott Korthuis, City of Lynden Mayor stated during the ceremony, “Lynden has an outstanding portfolio of successful businesses and industries within our community. We are excited to add Canature Kitchen to that list. This is a great moment for all of us.” Once completed, the facility will provide 74 new job opportunities.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 4, 2021, Las Vegas, Nevada – The Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA), a Core Partner of the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), announced Fisher Construction Group as the recipient of the 2021 CEBA Built by the Best Award for their project with United States Cold Storage. The award recipient was unveiled during the Closing General Session of the 41st CEBA Conference and Expo by CEBA Chairmen Vince Free and Marko Dzeletovich.
“Fisher is honored to be recognized by the industry to receive the 2021 CEBA Built by the Best Award,” said Scott Guimond, Partner and Project Manager for Fisher Construction Group. “We are immensely proud of the Fisher team, our partner United States Cold Storage, and all the CEBA suppliers who worked in partnership to design and construct this innovative facility.”
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.
“Fisher, along with all of CEBA members on the project, created an amazing warehouse and showcase for our company,” said Mike Adkins, Engineering Manager for United States Cold Storage. “We look forward to our continued partnership with the cold storage industry as we continue to grow with everyone’s help.”
This year there was a record number of seven finalists for the award. The 2021 CEBA Built by the Best Award finalists included:

ARCO Design/Build
Project: Cold storage and food processing facility for MTC Logistics

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

Primus Builders, Inc.
Project: Processing facility expansion for Case Farms

Sistemas de Refrigeración Totales (SRT)
Project: Distribution center for Mexideli

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

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

Additional information on all the finalist projects can be found here.
Each of the finalists presented their projects during the CEBA Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada this week. CEBA members are true experts in building the cold chain. To recognize their tremendous expertise, the CEBA Built by the Best Award was launched in 2016. The award acknowledges project teams moving the industry forward in the design and construction of temperature-controlled facilities.

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Contact: Meghan Rodgers, Vice President of Public Relations & Industry Affairs, Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) mrodgers@gcca.org, +1 703-373-4300

About the Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA): Founded in 1978, the Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA) represents the expert builders who specialize in the design and construction of controlled environment buildings, including cold storage warehouses, food processing facilities, clean rooms, pharmaceutical facilities, and foodservice and retail distribution centers. CEBA is where anyone looking to build, renovate, or modernize a first-rate, innovative facility comes to find the most experienced designers, contractors, and manufacturers and suppliers. CEBA is a Core Partner of the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA). Learn more at www.gcca.org.

About the Global Cold Chain Alliance: Comprised of its Core Partners, including the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW), the World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO), the International Refrigerated Transportation Association (IRTA), and the Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA), the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) represents all major industries engaged in temperature-controlled logistics. GCCA unites all partners to be innovative leaders in the temperature-controlled products industry. For more information, visit www.GCCA.org or contact mrodgers@gcca.org.

Fisher’s Architectural and Engineering team headed out to the trails last week to help improve the already much-loved trail system at the Port of Skagit property surrounding the Skagit Airport. The group of 12 from Fisher’s Burlington office installed three exercise stations adjacent to the trail running along Higgins Airport Way.
The A & E team installed three outdoor exercise stations designed to enhance trail workouts with incline sit-ups, triceps dips, leg stretches, angled climbing, and pushup dips. With the help of Port of Skagit equipment and personnel, the team prepared the area around the stations, attached each piece to the Port prepared foundations and assembled the equipment. As with any piece of equipment that arrives in a box, let us tell you it was valuable to have several engineers on hand to decipher the limited assembly instructions.
Led by Jennifer Johnson, PE, the Fisher’s A&E Team’s Service Committee’s mission is to be involved in the local community even as they are hopping on planes weekly to work on Fisher’s projects both local and scattered across the US. The team first earmarked their involvement in this project for the Port of Skagit over a year ago and remained in contact with the Port as managers worked through the procurement process for the equipment. Johnson and her team were ready and organized once the equipment arrived and the Port team had prepared foundations and staged the equipment. This project was particularly personal as several Fisher Construction Group employees use the trails for exercise.
When finished, the brightly painted pieces of equipment reminded the team of hanging out on the monkey bars in grade school and many took the challenge to test their core strength. In appreciation of their efforts, the Port prepared a lunch of burgers and salads which was gratefully accepted after the all-out effort. Several more stations are scheduled for installation in the fall and members of the A&E team are interested in returning.
Active since 2017, Fisher’s A & E Service Team identifies community service projects and pools their physical and professional talents to accomplish them. Past projects include designing and building an outdoor shelter at Mount Vernon’s Friendship House, setting up for the Highland Games, trail clean-up at the Noah Animal Shelter near Conway, and planting garlic for Growing Veterans in Lynden.
To learn more about the Port of Skagit’s nearly 10 miles of nature trails, check out their website at: https://portofskagit.com/your-port/nature-trails/

