Elli Bowen, vice president of KC SmartPort, an affiliate of KCADC, was featured in the latest issue of Freight Business Journal North America, in which she gave her insight into the rapid growth of “reefer” (refrigerated) containers and the increasing need for cold storage facilities.

While demand was already rising pre-pandemic, COVID shifted the industry into overdrive, with increases in e-commerce and online grocery solutions, as well as the logistics surrounding vaccine distribution.

“We knew we needed to come up with a solution to meet the demand of customers who had no choice but to find existing inventory,” says Bowen.

Bowen notes that Kansas City is stepping up to this need, offering solutions like Colliers' 167,000-sq.-ft. Kansas City Cold Storage Logistics Center in Liberty, Missouri, planned to break ground in July 2021.

Read the full article, or learn more about KC SmartPort’s business attraction efforts.