From the Cold Corner

Bob Garrison, chief editor of Prepared Foods, Kelley Rodriguez, editor-in-chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, and Alyse Thompson-Richards, editor-in-chief of FOOD ENGINEERING, combine their unique perspectives and discuss the biggest trends impacting the food industry in 2025 and beyond.

When it comes to designing, engineering and building a cold foods facility, sometimes the best lessons are those learned on the job!

Sponsored by: FCL Builders

Dave Campbell and Jeremy Klysen from Burns & McDonnell join the podcast to discuss designing cold food facilities for automation and more.

Founded as a food truck in 2014, Joe Nicchi initially brought soft serve to the streets of LA. In the decade since, he has scaled the business, entering over 5,000 retail doors and winning the grand prize of NFRA’s second annual Penguin Pitch: Emerging Brand Contest

Recorded at NFRA Convention 2025

When selecting equipment from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) – such as refrigeration – there are many important questions to ask. The goal is to ensure the equipment will meet current and future needs in safety, efficiency, reliability, regulatory compliance, cost‐effectiveness and integration into your process. Chuck Taylor, senior vice president of Engineering at Republic Refrigeration, joins the Cold Storage Deep Dive special series to discuss more.

Sponsored by: FCL Builders

Rebecca Marquez, director of custom research at PMMI. In addition to her responsibilities in PMMI Business Intelligence and Custom Research, Marquez oversees the design, execution, analysis and production of PMMI’s market research products for external and internal clients.

Americold’s Russellville location demonstrates the next generation of cold storage. The 300,000-square-foot facility is steps away from a Conagra plant. An expansion completed about 18 months ago added 136,000 square feet of space and took the building to new heights – 150-feet plus – and added 42,000 pallet positions served by automated storage and retrieval (AS/RS). From the Cold Corner speaks with Bryan Verbarendse, president of the Americas at Americold, on how the site is shaping the future of the cold chain.

In the heart of the “Texas Triangle,” Hays and Caldwell counties are putting food manufacturing on the map. Located midway between Austin and San Antonio, the region offers access to Interstate 35, allowing connection to Gulf ports. With development-ready land and a thriving BBQ scene, the area has attracted considerable F&B investment in just the last year. From the Cold Corner sits down with Mike Kamerlander, president and CEO of the Hays Caldwell Economic Development Partnership and Scott Logan, president and CEO of Night Hawk Frozen Foods, to learn more.

According to a recent study by McKinsey, the heat pump market is expected to grow by more than 15% annually, especially in the food and beverage industry, where they are increasingly being incorporated into refrigeration systems. Industrial heat pumps use electricity as their fuel source instead of coal or gas, and they have the potential to be powered by completely renewable energy. Marc Gieseking, head of renewable energy solutions at Güntner, joins From the Cold Corner to discuss how heat pumps can be used in the cold foods industry.

James Armstrong, senior vice president of emerging business at SeaCube, discusses how portable, scalable cold storage reefer containers are filing a critical operational need.