NewCold Continues to Transform the Cold Store Industry with New Facility and Expands Partnership with Conagra Brands

State-of-the-art facility brings significant investment to Lebanon, Indianapolis

Chicago, Illinois—Friday, November 13, 2020—Pioneering Netherlands-based cold chain logistics company, NewCold, is pleased to announce that it is investing in a new, state-of-the art facility and expanding its existing customer partnership with Conagra Brands, one of North America’s leading branded food companies.

NewCold will build and operate an advanced, large-scale automated cold store facility which will be the biggest in Indiana and one of the largest in the United States. It is approximately half the size of the mammoth Lucas Oil stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. At 141 feet high (43 meters), the facility holds over 100,000 pallet positions.

Lebanon, Ind., facility will be NewCold’s third facility in the U.S., including an existing presence in Tacoma, Wash., and Burley, Idaho. Scheduled to be operational in 2022, the US$150 million facility is expected to create 150-200 new jobs.

Bram Hage, Founder and CEO of NewCold said: “It is very pleasing to see our continued growth in North America as we seek to build a long-term strategic relationship with Conagra, built on mutual trust. Our robust global pipeline includes the delivery of at least six new capital projects, as we continue to develop multiple large-scale automated facilities across Europe, Australia and North America. This momentum confirms a very positive future for customers and an innovation boost for the industry.”

Craig Weiss, Sr. Vice President of Supply Chain and Chief Transformation Officer for Conagra Brands said: “At Conagra Brands, we’re modernizing our distribution network infrastructure as part of our overall supply chain strategy. We’re partnering with NewCold to develop a new, state-of-the-art distribution center that will support our growing frozen business so we can better meet the needs of our customers and consumers.”

Jonas Swarttouw, VP, Customer & Business Development for NewCold in North America, said: “Collaborating with respected partners like Conagra drives our success, as we share an ambition to transform the industry and reimagine the global food supply chain. As we continue to expand our North American presence, we support local communities in efforts to foster economic growth and create high-quality employment opportunities. The NewCold team at our Chicago Regional HQ will be leading the development, implementation and start-up of the operation, in close cooperation with our partners and stakeholders.”

If you grew up in the Skagit area, you probably have fond memories of the Lyric Theater on Mount Vernon’s riverfront. In 2018-19 Fisher Construction Group began working with District Brewing to renovate the landmark property, completing it in March 2020. We are so happy to see their vision and our work honored with the 2020 Goldfinch Award for the renovation of historic spaces. If you haven’t yet visited District for brews and pizza you are in for a treat. Read more about the project at: https://www.downtownmountvernon.org/…/district-brewing… and District Brewing

Fisher Construction Group has completed agreements to acquire the assets of All Surface Roofing & Waterproofing of Spokane. The new division will be called Fisher Roofing Services. All Surface’s parent company of Santa Ana, CA is not part of the acquisition, and will continue operating as a separate company.

Fisher Roofing Services is led by Darrell Kidwell, a roofing professional with 20 years of experience. The new Fisher division will perform a full range of commercial roofing services which includes installation all types of roofs along with maintenance, warranty and emergency repair. Fisher Roofing Services will operate out of their current offices on N. Florida Street and will move into Fisher Construction Group’s Spokane office near the airport within the year. Kidwell and his staff can be reached at 509.413.2849.

