Company Will Grow to More Than 100 Employees in Chicago in Next Two Years
CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–December 3, 2014. Mayor Rahm Emanuel today joined PECO Pallet President and CEO David Lee to open the company’s flagship pallet depot at 2924 East 126th St. in Chicago’s Hegewisch neighborhood. PECO’s new Chicago depot can process up to 500,000 pallets per month and store up to 250,000 pallets making it the company’s largest location. The company currently employs 65 people in Chicago and with this new facility, plans to grow to more than 100 employees over the next two years.
“Chicago provided PECO Pallet with three things that it needed to grow – incomparable access to critical transportation routes, proximity to its clients in the City of Chicago and nearby, and the talent that it needs to continue to grow. This new depot is an example of how Chicago is helping businesses to do business, and bringing jobs to neighborhoods across the City.”
PECO currently provides pallets to over 50 consumer goods manufacturers from the Chicago location, including Kraft Foods, Georgia-Pacific, Abbott Nutrition, and Clearwater Paper. PECO chose to locate its new depot in Chicago for its central location close to multiple shipping lanes and the city’s proximity to some of the company’s largest customers. In addition, the company has access to the large and diverse workforce in Chicago.
“We are proud to celebrate the grand opening of our Chicago depot, which marks a milestone in our company’s growth and partnership with the community of Chicago,” said David Lee, President and Chief Executive Officer of PECO Pallet. “At this state-of-the-art facility, we can utilize our team’s extensive experience to develop best-in-class processes—and then implement those processes across PECO’s entire North American depot network.”
Companies in Chicago and across North America utilize PECO’s sturdy wood block pallets to ship their products to grocery and warehouse retailers in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Empty pallets are then picked up and returned to PECO depots, where they are inspected, cleaned, and repaired as needed before being reissued.
Depot services include receiving, inspecting, sorting, cleaning, repairing, painting and storing PECO’s distinctive high quality red pallets. The new depot has a focus on workstation layout and state-of-the-art equipment designed in an effort to minimize operator steps and maximize pallet quality. The Chicago facility will be the company’s largest location and represents consolidation of seven locations into one operation.
About PECO Pallet:
PECO Pallet is the North American leader in pallet rental services and provides millions of its red wood block pallets to major grocery and consumer goods manufacturers throughout North America. PECO Pallet’s tremendous growth over the last decade reflects the company’s overall commitment to providing high quality pallets and responsive customer service. PECO Pallet is headquartered in Irvington, New York, and maintains over 580 service centers and manufacturing plants throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. For more information about PECO Pallet, visit www.pecopallet.com.
Source: cityofchicago.org
