When Hanson Logistics established a new beach-head outside of Chicago, company President Andy Janson was pretty sure that it would be a hit, but even he might not have expected the overwhelming response at the recent Global Cold Chain Expo conducted at Chicago's McCormick Place on the other side of the lake.
Janson's crew took the state of the art Hanson Logistics truck and parked it squarely at the center display to give expo attendees a first-hand look at the wheels beneath food distribution safety. They were all invited to climb aboard and later to to tour the new Hanson Logistics Chicago Consolidation Center in Hobart, Indiana.
The Global Cold Chain Expo featured 165 exhibitors, covering more than 28,000 square feet. Displayed exhibitors spanned every sector of the cold chain, from logistics to construction to transportation. These booths aimed towards attendees from several divisions of the cold chain, including frozen, refrigerated, and fresh.
Attendees included 250 International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW) members, World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO) Graduate Institute participants, and over 1,200 registered participants. The total attendees for all four collocated partners equaled to be more than 14,000.
Those numbers provided an astounding jump from past IARW conferences wherein the show housed only 175 warehouse attendees, 730 total participants, 100 exhibitors, and just 12,000 square feet of expo space.
During the Expo, Hanson Logistics hosted GCCA members and expo attendees at their Chicago Consolidation Center in Hobart, Indiana. That tour provided an in-depth look into Hanson’s capabilities and outstanding facilities as a main hub outside of the city, avoiding traffic.
Janson says, "Everyone that we’ve run across: customers, potential customers, carriers; they love our location. Can’t believe that no one ever located in that northwest Indiana corridor.” The strategic location helps service both west and east of the Mississippi River while reducing stress for truckers and excessive fuel consumption when jammed up in congested traffic.
Hanson tours of the Chicago Consolidation Center gave global cold chain partners the venue to connect and network in the constant pursuit of excellence. The Global Cold Chain Expo was a success in highlighting the responsibility of maintaining production and quality standards, and Hanson Logistics looks forward to attending next year’s Expo.
Hanson Logistics, headquartered in the Southtown neighborhood of St. Joseph, is a leading provider of temperature-controlled supply chain services and is one of the largest privately-held refrigerated warehouse networks in the country, with eight facilities totaling 37,000,000 cu. ft. of deep frozen, refrigerated and dry warehousing space.
Through its transportation management services and company fleet, Hanson Logistics provides seamless temperature-controlled distribution services across the U.S. Hanson Logistics corporate offices are located at 2900 South State Street, Suite 4 East in St. Joseph, and can be reached by phone at (269) 982-1390 or online at www.hansonlogistics.com.