Fisher Roofing Services offers commercial customers the following services:
– New Construction Roofing
– Re-roof and Preventive Maintenance Programs
– 24 hr. Emergency Repair

Fisher Roofing Services handles all types of roof systems including:
– Low and Steep Slope
– TPO, PVC, EPDM, Built-Up, and Fluid Applied Membrane Systems

– Architectural Asphalt and Sheet Metal Roofing, Tile, Slate, Synthetic, Cedar Shake and Shingle

Fisher Roofing Services is licensed in most Western states as well as Louisiana, North Dakota, Indiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Alaska, with the ability to quickly license in any US location as needed.

As well as Spokane, Fisher Construction Group has offices in Burlington and Vancouver, Washington. Incorporated in the State of Washington since 1975, Fisher has completed projects across the US and Canada, with currently active projects in Alaska, Georgia, Indiana, Virginia, California, and throughout the Pacific Northwest.

“We are pleased to have Darrell and his team join Fisher Construction Group. Our company has been working with Darrell for years, and we know the quality work this group will add to the line of integrated construction services we offer our clients both during construction and for the lifecycle of their facilities,” says Dan Powers, President and CEO of Fisher Construction Group.

It is said a person has two hands.  The first for helping themselves, the second for helping others.

And every few months, Fisher’s Architectural and Engineering team lends their hands to help others.  Last week, the team contributed another great effort. In this case, they performed work on behalf of the NOAH Center (Northwest Organization for Animal Help) in Stanwood, WA – helping those with cold noses, warm hearts, expressive eyes, and busy little paws.

Armed with shovels, rakes, pitchforks and wheelbarrows, the A&E team met early Thursday morning and promptly began distributing bark chips across a developing trail system which the no-kill animal shelter is expanding for both volunteer and public dog walkers.

While the section worked on was only half a mile in length, personally-worn fitness devices revealed the number of cart loads dispersed across the trail system translated into 8 – 12 miles of walking by every team member – all while negotiating moderate hills, curves, and heavy wheelbarrows pushing through damp land.

Every team member took turns pitchforking the chips into wheelbarrows, walking the loads across the trail system, and spreading the chips.  And all non-canine panting was performed through Covid-19 masks!

This hard work was promptly rewarded as various dogs were walked along the trail as the team toiled.  Gratitude was given in cuddles, smiles, wagging tails, and whole-hearted enthusiasm for an enhanced walking experience.

The Fisher team is proud to have performed this service – and would like to thank the NOAH Center for allowing us this opportunity, and Kemp West for supplying the chips on behalf of the NOAH Center.

It isn’t a secret. We’re big fans of the foods (and beverages) our clients produce. With the first holiday of summer coming up, we challenged our employees to to send recipes and pictures of their culinary specialties using our clients’ products. Be careful… you’ll be hungry after checking out the recipes on our customer’s websites. Get started with some of our team’s favorites highlighted below. Did someone say bacon flavored ice cream?

Fisher Construction Group recently announced crews have began construction on a new office in Vancouver, Washington. The project is located at 3200 NW 38th Circle in the Port of Vancouver.

When complete, the new office and shop will replace the company’s current offices in Hazel Dell. The Port sold the 2.28 acres in Centennial Industrial Park to Fisher Construction Group in 2019. Since opening an office in Vancouver in 2018, Fisher Construction Group has grown operations in Vancouver to 35+ employees with the expectation that 75 site and field employees will be working out of the Vancouver office five years from now.

“A new office in the Vancouver area has been in the planning stages for the last year and a half. We are pleased to seize this window of opportunity to keep our crews busy and expand our vision for operations in Vancouver,” says Dan Powers, President and CEO of Fisher Construction Group.

As one of the Pacific Northwest’s first design-build firms, Fisher’s in-house architectural team designed the 12,400 sf two-story office building. Showcasing construction techniques and materials often used on Fisher projects, the steel-frame building will be clad with insulated metal panels and feature concrete panel accents. The new office and shop are expected to be completed in early 2021.

Fisher’s home office is in Burlington, Washington. The company also has an office in Spokane, Washington. Incorporated in the State of Washington since 1979, Fisher has completed projects across the US and Canada, with currently active projects in Alaska, Georgia, Virginia, California, and throughout the Pacific Northwest.