Hello Cold Chain Colleagues,
I hope everyone had a great summer. It was an incredibly productive one for US Cold.
For more than a year, we have talked about breaking ground, completing expansions, bringing new capacity online, and building for the future. This summer, much of that work became reality. As we head into the fall, I want to take a moment to recognize just how much our teams accomplished and the momentum we have created across the company.
That progress was especially evident in technology, where Phenix had one of its biggest summers yet. Our Phenix as a Self Service (PaSS) conversions reached new milestones, including our largest pallet-count conversion to date in Fort Worth, with more than 15,000 pallets. Over the course of the summer, we transitioned approximately 40 customers and more than 50,000 pallets onto Phenix.
Those efforts have brought us to an important turning point: we now have more customers operating on Phenix than on our legacy system. Most recently Tracy, CA, and Syracuse, UT, are now fully converted, ten additional facilities are currently progressing through their PaSS projects. Heading into next year, we will have just six facilities remaining. Once those are complete, Phenix will be fully deployed company wide.
We also reached an important technical milestone with Hebron, IN, becoming our first fully automated facility integrated with Phenix. Bethlehem, one of our most complex operations, is now code complete and ramping up and integrating with our latest automated layer pick solution which will be complete in the fourth quarter.
With Phenix conversions nearing completion, we are already redirecting resources toward the next generation of Phenix capabilities.
Our Phenix Warehouse Execution System gives US Cold something off-the-shelf systems simply cannot: a modern, stable platform designed around our business, with the flexibility to integrate broadly with third-party technology and take advantage of emerging capabilities such as AI. We are already building on that foundation. Our yard management and appointment scheduling modules are being enhanced and expanded now, with completion by year-end. At the same time, users will continue to see improvements to Phenix’s core modules and faster turnaround on future enhancements.
We also have a major sustainability milestone to celebrate in Fresno, CA, where our new solar installation is officially online. Once fully ramped, it is expected to provide approximately 70 percent of the facility’s power. What makes this achievement even more meaningful is the transformation behind it. The 20-acre site required significant environmental remediation, and today that same land is helping generate clean energy. This accomplishment was years in the making. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who helped make it happen.
I also want to recognize our team in Covington, TN. I visited in August to celebrate their Warehouse of the Year award from Magnum Ice Cream, and the facility looked fantastic. The team was energized, the operation was running well, and the pride they take in serving our customers was evident throughout the facility. It was a great example of the ownership and commitment our teams exhibit across US Cold.
This has been an exceptionally busy year of openings, expansions, conversions, and customer transitions, and we are now moving into an exciting new phase. A few significant transitions remain, particularly in the Northeast, and next year we will bring additional expansions online while completing account transitions in Wilmington, IL, and McDonough 1, and McDonough 2 in Georgia.
The tremendous amount of work completed this year is positioning us for a more focused 2027, with greater opportunity to accelerate day-to-day execution, strengthen our operations, and move key initiatives forward.
Before we get there, we have an important fall ahead of us. This is traditionally our busiest time of year, and our teams are well prepared. Operations has done a great job getting ready for the fall push, Logistics has positioned us well with carrier availability heading into the holidays, and we have Road Warrior capacity deployed where it is needed, with additional support ready if conditions require it.
All the best,
Larry Alderfer | President & CEO
Service Over Self
US Cold Road Warrior volunteers help operations in need, ensure seamless operational service.
In war, warriors head to where the battle is. In a competitive cold storage and logistics market, US Cold’s Road Warriors head to where the business is.
One secret to US Cold’s success is a selfless, volunteer culture of operational support. For the past 12 years, company Road Warriors—including experienced leaders, supervisors and managers across all functions—have traveled nationwide to help sister operations in need. That momentary need could involve a new operation preparing to come online in the network. It also might involve an existing site that’s transitioning to a new internal technology or preparing for a large, new customer.
US Cold estimates that nearly 750 employees (many repeating) have served in some form of a volunteer Road Warrior capacity since 2014. And what started as pure service has become a recognized designation within the company.
“We created an official Road Warrior program to highlight our incredible employees,” notes US Cold Contract Management Administrator Lindsay Hauenstein. “These individuals provide hands-on support whenever and wherever it is needed. Their willingness to share knowledge, fill critical staffing gaps, and help teammates across the organization embodies the spirit of teamwork that drives our success.”
In 2025 and 2026, several business needs have been particularly concentrated in the Midwest—involving high-growth, high-activity operations in Minooka and Wilmington, IL, as well as Hebron, IN.
David Butterfield is US Cold executive vice president, with operational responsibilities.
