Portabull acquires new fleet, Northeast hub

Portabull Cold Storage recently acquired Kelly Refrigeration and Freezer’s electric cold storage container fleet and established a new Northeast operations hub.

As a national provider of electric temporary on-site cold storage, Portabull brings Kelly’s current customers expanded access to the most advanced solutions on the market, the company reported.

“Portabull will build upon the quality offerings Kelly has always provided to their customers,” John Herman, Portabull president, said in a news release. “Our job is to apply our advanced equipment, nationwide logistics network, and team of cold storage experts to increasing the quality and reach of cold storage solutions in the Northeast United States.”

With a growing fleet of electric cold storage containers, suitable for industries ranging from grocers to pharmaceutical manufacturers, Portabull reinforces its position as a national provider of these “efficient, economical” units under its full-service model. In turn, Kelly will focus on its primary business of customizing and selling tailor-made cold storage units.

“Our company has been working hard for over 40 years to build successful relationships with our customers,” said Paul Montinieri, Kelly president. “We know, in the interest of continuing to serve these relationships best, Portabull is equipped to deliver the value and quality our customers are used to.”

As the companies explored the opportunity for this combination, a shared view for the future of the industry drove the decision to work together, the companies said.

“Partnerships are the basis of our success,” Herman said. “That’s also true for Kelly Refrigeration and Freezer, which is why they’ve grown such a loyal group of return customers. Paul and his team saw that our focus is also on building those exact same partnerships. That’s when he knew we were the right choice to continue serving their cold storage rental customers.”

Portabull, founded in 2008, is devoted to becoming the national leader in electric on-site cold storage, the company added.

“We believe in the potential of electric cold storage to bring big changes to the businesses and organizations that use it,” Herman said.

“With this acquisition, both Portabull and Kelly are in much stronger positions.”