Site selected and construction to break ground this spring
Jan. 21, 2021 – Albert Lea, MN – JCW Development, LLC, a nation-wide real estate and property development company, announced Albert Lea, Minn., has been selected as the future home for Vortex Cold Storage, LLC.
Vortex Cold Storage will provide 170,000 square feet of state-of-the art temperature controlled Safe Quality Food Certified (SQF) storage, with available temperatures ranging from 40 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. The facility will also provide fully customizable warehouse services, including a secure gated yard and trailer storage.
“When the Vortex Cold Storage project was still just a concept, a team of experts came together to research sites, begin conceptual design, and source local food companies to commit to the facility,” explained Ben Westra, president of JCW Development. “The entire Vortex team is thankful for our new partnership with the State of Minnesota, City of Albert Lea, Albert Lea Economic Development Agency and Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services, and for their collective help to bring this world-class facility into existence.”
Interest has been strong from the regional food manufacturing and processing community, and securing tenants for the cold storage facility is underway. Groundbreaking will occur in Spring 2021 with an estimated completion date of late 2021.
Vortex Cold Storage will ease the pressure in the southern Minnesota region on an aging and fullto-capacity frozen supply chain. Nearly 48% of existing cold storage facilities were built before 1980. Strategically located at the intersection of interstates 90 and 35, Vortex Cold Storage will apply state-of-the art technology and facility design to bring valuable storage capacity to the food businesses of southern Minnesota and the Albert Lea community.
Mayor Vern Rasmussen of the City of Albert Lea is thrilled to announce this project and believes Albert Lea is well positioned to make this project a success.
“Working with Vortex Cold Storage and the JCW Development teams has been an absolute pleasure and I am confident that we are not only getting a great new business but a community partner as well.
None of this would have been possible without the amazing partnerships that we have developed within Albert Lea. The City of Albert Lea, Albert Lea Economic Development Agency, and Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services all came together to see this project through. Based on initial growth of up to 26 jobs and the vast project scope, our organizations offered several different incentives-including, tax increment financing, tax abatement, as well as a land price reduction.
This is yet another example in a year riddled with uncertainty, that Albert Lea is headed in the right direction and has strong leadership and partnerships in place to move the city forward.”
For additional information on Vortex Cold Storage visit www.vortexcoldstorage.com. or contact Vortex Cold Storage at info@vortexcoldstorage.com, or JCW at 920-284-5385.