“It is important for US Cold as we can add experienced labor to a facility that helps us gain operational ground much quicker than relying on traditional hiring practices,” he says. “It is important to our customers because we can continue to provide service to their customers without having to shift volume around to different parts of the country. Many times, these Road Warrior employees have experience handling those specific businesses.
“Road Warriors are incentivized with an opportunity to earn more income, experience new operational skills, train newer employees—and at the same time—see different parts of the country,” he adds. “Overall, this program has been hugely successful for the USCS brand, our valued customers and for many employees.”
“We greatly appreciate the seasoned and dedicated crew members who travel all over our great country to share knowledge and safe procedures with new team members and facilities experiencing a surge”
— Dave Butterfield, EVP East
At the conclusion of each program year, US Cold identifies Road Warrior participants. These individuals receive a letter of recognition from President & CEO Larry Alderfer, in addition to a gift of appreciation for their commitment and contributions.
First-time Road Warriors receive branded jackets, with the option to have their name custom embroidered. Those Road Warriors already with jackets can select one item from a curated set of additional gift options.
All recognition gifts feature the Road Warrior logo and are shipped directly to the employee’s work location. This recognition process helps celebrate the dedication, flexibility, and support that Road Warriors provide across the organization.
“Internal support programs like Road Warrior are essential,” Hauenstein concludes. “The program connects employees across locations, builds stronger relationships, and ensures the company can respond quickly to changing business needs while it maintains exceptional service.”
Texas Two-Step
US Cold serves vibrant Dallas market with expansion and new sixth location.
Don’t look now but Texas’ “Big D” just got a little bigger! This year saw US Cold boost its Dallas-area operations with an expansion in Denton, and an entirely new location just north in Cold Creek, TX. The new Cold Creek site—operational this spring—represents US Cold’s sixth metro-area facility.
“Since 2020, the DFW metroplex has experienced remarkable growth of approximately 11%, outpacing all other top five metroplexes,” notes US Cold Area Director Toby Ritchie. “We are seeing customers consolidate logistics needs by shifting distribution points and utilizing fewer 3PL locations across the country to help manage inventory as well as volatile transportation environments.”
In addition to Denton and Cold Creek, US Cold boasts four more operations at Dallas-Cockrell Hill, Dallas-Halifax, Arlington and Fort Worth.
Texas Tech(nology): Automation in Denton
This June saw US Cold complete a 7.6-million-cubic-foot, Phase 2 addition in Denton, which is north and right in between Dallas and Ft. Worth. Highlights of the project include both an automated layer picker system, and a very narrow aisle (VNA) space served by turret trucks.
“Automation improves our efficiency, accuracy, and throughput throughout the warehouse,” says Denton General Manager Arnold Tinoco. “The VNA turret trucks allow us to maximize storage density and maintain fast access to inventory. Meanwhile, the automated layer picking system helps build customer orders more quickly and consistently. Together, these technologies reduce product handling, improve inventory accuracy, increase order fulfillment speed, and enhance our ability to meet customer demand during peak periods.
“We did this to meet growing customer demand and provide additional frozen storage capacity in the North Texas market,” he adds. “It helps support existing customers that are increasing volumes and it creates space for new business opportunities that could not previously be accommodated.”
New Name to Know: Cold Creek
Located just north of Denton is US Cold Cold Creek, which started receiving product in early March.
For the record, it’s part of a larger leased building and US Cold’s portion spans 6.5 million cubic feet with 24,949 pallet positions and cascade layer picker automation. The frozen facility has two rooms at -5°F storage and a third room at -20°F. Outside, the operation has 26 dock doors as well as a drop lot with 32 spots.
Among those promoting the new location is Tim Franciscus-Timm, US Cold Senior Manager, Business Development, South.
“Driven by rapid population growth and a strategic location, Texas continues to see rising demand,” he says. “Without a doubt, it prompted US Cold to invest and we’re excited to support the growth of our existing and new customers.”
Go the Last Mile
Bethlehem’s fleet pilots technology to model lower-emission transport.
US Cold is known for its refrigerated warehouse network, but sustainability also extends to the last mile: over-the-road, temperature-controlled transport.
Last year, US Cold’s Northeast logistics team explored a transport refrigeration unit (TRU) emissions control project in Bethlehem, PA. It involved US Cold’s company-owned fleet of transport refrigeration units that service local and regional transportation throughout eastern and central Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. These units support outbound consolidation loads and inbound moves from customer production facilities. Volume also includes inter-warehouse shuttles that help consolidate pickups for consolidated loads.
US Cold partnered with Rypos, a Franklin, MA, supplier of active diesel particulate filters (DPFs). The study covered eight trailers—including four Rypos-equipped and four control units, from June 2025 through February 25, 2026. The analysis estimated particulate matter, total hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide using workbook emission factors, converted the results to modeled CO2e, and compared the equipped trailers against a no-Rypos baseline.
