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East Coast Warehouse & Distribution Announces Expansion at the Port of Houston

via Business Wire

East Coast Warehouse & Distribution, a leading temperature-controlled logistics provider, today announced it selects Baytown 146 Development in Chambers County, Texas to establish the company’s first Texas operation. The $57.5 million investment will create 65 new jobs.

With over 70 years of experience, East Coast Warehouse & Distribution offers a comprehensive approach to third-party logistics services for the food and beverage industry. The company currently operates strategically placed facilities along the East Coast near the ports of New York and New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Savannah, and Charleston.

“We are excited to expand our footprint to the Port of Houston as it continues to grow and attract international commerce,” East Coast Warehouse CEO Jamie Overley stated. “Our new facility with close proximity to the Port will facilitate efficient and productive operations. Expanding into the Houston market strengthens our ability to deliver on our vision and commitment to customers of providing an end-to-end, national temperature controlled third-party solution with regional expertise,” added Overley.

The new East Coast Warehouse & Distribution operation will be located at 9200 FM 1405, Baytown, TX 77523, 14 miles from Barbour’s Cut Terminal and 18 miles from the Bayport Container Terminal. The new facility comprises 321,440 square feet of warehousing space on 6.5 acres of land, with an additional 8.5 acres for parking and storing 275 trailers and containers. The facility will offer public warehousing solutions and will also serve as a base for the company’s Safeway Trucking operation.

“We enthusiastically welcome East Coast Warehouse & Distribution to the Baytown/Chambers County/Metro East region. East Coast Warehouse is a leader in logistics and transportation, and their presence broadens our impressive and ever-expanding logistics cluster,” said B. J. Simon, CEO of Baytown West Chambers County Economic Development Foundation.

KBC Advisors represented the landlord, Velocis, in the transaction. The lease reflects continued demand for high-quality industrial space in the Southeast Port market, with Baytown 146 offering unmatched access to Highway 146, Grand Parkway 99, and Highway 225. Building 2, a 428,080-square-foot speculative development, is now complete and available for lease or sale. Featuring 36’ clear heights, 99 dock doors, 4 ramp doors, and over 290 combined car and trailer parking spaces, Building 2 is designed to accommodate single or multi-tenant occupancy and is move-in ready with ±2,500 square feet of speculative office space.

“This project reflects both the strength of the Houston industrial market and our partnership with KBC Advisors,” said Paul Smith, Partner at Velocis and leader of the firm’s industrial practice. “Baytown 146 has benefited from robust tenant activity around the Port of Houston, and we were happy to deliver this building preleased before completion. We are excited to welcome East Coast Warehouse as an anchor tenant this project.”

“This is welcomed news for port customers,” said John Moseley, Chief Commercial Officer at Port Houston. “Value-added services like those being offered in this near-port facility supports Port Houston’s principles of offering a low-cost, high-service, and low-risk gateway to our growing customer base. In addition to the jobs this investment brings, it also supports a resilient supply chain in the Houston port region for this important cargo segment.”

Operations are expected to begin in May 2026. Individuals interested in joining the East Coast Warehouse & Distribution team should visit our company’s careers page.

East Coast Warehouse continually receives awards and recognition. Since 2015, the company has been recognized annually as a Top 3PL and Cold Storage Provider by Food Logistics Magazine, and since 2019, its sister company Safeway Trucking has been annually recognized as a Top 100 Trucking Company by Inbound Logistics. In May 2023, East Coast Warehouse was named to Inbound Logistics’ Top 75 Green Supply Chain Partners list.

For more information on East Coast Warehouse and its services, please visit www.eastcoastwarehouse.com.

About East Coast Warehouse & Distribution

For more than 70 years, East Coast Warehouse & Distribution has served as a preeminent third-party logistics (3PL) provider, offering integrated temperature-controlled logistics services to food and beverage importers. Its state-of-the-art facilities, totaling 72 million cubic feet, strategically located on the Ports of New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Savannah, and Charleston, customs exam services, transportation capabilities, and value-added services offers clients a 4PL end-to-end solution that is sophisticated and seamless. In January 2022, East Coast Warehouse partnered with and received an investment from Equity Group Investments, the private investment firm founded by Sam Zell. For more information, please visit www.eastcoastwarehouse.com.

About Equity Group Investments

Equity Group Investments (EGI) is the private investment firm founded by Sam Zell in 1968. Backed by private capital, EGI is flexible and opportunistic with a focus on control, buyout, private investment opportunities. As a longer-term investor, EGI actively partners with portfolio company executives to execute strategic planning, implement operational efficiencies, and scale businesses. EGI has grown companies across numerous industries into multi-billion-dollar businesses throughout economic cycles. EGI’s current portfolio includes investments in healthcare, transportation and logistics, infrastructure, energy, consumer, industrial, manufacturing, and agri-business. For more information, visit www.egizell.com.

About Velocis

Velocis is a private equity real estate fund manager active in the acquisition, development, management, and disposition of real estate assets. Founded in 2010, the Dallas-based firm has managed more than $2.8 billion in historical assets and raised over $1.3 billion in equity. In addition to industrial projects, Velocis has acquired and developed multifamily, office, retail, and healthcare properties across major Sun Belt markets and beyond. Velocis also has a global presence through its real estate secondaries portfolio. With over 160 years of collective real estate experience, the Velocis team leverages their expertise across multiple strategies and fund vehicles. For more information, visit velocis.com.

About KBC Advisors

KBC Advisors (KBC) is a full-service industrial real estate advisory firm providing occupier, landlord and investor clients with data-backed guidance to drive informed decisions. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, KBC’s nationwide operation includes 17 offices and more than 225 team members, serving all major regions and population centers in the United States. For more information on KBC Advisors, please visit: www.kbcadvisors.com.

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