Press Release – Sunrise Logistics, Inc. and Mike Laws of Laws Logistics Announce Strategic Partnership

Sunrise Logistics, Inc, a 3PL Service Provider of the Four Seasons Family of Companies, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Mike Laws of Laws Logistics, a supply chain solutions company specializing in produce and perishable freight. This partnership provides shippers with the combination of Sunrise Logistics’ reliable 3PL cold chain services and Law’s advanced fresh supply chain solutions.

Sunrise Logistics, Inc., part of the Four Seasons Family of Companies, operates as a third-party logistics provider, partnering with grower-shippers, importers, distributors, and retailers across the US providing key refrigerated supply chain solutions. Sunrise offers supply chain solutions including: cold storage, order fulfillment, repacking, ripening, quality control, USDA inspections, inventory management, and a full suite of transportation services.

“We are excited about this partnership opportunity with Mike Laws, because it furthers our vision and strategy to grow more refrigerated LTL and TL transportation solutions for our customers,” shares Rob Kurtz, Vice President and General Manager of Sunrise Logistics, Inc. “Our ongoing investment in people, process, and technology has strengthened our capability to better serve our customers and ‘Help Others Succeed in Fresh.’ Laws’ fresh transportation experience is a great fit with our strategic growth plan.”

Mike Laws brings over 40 years of experience in the fresh produce industry serving customers with supply chain and transportation solutions. Mike Laws, President of Laws Logistics, adds,

“Sunrise Logistics and The Four Seasons Family of Companies operate with high integrity and a proven record of accomplishment for commitment to excellence. Our customers will benefit from a price and service standpoint, and from the proprietary technology developed by Sunrise.”

About Sunrise Logistics Inc. 

Sunrise Logistics Inc. offers supply chain services including transportation brokerage, cross-docking, storage, packing, and other distribution functions to the perishables industry. With access to a robust FTL and LTL network throughout the northeast, an expansive national carrier base, and premier technologies, Sunrise Logistics helps grower-shippers and producers get their products to market.
Learn more at www.sunriselogisticsinc.com

About Laws Logistics 

Laws Logistics can provide your business with unmatched expertise and experience customized to meet your needs. Produce and perishables businesses face unique challenges. The fast-paced nature of this industry demands a focus on immediate needs to ensure product moves quickly through your systems. Laws Logistics offers a fresh look at your operations to help you move beyond tactical issues toward strategies that will make your business more efficient and profitable.
Learn more at www.lawslogistics.com

Article by Karly Wiest

Associate Spotlight: Lauren Lespier

Meet Lauren! Lauren joined SLI as a Logistics Coordinator which entails working with key accounts managing their fresh produce inventory, orders, and providing customer support. Lauren has been with the Four Seasons Produce Family of Companies for over 6 years. She started her career as a Warehouse Coordinator and progressed into the roles of Master Data Coordinator and Sr. Master Data Coordinator. Lauren shares “I am now very excited to be a Logistics Coordinator, and am really enjoying the energy that Sunrise Logistics has, and all my friendly & welcoming coworkers.” Lauren is originally from the Parkesburg area and is an Octorara High School Alumni. In her free time, Lauren enjoys watching true crime documentaries, going to concerts and veg-fests, and spending time with her family.

Four Seasons Warehouse Expansion

“Our customers are growing and so are we!” The Four Seasons Family of Companies has seen consistent double-digit growth over the past several years, and many of those customer partnerships have much bigger futures ahead.

A major distribution center expansion project is underway at the Four Seasons Family of Companies, 400 Wabash Road in Ephrata, PA. A 131,000 square foot addition to the existing state-of-the-art warehouse will include a second dock, more multi-temperature cold storage rooms, plus more ripening rooms for bananas and avocados. Construction began this month and is expected to be completed by Spring of 2022.

With the enhanced capability and capacity, Four Seasons Produce, the wholesale distribution business, will be positioned to support the future needs of independent retailers, natural food stores, food co-ops, eCommerce, and other professional buyers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast for many years to come. Likewise, Sunrise Logistics, the 3rd party logistics and freight solutions-provider business, and Earth Source, the importing business, will gain additional cold storage space to provide best-in-class supply chain services to growers and shippers of highly perishable products thanks to over ten unique temperature zones, and on-site quality control and ripening experts. Sunrise Logistics cross-dock and storage customers will benefit from even more access to a robust inbound and outbound delivery network with full-load and less-than-load capabilities throughout the East.

“At the Four Seasons Family of Companies, our mission is to ‘Help Others Succeed in Fresh.’” says CEO, Jason Hollinger. “Whether it is bringing the best and freshest produce to a retailer’s location and supporting their merchandising, or providing the freight and distribution services to allow a grower to get their product to the marketplace – we want to be capable and valuable for them; so that everyone can thrive.”

And when it comes to thriving, that includes the associates at Four Seasons. “Our purpose as a family business is to be a blessing as we are blessed,” Hollinger continues. “We want to make a positive impact in the lives of our hard-working associates, their families, and our community.”

According to Hollinger, “Food distribution is a tight timeline, 24-hour business. One of the goals of this expansion project is to be able to ship and receive simultaneously using a second dock. This will allow us to bring a higher portion of work to daytime hours for our associates.”

Four Seasons is investing over $3 million into higher wages for its operations associates and professional drivers in 2021 and is actively hiring. Adding more associates will help meet the increased demand from customers and prepare for the expansion.