Over more than 4,300 run hours, the four Rypos-equipped trailers generated a modeled CO2e reduction of 23.9 metric tons, 87.2% below the control group. The modeled emission factors were also substantially lower across key pollutants: particulate matter by approximately 90%, total hydrocarbons by approximately 80% and carbon monoxide by approximately 77%. Results were calculated using pollutant specific emission factors, and were not direct measurements of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Peter Rodriguez is US Cold’s Northeast Region Logistics Manager.
“From an operations perspective, it has been encouraging to see the potential environmental benefits associated with the Rypos installations,” he says. “One of the positive aspects of the project is that the technology was implemented without requiring significant changes to our day-to-day transportation operations. The ability to pursue emissions reductions while maintaining our existing operating model makes this an attractive opportunity as we evaluate potential expansion within our fleet.”
Rodriguez and others see the pilot as a practical step toward lower-emission refrigerated transport. US Cold is now considering how best to expand and extend the technology, using the pilot results as a guide.
“We view solutions like Rypos as a means to operationalize sustainability concepts and improve our performance in ways compatible with our core business and existing logistics innovations,” said Sara Cook, USCS Sustainable Development Manager.
“Rypos is a proven and certified technology, offering an interim solution for our TRU fleet to improve environmental performance.”
Safety Takes the Checkered Flag!
Minooka wins fourth straight “Innovators Gran Prix” company safety award.
Understandably, drivers often take the spotlight in the competitive racing world. Even so, true fans know that it’s a precision-driven team sport with 350 to more than 1,000 team members at a headquarters and between 60 to 100 people trackside on race day.
And did you know the same attention to precision and detail is just as critical in safety—as with speed? That’s why US Cold created its Innovators Gran Prix (IGP) companywide safety program. Now in its sixth year, the competition involves as many as 38 USCS coast-to-coast operations. During the calendar year, each site accumulates points based against as many as 54 key safety performance indicators.
Last year there were 1,223 total points available and USCS Minooka, IL, finished first with the maximum point total. The next finishers were USCS Wilmington, IL, in second place with 1,219 points; and Dallas (Cockrell Hill), TX, in third with 1,214 points. Officials note that last year’s IGP included new KPIs for sites to investigate incidents and develop quality, corrective actions for those incidents.
For the record, this was USCS Minooka’s fourth consecutive first-place finish and it celebrated this August with meals and gifts for all team members. Also attending were six US Cold executives including Larry Alderfer, President & CEO; Lisa Battino, Vice President, Regulatory Compliance & Safety; and David Butterfield, Executive Vice President, East.
“This is truly a site win and one of those “it-takes-a-village” types of success stories,” says Matt Reed, USCS Minooka’s General Manager. “Specifically, our IGP committee deserves all the credit. They take the organization’s talking points about safety and organically blend them into our daily actions and culture. Ultimately, the IGP is just one of many elements that have altered and improved safety at US Cold.”
Also congratulating Minooka is Ian Toomey, US Cold’s Corporate Safety & Health Specialist.
“I would attribute success to the site’s teamwork,” he says. “IGP is a large program with lots of different deliverables. Without the entire site being dedicated to the program, you will most likely fall short.”
Toomey concludes, “We really do appreciate the time and effort all the warehouses put into their safety programs—and IGP, in particular. It is always encouraging to see such a close finish for first place. It means the sites care about the program, the company, and the health and safety of their employees.”
“We also believe that being safe has many benefits that carry over into operations and ultimately to the customer. A workforce that is safe creates good morale, employees that do not miss work, and safe practices when handling the customer’s product.”
Shipping Issues? Keep Your Cool
US Cold helps cold shippers do more with less in a constrained driver market.
By its very nature, transportation quite literally is a market in motion. Additional factors—such as driver availability, regulations and fuel costs—only add to a constant state of flux.
How can temperature-controlled processor-shippers respond in today’s environment? Michael Carlisle, Senior Director, Logistics Operations, says US Cold offers solutions to help customers keep their cool, control costs and stay on schedule despite aggravating conditions.
“The refrigerated carrier market is in a constrained state because driver supply has exited the market at a faster rate than ever before. This is due to several regulatory enforcements set into action in 2025 and 2026,” he says. “It is estimated that non-domiciled and English proficiency regulations will remove 200,000 drivers from the road during this four-year period. Moreover, current tender rejections are at an all-time high—even exceeding rates experienced during the pandemic.
“Today’s overall market volume (demand) is flat while supply (driver availability) continues to decrease,” he says. “Essentially this entire transportation world is having to do more with less. This has changed the dynamic of pricing for carriers and what loads they choose to haul.”
