CAN DO, Inc. recently held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Arcadia Cold Storage and Logistics Facility in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania. The project, which consists of a 228,330 square-foot cold storage facility on 17+ acres in Humboldt North, was facilitated by Saxum Real Estate on behalf of Arcadia.

The future Arcadia facility at 300 Parkview Road is one of three sites recently purchased by Saxum within the Humboldt Industrial Park. With a capital investment totaling roughly $80 million, Saxum is committed to developing 450,000 square-feet of industrial space on 40+ acres within Greater Hazleton. The property is expected to be operational by Spring 2023 and will employ between 80 and 90 individuals from the local area with salaries for employment averaging around $50,000.

CAN DO’s introduction to Saxum began in 2020 and from that moment, CAN DO President and CEO Joseph Lettiere knew that Saxum’s interest in local real estate would be mutually beneficial.

“It didn’t take long to recognize there was an alignment in CAN DO’s economic development efforts and Saxum’s real estate investment goals,” Lettiere said in his opening remarks. “Saxum is a best-in-class company rooted in entrepreneurial and creative spirit.”

Founded in 2014, Saxum Real Estate is a vertically integrated, privately held investment and development firm. Their national portfolio and development pipeline extends across various property types, with portfolio capitalizations surpassing $2 billion, and including over 2,600,000 square-feet of ground-up cold storage development. They have partnered with Arcadia, a third-party service provider, to design three premier cold storage facilities in Fort Worth, TX, Atlanta, GA, and now Hazleton, PA. In addition to the three facilities that have already broke ground, Arcadia’s goal is to open a total of 20-25 locations across the United States to fill a current gap in the industry.

According to Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics President & CEO Chris Hughes, there is a current shortage of contemporary space when it comes to cold storage facilities; a majority of existing facilities are over 35 years old. Arcadia’s team spent 15 months working on designs to create modern solutions to provide freight consolidation and safe work environments. Arcadia provides innovation and modernization to the cold storage industry, establishing the New Age of Cold Chain.

The Groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 19, 2022 at 10am. Individuals representing CAN DO, Saxum Real Estate, and Arcadia were all present.

Speakers for the groundbreaking ceremony were Senator David Argall; State Representative Robert Schnee; Saxum Real Estate Founder & Managing Principal Anthony Rinaldi; Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics’ President & CEO, Chris Hughes; Blue Rock Construction’s President & CEO Steve Kettelberger; Jim Montone, chairman of the Hazle Township Board of Supervisors; and Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce President Mary Malone.

Notable dignitaries that were in attendance include Charles Burkhardt, CAN DO Board of Directors Chair; John Blake, representing Congressman Matt Cartwright; Hazle Township Supervisor Dennis Dudeck; Joseph Zeller, representing Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat; Hazleton Area School District Superintendent Dr. Brian Uplinger; Penn's Northeast President John Augustine, and United Way of Greater Hazleton President Pat Ward.