A new cold storage facility is bringing 40 jobs and a $42 million investment to the City of Colleges. It is expected to have an estimated annual payroll of more than $2 million.

Central Cold Solutions, a 134,000-square-foot facility, will be located on Mayor Lane in the Conway East Industrial Park. The advanced cold storage complex will support food wholesalers, retailers, and food manufacturing customers in central Arkansas. It will have capacity for more than 18,000 pallets of refrigerated and frozen goods. 

“We are thrilled to honor our community-minded roots by bringing a public refrigerated cold storage facility to Conway, Arkansas,” Central Cold Solutions President Shane Dickson said. “We couldn’t be more pleased to bring Central Cold Solutions’ cutting-edge services to our neighbors and the broader community.”

Central Cold Solutions will be located in proximity to Westrock Coffee’s distribution center in the Conway East Industrial Park. The $70 million, 530,000-square-foot facility was completed in January.  

Conway Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Lacy said there is a national need for cold storage facilities. 

“You are seeing an increase in the number of these facilities across the United States. Wherever you have certain kinds of food production, there is going to be a need for cold storage,” Lacy said. “This is a developing and expanding portion of the economy to meet the needs of wholesalers and food manufacturers. We are happy to see Shane and Central Cold Solutions take advantage of this opportunity and bring a facility like this to Conway.” 

Central Cold Solutions will be constructed by Ti Cold, a nationally recognized leader in the cold chain industry.  

“Our partnership with Ti Cold enables us to deliver an innovative, scalable, and sustainable cold storage solution to this thriving region of central Arkansas,” Dickson said. 

“We are excited about this new partnership with Central Cold Solutions,” Ti Cold Executive Vice President Rob Adams said. “Conway, Arkansas, is an important, growing community and will be a strong distribution hub for serving the Conway and Little Rock area.” 

Central Cold Solutions is set to be operational in the spring of next year. 

Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry said, “Shane has a history of successful business ventures and I have no doubt that Central Cold Solutions will follow that legacy.  Projects like this ensure that Conway’s economic growth continues.”