Refrigerated warehousing company to build Portsmouth facility

Preferred Freezer Services, a major refrigerated warehousing company, plans to build a $60 million, 200,000-square-foot cold storage warehouse in Portsmouth.

The project is expected to create 60 jobs.

The warehouse will be used to import, export, process and distribute a variety of food products. Based in Chatham, N.J., Preferred Freezer already has operations in Chesapeake.

Founded in 1989, the privately held company has more than 1,800 employees worldwide. It operates more than 300 million cubic feet of temperature-controlled warehouse space in the U.S. and Asia.

Gov. Ralph Northam approved a $180,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Portsmouth with the project.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Portsmouth, the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance and the Virginia Port Authority to land the deal.

The company qualifies for state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

Preferred Freezer is also eligible for benefits from the Port of Virginia Economic Development Zone Grant Program, the Rail Industrial Access Program, and the Economic Development Access Program.