Today, Governor Josh Stein announced that Cold-Link Logistics, a cold storage management firm, will create 123 new jobs in Robeson County. The company will invest $85.5 million to build a cold storage warehouse in Lumberton.
“North Carolina is consistently ranked as a top state to do business thanks to our skilled workforce, robust transportation infrastructure, and friendly business climate,” said Governor Josh Stein. “We are proud to welcome Cold-Link Logistics to our state and to partner with them to bring more jobs to Robeson County.”
A subsidiary of family-owned Mandich Group, Cold-Link Logistics is a full-service third-party logistics cold storage company. Headquartered in Florida, the company’s cold storage locations provide customized product handling, storage, order picking and load preparation, blast freezing, and other value-added logistics services. Cold-Link Lumberton will be a modern 233,000-square-foot temperature-controlled building that will serve the local and regional poultry business, as well as a broad variety of other food companies, manufacturers, and distributors. The company is building on 55 acres in the new Southeast Crossroads Industrial Park.
“We are excited to expand our footprint into the great State of North Carolina,” said Michael Mandich, Managing Partner of Cold-Link Logistics. “We have listened to our customers and their need for additional cold storage warehousing in the Southeast regions surrounding Lumberton. There's a strong interest among the protein and other food manufacturers in this area to work with a family owned and operated company like Cold-Link that can offer first-class, value-added services. The Robeson County Community has welcomed us with open arms. After looking into many areas to expand our business we knew this was the right place to locate our 10th facility.”
“North Carolina’s supply chain for food and agriculture has always been an economic driver for our state,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “Our agricultural legacy and commitment to innovation will help companies like Cold-Link establish its operations and increase its footprint in the southeastern United States.”
New positions for the company include managers, supervisors, warehouse staff, and shipping and receiving personnel. Wages for the positions will vary, but altogether, the average annual salary will be $50,128, which exceeds the Robeson County average of $42,964. These new jobs could create a potential annual payroll impact of more than $6.1 million.
A performance-based grant of $375,000 from the One North Carolina Fund has been awarded to MG88 Lumberton Cold Storage, LLC, which does business under the name Cold-Link Logistics Lumberton, LLC, to support the project locating to Robeson County. The OneNC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All OneNC grants require a matching participation from local governments, and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.
“This is fantastic news for region and the entire state,” said Senator Danny Earl Britt, Jr. “Being situated along the I-95 corridor, Lumberton is a great location for warehouse and distribution companies looking to invest in growing markets with a solid pipeline of talent.”
“Cold-Link’s decision to build in the Southeast Crossroads Industrial Park is yet another symbol of the strong collaboration to grow our state’s economy,” said Representative Jarrod Lowery. “We are grateful for all the state, regional, and local partners that helped prepare the site and Robeson County for economic development wins such as this.”
In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, other key partners in this project include the North Carolina General Assembly, North Carolina Community College System, Golden LEAF Foundation, Electricities, Robeson County, Robeson County Committee of 100, North Carolina’s Southeast, and the City of Lumberton.