CLEVELAND — An out-of-state company celebrated a big investment in Cleveland Tuesday, with the opening of a new frozen food distribution center in an area that has struggled to find economic opportunities.
“This neighborhood was once called the 'Forgotten Triangle,'” said Joy Johnson, who grew up in the in the Kinsman area of Cleveland.
Johnson is now the executive director of Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc., a non-profit community development corporation with a focus on underserved and underfunded communities.
City and county leaders hoped to turn things around when they opened Opportunity Corridor in 2021, and since then, Johnson said the area has seen some changes.
“It will live up to its name. I think people want things to happen overnight. They look for a silver bullet and knowing how much money was invested in the roadway, people are like 'okay where’s the opportunity?'” she said.
Today, Johnson says you will find some of that opportunity at East 75th Street and Opportunity Corridor. Easy access for delivery trucks and the need for food storage has opened the door for family-owned Nor-Am Cold Storage.
The company, headquartered in Iowa, has 12 other locations across six states. The new $50 million frozen food distribution hub is Nor-Am's first location in Ohio. It currently employs 18 people, with hundreds of pallets of food going in and out every day.
“Those meals and those ingredients have to be stored somewhere, so why not have them store it right here where we have all of this vacant land and we have a need for jobs,” Johnson said.
“It’s just a great community. Feel welcomed. There’s some businesses interested in working with us and all and all a good fit, I think,” said David Johnson, Nor-Am’s vice president of operations.
The 160,000 square foot facility now has nine local customers that use its center to store food, including the Orlando Baking Company. For years, Orlando has baked its bread in Cleveland and then shipped it all the way to Columbus to store. Now, it’s as simple as crossing the road.
The freezer is about half full right now. They are looking to serve more local food suppliers and nearly double their workforce in the next year or so.
“We’re looking for partners to fill the empty holes in our seasons and keep growing,” David Johnson said.