3PL news: Saddle Creek expands into Chicago and Jacksonville

Third-party logistics (3PL) services provider Saddle Creek Corp. recently announced it has opened new facilities in Chicago and Jacksonville, Fla. as part of its strategic plan to grow organically and through new business.

“The expansion was prompted by customers with needs in these particular geographic areas and a desire for flexibility,” said Stephen Cook, Saddle Creek’s vice president of marketing and business development, in an interview. “The multi-customer environment gives each company the room to grow, but it gives Saddle Creek the opportunity for immediate expansion as well.”

In its new Chicago facility, Saddle Creek will manage and oversee the logistics needs of a “major recreational vehicle manufacturer,” accounting for half of the 416,000 square-foot facility and the remaining space will be used to accommodate business fluctuations and the needs of other customers, according to company officials.

They added that the Chicago facility is located within the CenterPoint Intermodal Center, the nation’s largest master-planned inland port with direct access to BNSF and Union Pacific terminals. This facility is designated as a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) and Enterprise Zone, and the distribution center will be fully operational by October 1.

The Jacksonville facility will provide customers with the ability to optimize freight savings, improve transit time, and customize space for temperature-controlled products. Saddle Creek said a company specializing in wine logistics will occupy 213,000 square feet of the 375,000 square foot multi-customer distribution center. This facility is food-grade, climate-controlled with close proximity to the Port of Jacksonville and will be open in August.

Saddle Creek will staff each facility with management, operations and warehouse associates according to customer needs, said Cook.

“Existing and potential customers can benefit from the opportunity to tap Saddle Creek’s integrated logistics services in new markets,” he added. “Both facilities offer access to convenient transportation options and advanced systems support as well as the service excellence for which Saddle Creek is known. This will be Saddle Creek’s first multi-customer facility in each of these markets.”