One impacted area involves less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping.
“Today’s market no longer allows processor shippers to hire a truckload carrier for a LTL shipment,” Carlisle notes. “Now most definitely is the time for processors to review LTL loads and move them into our COLDshare Consolidation (CSC) program.”
For the record, US Cold offers frozen consolidation services (for warehouse and non-warehouse customers alike) in all five of its major shipping regions.
Meanwhile, US Cold takes a conservative transportation management approach to protect customer cargo and manage costs.
“We take an asset-based carrier procurement approach and we limit spot market exposure by limiting the number of loads moved by brokers,” says Carlisle. “This also keeps costs much more predictable for customers. We run overall network bids as well as frequent ‘mini bids’ to keep up with any changing volumes or new lanes in the network.”
Carlisle expects US Cold to keep a close eye on transportation costs—not only for the remainder of 2026 but for all of 2027 as well.
“We use internal market intelligence and insight from our industry partners to forecast,” Carlisle notes. “Unfortunately, we only see a continued upward trend in costs well into 2027.”
Let’s Move Your Product
Cold Business, Warm Heart
Mike Radnoti mixed fun and friendship into a 27-year career.
Mike Radnoti’s 27-year career at US Cold took him through transportation, operations and business development. Along the way, he helped grow the business, strengthen customer relationships and develop successful teams. As he retires, colleagues and customers celebrate the talent behind those accomplishments: his ability to connect with people.
A Career of Opportunity
Executive Vice President David Butterfield first met Mike in the late 1980s at Preston Trucking. Mike helped him get a sales job, and both eventually became terminal managers. Years after Butterfield joined US Cold, he helped recruit Mike to support the company’s growing transportation business.
“He was a great fit and immediately made US Cold better,” Butterfield says. “I’m glad to say we’ve remained great friends throughout our entire careers, even while working in different areas of the business.”
Former President and CEO David Harlan soon recognized opportunities for Mike beyond transportation. He moved Mike to the Lyons, IL, warehouse, which was experiencing challenges.
“It wasn’t long then before he filled the site up, turned results around and improved the whole mood in the building,” Harlan recalls.
That success led to a role in Business Development, where Mike’s relationship skills helped strengthen major accounts and drive growth.
“You could see how much Mike connected with people and we thought he could do even more in Business Development,” Harlan says.
President and CEO Larry Alderfer echoes that appreciation.
“Mike helped build our business by investing in people. His commitment to customers, his support for colleagues and the relationships he built have made a lasting mark on US Cold.”
Making Business Personal
Mike’s customer relationships were built on trust, thoughtfulness and humor. Harlan remembers traveling with him to address service issues and seeing how those relationships helped turn difficult discussions into productive conversations.
Mike also launched the Windy City Golf Outing, creating a tradition that brought customers together for business, friendship and fun.
“Mike taught us the value of creating true and lasting customer friendships,” Butterfield says. “Mike’s ability to connect with customers is a true talent!”
Mickey Hoffmann, Executive Vice President, Commercial Strategy & Development, witnessed that ability during an early customer road trip with Mike. Whether meeting a prospect or a longtime customer, Mike found a connection.
“That’s his ‘super power,’” Hoffmann says.
He fondly recalls Mike’s impromptu comedy routines around the firepit after golf. Mike’s thoughtfulness also extended to customers’ families, from welcoming spouses at events to ordering desserts for customers to take home.
Leading With Generosity
Mike’s successor, David Carr, Senior Vice President, Business Development, credits him with creating a culture of professionalism, teamwork and success.
“He practiced what he preached and that allowed us to experience high-level opportunities,” Carr says.
Having known Mike and his family before joining US Cold, Carr says the kindness colleagues experienced reflected who Mike was outside work, too.
“I will be forever grateful for the opportunity and support Mike has provided me within US Cold, but more importantly I will forever value our friendship.”
A Lasting Customer Impact
Dave Magnus, a retired customer, began working with Mike at the Lyons facility. Mike’s knowledge, responsiveness and commitment to service helped build a longstanding relationship between US Cold and Unilever.
“Thank you for always going above and beyond,” Magnus says. “The impact you have made will not be forgotten. You truly made a difference!”
Tim Eagan, a customer who began working with Mike at McCain Foods in 2005, credits their partnership with growing the account from zero to $16 million in two years. They later achieved similar success at Kerry Ingredients, reaching $8 million in two years.
“His work ethic, professionalism, commitment to excellence, and team spirit were above reproach; and his hearty laugh was unforgettable,” Eagan says.
Mike leaves a legacy of business growth, lasting friendships and people he helped succeed. Congratulations, Mike, on a remarkable career and a well-earned retirement.
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Technology Careers
In our Q3 Issue, we present:
