TransKool Solutions offers Texas warehousing services

Allen Lund Co., La Cañada Flintridge, Calif., and Santos International, McAllen, Texas, have partnered to form a new company — TransKool Solutions, which will be based in Mission, Texas.

This joint venture is intended to establish continuous supply chain solutions for produce companies, according to a news release from Allen Lund Co.

Allen Lund is a national third-party transportation broker with nationwide offices working with U.S. shippers and carriers to arrange for dry, refrigerated (specializing in produce) and flatbed freight.

Santos International is an international freight-forwarding company specializing in warehousing and U.S. Customs brokerage services to industries in the U.S. and Mexico.

TransKool Solutions will provide warehousing solutions optimized in less-than-truckload and full truckload services, load consolidations and customs brokerage.

Kristi Salinas will manage operations for TransKool Solutions, with support from both Allen Lund and Santos International.

“We are really excited about the joint venture with Santos International. We knew going in that we could both help our customers if we put together a warehouse solution in the (Rio Grande Valley),” said Eddie Lund, vice president of sales and branch operations, in a news release.

“Once we met the Santos family, it became an easy decision for us to go forward with the program. We have a similar culture and values, and they provide us the expertise and local knowledge in McAllen that is essential. They are great people and we are lucky to be associated with them, and we are already looking to expand our services.”

Scott Fletcher, manager of the Dallas office for Allen Lund Co. and now transportation manager for TransKool Solutions, said this relationship began when he arranged for Santos International to oversee transportation of berries from Mexico for Lund client Naturipe Farms LLC, Salinas, Calif., to the United States, including processing through customs. The relationship worked well and the two companies discussed the convenience that a consolidated cold storage facility would provide once produce arrived across the border in the Mission area.

The initial facility offers 15,000 square feet of cold storage space, but Fletcher said business has already outpaced the space. He said the plan is to expand in the near future.

Fletcher said most of the product brought through the facility so far has usually only stayed for around 24 hours. “But we offer storage as well, like for avocados that could be kept for around two to three weeks,” he said. The company will offer transportation packages as well.

One of the long-term goals for TransKool Solutions, Fletcher said, is to work with retail chains such as Kroger and Costco to pick up orders from various growers, take them to the central cold storage facility in Mission, and then ship them straight to the retailers’ stores.