Company and local officials broke ground on a 216,000 square-foot warehouse for PermaCold Logistics on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. The new cold storage facility will bring additional capacity for chilled and frozen cargo to the Georgia market, as well as 50 new jobs to McIntosh County. (Georgia Ports)
Bringing 216,000 square feet of cold storage, 30,000 pallet positions
Builders and local officials broke ground Wednesday, July 9, 2025, on a new PermaCold Logistics cold storage facility near Brunswick, Ga. The 216,000 square-foot facility provides 30,000 pallet positions.
“We’re happy to welcome PermaCold to one of the fastest growing markets in America,” said Georgia Ports Chief Commercial Officer Flavio Batista. “Their decision to invest here will deliver more cold chain service options for port customers, and strengthen Savannah’s position as the Southeast’s primary gateway for refrigerated commodities.”
The cold storage location is only five minutes from Interstate 95 and less than an hour from the Port of Savannah. The site is four hours from Atlanta. It features 20 truck parking spaces and 16 truck bays. The loading dock is 70 feet deep, with a 50-foot clearance inside the building.
The building is being developed by Ti Cold and Karis Cold for PermaCold Logistics, which will operate the facility at Tidewater Industrial Park in Darien, Ga.
“We’ve had the privilege of building in Georgia many times over the years, and we’re thrilled to be working in McIntosh County,” said Sam Tippmann, founder and CEO of Ti Cold. “The support we’ve received has been incredible – from the state officials to the team in McIntosh County, and the City of Darien. We are truly excited to bring this beautiful facility to your community and look forward to contributing to its continued growth.”
Opening in 2026, the PermaCold operation is expected to employ 50 people.
“This groundbreaking marks a transformational moment for McIntosh County,” said Chairwoman Kate Pontello Karwacki, McIntosh County Board of Commissioners. “Ti Cold and Karis Cold’s investment in our community is a strong endorsement of the assets we offer from our strategic location along the I-95 corridor and proximity to the ports to the welcoming business climate we’re committed to fostering. This project not only brings high-quality jobs and economic opportunity but also strengthens the industrial foundation we’ve been working hard to build. We’re proud to welcome Ti Cold and Karis Cold, and look forward to a long, productive partnership.”
The USDA-certified location is ideally suited to handle protein exports and imports such as frozen seafood. Approximately 40 percent of all frozen poultry that leaves the United States does so through the Port of Savannah, making it the nation’s busiest gateway for poultry exports. The import of refrigerated goods helps support domestic producers by providing a steady supply of empty containers to carry U.S. exports.
Georgia Ports Director of Economic and Industrial Development Stacy Watson said drawing the new business for McIntosh County was a team effort.
“I would like to thank Commissioner Pat Wilson and Project Manager Dorie Bacon at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, as well as McIntosh IDA President Tom Draffin and the city of Darien for their work in winning this announcement,” Watson said. “A unified vision and collaborative effort among local, county and state authorities truly set Georgia apart from the competition.”
In addition to storage, the refrigerated warehouse operation has the capacity to blast freeze 600,000 pounds per day. According to PermaCold, the site will use QFM equipment that freezes product up to 80 percent faster than conventional blast freezers. PermaCold officials said QFM is the fastest, most energy efficient way to freeze palletized product.
Planned PermaCold services include cold storage at temperatures ranging from -10°F to +40°F, inventory handling and management, domestic transportation, and value-added services such as USDA and FDA inspections, stretch wrapping and order assembly.
About Georgia Ports
Now in their 80th year of operation, Georgia’s ports and inland terminals support more than 609,000 jobs throughout the state annually, contributing $40 billion in income, $171 billion in revenue and $5.3 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. In the past decade, GPA has invested $3.2 billion in infrastructure. GPA anticipates investing $4.5 billion in the next ten years as part of its port master plan to expand cargo handling capabilities and support future supply chain requirements. As part of GPA’s community engagement efforts, $6 million will be donated to communities located near the Port of Savannah to support a multi-year, local workforce housing initiative. Area Development – a site selection news outlet for the U.S., has ranked Georgia as the Top State to Do Business for 11 consecutive years. For further information, visit gaports.com or contact Manager of Media Relations Edward Fulford at efulford@gaports.com 912-964-3806.
