When keeping it cold counts: Welcome H & M Bay
A few weeks ago we talked about Craig Manufacturing USA, a manufacturer of heavy equipment attachments now doing business in the northernmost building in Team Lawrence Commerce Park.
A construction project on the south side of Craig Manufacturing is the future home of H & M Bay, another company new to Lawrence County that’s expected to begin operations October 1.
H & M Bay, whose slogan is “When Keeping It Cold Counts,” is a logistics firm that specializes in the warehousing and transportation of frozen and refrigerated foods. Its location in Lawrence County will serve food producers in this region including Sysco, U.S. Foods, Trident Seafoods, and OK Foods.
Walt Messick III is Chief Operating Officer of the company founded in 1982 by his father, Walter Messick II, and Lawrence Hayman in Federalsburg, Maryland. Today H&M Bay also has facilities in California, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington.
“Central Tennessee made sense geographically” for the company’s newest cold storage and consolidation facility, Messick said. Its location on U.S. Highway 43 North provides easy access to customers in the region, and those customers’ clients - grocery stores and restaurants in the 48 continental states.
Lawrence County’s business-friendly attitude also helped convince company officials to invest $4.5 million in a 51,000 square foot building with 24 truck loading bays and a 13,000 square foot freezer/cooler.
The freezer/cooler is key to the company’s ability to provide the LTL (less than a truckload) services for which it is known. Large shipments of refrigerated and frozen foods can be brought in bulk to the local facility, then divided for smaller deliveries to end users.
“We can consolidate small orders,” Messick explained. “We average 8-12 deliveries in each truckload.” Typical deliveries are about 3,000 pounds each; a truck can accommodate 30,000-35,000 pounds.
All truck drivers are self-employed. H & M Bay predicts it will hire 10 full-time and 35 part-time warehouse and administrative employees over the next five years. The building under construction in Team Lawrence Commerce Park is designed for easy expansion on its east side, so growth is definitely an option.
H & M Bay has earned a reputation for exceptional service. Since 2008 the trade magazine Food Logistics Industry has honored it with a spot on their list of Top 3PL (Third Party Logistics) and Cold Storage Providers.
The company is also recognized by the Transportation Intermediaries Associations as a member of its best practice program, developed for property brokers, freight forwarders, and motor carriers who desire to achieve a higher level of customer service and operating performance.
Logistics and transportation are vital to the operation of all industries and I’m proud that a company of this caliber is joining our community. Welcome, H & M Bay!