“We are so grateful for our front-line associates who put forth so much effort all through 2020’s pandemic challenges and now through 2021’s labor crunch,” Jason Hollinger shares. “We have the most committed and hardest working team that truly care about our company and our customers and we want to show our appreciation to them. In 2020 we invested over $1 million in ‘on-site-required appreciation pay’ and other benefits to our associates and we also distributed significant profit sharing to all associates in every area of the company. It is our associate’s commitment to excellent service and innovation that drives our business success and growth which then enables us to reinvest in our people. We are truly people-driven!”

The expansion will include:

• 48,000 square foot multi-temperature receiving dock with 39 added doors

• 72,000 square feet of cold storage with 4-high racking with over 6,000 more pallet spaces

• 10 unique temperature zones suited for fresh produce, plus flex-temp rooms for seasonal peaks

• 28 F degree “chill” zone for the growing organic & natural Meat and Poultry category

The structure is designed with sustainability in mind:

• Four Seasons has a 3,900-panel solar array on its current building. The roof on the expansion is being prepped for future solar panels.

• The company is updating to energy-efficient Lithium-ion electric material handling equipment.

• An EPA-certified electric generator for demand-response and total power back up will be included.

• An energy-efficient refrigeration system will cool the expansion space.

• Full LED lighting with motion sensors will be installed along with a total facility energy monitoring system.

By: Stephanie Fleetman
Four Seasons Family of Companies, 400 Wabash Road, Ephrata, PA 17522

Associate Spotlight: Mitch Weaver

Meet Mitch Weaver, Transportation Account Specialist! In his current role, Mitch provides after hours support and best in class customer service to key accounts. Mitch was recently recognized by Four Seasons Produce CEO, , for his dedication and support across the Family of Companies. Read the full post on his award here.

Mitch graduated from York College of PA in the Fall of 2021. In his free time, Mitch enjoys playing tennis, basketball, fishing, catching up on the latest movies, and spending time with friends and family. Mitch shares that he strives to find his passion in his career and excel in his current role at Sunrise Logistics.

Sunrise Visits #1 Largest Refrigerated Port in the U.S.

Ephrata, PA – Sunrise Logistics, Inc. of Four Seasons Family of Companies recently spent an afternoon in late August with Dominic O’Brien, Senior Marketing Manager, on-site at PhilaPort‘s (Port of Philadelphia) Packer Avenue Marine Terminal to get an inside look at the port’s facility operations. Many Sunrise Logistics Customers utilize PhilaPort as a US point of entry for containers carrying fruit (avocados, blueberries, lemons, and limes) grown in various parts of South America. Sunrise Logistics works closely with PhilaPort when arranging for pick-up of those containers and transport to their distribution facility in Ephrata, PA.

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With a national increase in import demand, PhilaPort continues to adapt and serve as one of the fastest growing areas for trade on the Eastern Seaboard. PhilaPort is experiencing their highest perishable container growth rate of 7%.

“It is impressive to see how the Port of Philadelphia has adapted to the immense container volume in 2021 compared to 2020. We are looking forward to working with them more and are thankful for our partnership.” Sunrise has seen a 2.6% increase in their annual container business and has managed the drayage of more than 910 containers of fresh produce so far this year.” – Shane Ryan, Carrier Sales Manager, SLI

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In order to accommodate the high shift in fresh import demand, PhilaPort offers flexible services such as segregated container piles, extended gate hours, best in class customer service, 14,000 TEU vessel capacity, and an on-dock centralized examination station (CES). PhilaPort has multiple growth projects planned to continue serving as the fastest growing port in the United States.

Article by Karly Wiest

Sunrise Logistics offers supply chain services like freight, cross-docking, storage, packing, and other distribution management aspects to the perishables industry, with expertise in produce items like berries, avocados, and salads. With access to a robust FTL and LTL network throughout the East, an expansive national carrier base, premier technologies, and the assets of Four Seasons Produce, Sunrise Logistics helps grower-shippers and producers get their products to market. Learn more at sunriselogisticsinc.com.

Associate Spotlight: Laura Devonshire

Meet Laura Devonshire, Transportation Manager, LTL, who has recently celebrated her 11 Year Anniversary with Sunrise Logistics Inc. of Four Seasons Produce. Laura started her career with the Family of Companies as a part-time associate in the Produce Market at the Ephrata, PA campus. Laura shares,

“I have been fortunate to have had a strong group of leaders throughout my career that have encouraged me to follow my passions with a guiding hand. I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given, and look forward to what the future has in store for me.”

When asked about giving advice to those who are just starting their careers or looking to make a career change, Laura advises to:

“Have an open mind and don’t be afraid to ask questions and take risks. When you start a new job, always try to learn as much as you can to gain a better understanding of the impact your job has on the bigger picture.”

Outside of work, Laura spends her time volunteering for Gigi’s Playhouse in Lancaster, PA. The Playhouse helps individuals of all ages develop various life skills to help them in their personal lives as well as their future careers. Laura is dedicated to helping out in the local community and continues to inspire others. Sunrise is incredibly thankful for Laura’s Leadership and best-in-class performance that she brings to the table each day.

 

Rising Star: Anny Chaleunsouk-Jones

Anny Chaleunsouk-Jones, Senior Operations Manager, received the 2020 Produce Business Magazine Rising Star 40 under 40 Award. Anny is the 8th winner of this honor on our teams here at the Four Seasons Family of Companies.

“Since joining the Four Seasons Family of Companies in 2008, Anny has provided effective leadership and management in supply chain solutions to 3PL customers of Sunrise Logistics. Customers rely on her expertise in developing effective solutions to overcome complex supply chain challenges and she is a trusted leader to multiple account management teams. She also served as a subject matter expert (SME) to plan and implement a complex enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology solution.” – Produce Business Magazine

Congratulations to 2020’s 40 under 40 Class around the industry! Read the full article and learn more about this prestigious honor here.