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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 F E B R UA R Y 1 0 , 2 0 2 5 F O C U S C O M M E R C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T a facility operated by Taylor Logistics Inc., an Ohio-based family-owned firm. e 106,000-square-foot facility boasts 21,000 pallet positions, 85,500 square feet of storage and more than 13 loading dock bays connected to the marine termina via a private road. Taylor Logistics' value- added services range from transportation management to "case-picking," which entails selecting individual cases or car- tons to ship as a combined unit. "Everybody assumes that it's only storage, but really, it's logistics," Eivind Dueland, a senior vice president at Amber Infrastructure, says during an interview in the room-temperature office section of the building. "To be successful, this facil- ity is not about bringing in product and then moving it out after a year. It's about moving product through the facility — and by making transportation of that product more efficient for our customers." While Amber won't have a hand in the day-to-day operations, it has a 30-year lease agreement with the Maine Port Authority that can be extended up to 50 years. "We're not a typical real estate inves- tor that buys, develops and quickly flips the property," Dueland says. "We are an infrastructure investor with a long-term time horizon." Taylor Logistics expects to employ more than 20 people at the facility, according to Will Roberson, the com- pany's president. Customers are lined up from Day One, he notes, without dis- closing who and how many – only that it "won't be an overwhelming number." e intention, he says, is to "ramp it up" in a smart and purposeful way. As it does so, Jasper Wyman & Son, a Milbridge-based producer of wild blueberries and blueberry products, will be watching to see how things evolve. While the company has no plans for now to use the facility, "the additional cold storage in Portland is a great option, and one that we would consider for the future if it makes sense for our business," says spokeswoman Colleen Craig. High expectations e facility would bring more inter- national business to the International Marine Terminal. "Until now, the available cold storage options have predominantly been out of state, meaning that anyone looking to ship frozen goods internationally, to and from Portland, has had to factor in significant drayage [additional trans- portation] costs to access storage," says Chelsea Pettingill, interim executive director of the Maine Port Authority. For many shippers, this has often meant it was more economical to use ports like Boston and New York and New Jersey. Strategically located close to Maine's two highways, the Portland International Jetport as well as a rail spur connecting into CSX's North American rail network, the new facility "creates a hub with a vari- ety of transportation options," she says. Eimskip, which reports "good volume" this year on its Green Line transatlantic route, anticipates benefits for both its European customers able to store frozen imports in Portland for U.S. distribution as well as export containers that get shipped overseas. "is new cold storage can only grow our business," says Gylfi Sigfússon, president and CEO of Eimskip USA. He looks forward to drumming up more business next month from European visitors coming for the Boston Seafood Show. Without naming names, he says they're "interested in ocean transporta- tion, storage and distribution opportuni- ties to and from the IMT." It's not just big corporate enter- prises that are expected to use the new warehouse and distribution center, but also smaller businesses seeking to lower costs, according to Janine Bisaillon-Cary, Maine's former top foreign trade official now leading a food-business accelera- tor program at the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs. "is development offers Maine food producers and seafood companies from both local and rural communities a valuable chance to reduce expenses on trucking, storage and drayage, especially during a period of rising costs," she says. Seafood — mainly fish — will, in fact, be one of the first large-scale products inside the new facility, along with dairy, and then fruit and vegetables shortly after that. Even if they're sourced from all of Maine's 7,000-plus farms, there's no shortage of space. Renee Cordes, Mainebiz deputy editor, can be reached at rcordes @ mainebiz.biz UL certified quality & certified assembler apprentice program Ability to accommodate scope & schedule changes Valued Partner. Trusted Employer. Enhanced safety, ergonomics & reduced site waste Greater efficiency of installations by skilled workforce onsite Advanced technology & lean construction methods P R E F A B R I C A T I O N Interstate: Innovation & Excellence in Prefabrication Prefabrication is the cornerstone of Interstate's lean construction strategy. Our UL Certified 100,000 sq. ft. Operations Center incorporate innovative disciplines, expertise and technology that encompasses state-of-the-art electrical assembly. MASSACHUSET TS | CONNEC TICUT | RHODE ISLAND NEW HAMPSHIRE | MAINE | VERMONT 855.500.IESC | www.iesc1.com "...N.O.D.'S PROFESSIONALISM AND CONSTANT COMMUNICATION MADE WORKING THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT ESPECIALLY EASY... WE COULDN'T BE HAPPIER WITH THE EASE OF DOING BUSINESS" - KEVIN KELLY, PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER - DOWNEAST TOYOTA (207) 989-7400 www.nickoday.com Until now, the available cold storage options have predominantly been out of state. — Chelsea Pettingill Maine Port Authority

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