Company History

2019

Founded with Purpose in Sun Valley

Cold Summit was founded in 2019 in Sun Valley, Idaho, by Scott Pertel and Alex Langerman who had a shared vision to reshape the global cold chain through innovation, integrity, and meaningful partnerships. Scott brought over 15 years of experience in cold storage real estate brokerage, while Alex contributed a background in infrastructure development and investment banking.

From the outset, Cold Summit’s culture has been rooted in transparency, collaboration, and bold thinking—principles that continue to guide every project and partnership. What began as a conversation between two founders has since grown into a mission-driven team committed to transforming how cold storage is developed and delivered.

2020

Breaking New Ground in Cold Storage

In 2020, Cold Summit delivered a game-changing achievement: the first speculative, multi-tenant, flexible-temperature cold storage facility in the United States. This pioneering Dallas I project introduced a new era of adaptable, ready-to-lease cold storage—proving that speed-to-market and operational versatility could coexist. It also marked the debut of Cold Summit’s proprietary refrigeration and Building Management System (BMS), which achieved energy efficiency 30% greater than comparable facilities.

Building on this momentum, Cold Summit launched its next major project—Cold Summit Phoenix—featuring an enhanced design and improved performance metrics. That same year, we expanded our capabilities by establishing a dedicated, high skilled construction team based in St. Augustine, Florida, including Mike Smith, the nation’s most experienced builder of refrigerated space. This milestone solidified Cold Summit’s ability to self-perform construction management and deliver complex cold storage facilities with unmatched precision and expertise.

2021

Expanding Expertise and Advancing Innovation

In 2021, Cold Summit made significant strides in scaling our capabilities and impact. We expanded our Sun Valley headquarters team by bringing in experts in complex development, investment strategy, and supply chain logistics to strengthen our end-to-end service offerings. Recognizing the increasing importance of maritime trade in the cold chain, Cold Summit also established a presence in Norfolk, Virginia—launching our dedicated port and maritime team to support cold storage development at ports and inland terminals.

That same year, Cold Summit became the first cold chain developer to partner with EnergyStar™, setting a new benchmark for sustainability. Our facilities consistently rank in the 90th percentile for energy performance, reinforcing our commitment to high-efficiency, future-ready design. Cold Summit also received our first patent for the Insulated Joist Pocket System—a proprietary solution that allows dry storage warehouses to be easily converted to cold storage. This technology is now a key component in Cold Summit’s tri-temperature facility designs, enabling greater adaptability and long-term value for our clients.

2022

Vertical Integration and Record-Setting Delivery

In 2022, Cold Summit deepened its service capabilities by partnering with Level-Up Racking Co. to develop an innovative pallet racking design and delivery model. This vertically integrated approach significantly reduced both cost and lead times, enabling Cold Summit to extend its offerings beyond traditional real estate development into fully integrated cold chain solutions—including move-in support and operational infrastructure.

That year also saw the successful delivery of Chicago I, a compact, two-tenant urban infill facility tailored for last-mile cold chain distribution. Strategically located and designed for flexibility, the facility leased in under one month from receipt of certificate of occupancy—setting a company record for leasing velocity and further validating Cold Summit’s market-driven development approach.

2023

Strategic Pivot and Market Expansion

In response to evolving economic conditions, 2023 marked a pivotal shift for Cold Summit—from a purely speculative development model to a focused build-to-suit (BTS) strategy. By partnering with industry leaders, including Peak Design Company, and forming deeper relationships with top cold chain operators, Cold Summit began delivering highly customized facilities designed to meet each client’s unique operational, technological, and logistical needs. This move solidified Cold Summit’s role as a comprehensive cold storage solutions provider, offering services far beyond traditional development.

That same year, Cold Summit launched our first port-based development in Wilmington, North Carolina, delivering scalable cold storage capacity to the growing Southeast import/export market. We also expanded our Texas footprint with Dallas II, building on the success of Dallas I. Together, these developments underscored Cold Summit’s increasing momentum in strategic location planning, innovation-driven partnerships, and client-centric execution.

2024

Delivering Innovation at Scale

In 2024, Cold Summit celebrated the delivery of our first port-based cold storage facility at the Port of Wilmington, North Carolina—providing critical cold chain infrastructure to support growing import and export volumes in the Southeast. This project marked a milestone in the company’s maritime strategy and expanded our footprint in strategically located shipping logistics hubs.

That same year, Cold Summit partnered with Innovative Refrigeration, Level-Up Racking Co., and Peak Design Company to launch the ATLAS BLAST TOWER™ System—a groundbreaking blast freezing and tempering solution. Designed for both new builds and retrofits, ATLAS delivers substantial energy and operational efficiencies while eliminating the need for major structural modifications. The system’s first large-scale deployment was featured in the Cold Summit Savannah Build-to-Suit project, where it now freezes over three million pounds of product per day—setting a new benchmark for performance, flexibility, and innovation in cold storage processing.

2025

Global Expansion and a New Chapter

In 2025, Cold Summit celebrated the successful delivery of two major projects: Dallas II, a speculative, multi-tenant cold storage facility built to meet strong regional demand, and Savannah, a fully customized build-to-suit project designed around a client’s specific operational and throughput needs. Both facilities reflect Cold Summit’s continued focus on strategic locations and high-performance cold chain infrastructure.

This year also marked Cold Summit’s expansion into Europe with the opening of our Amsterdam office and the addition of Harld Peters, former President of Lineage Europe, as President of Cold Summit Europe. Harld brings decades of supply chain and logistics expertise across high-tech, pharmaceutical, and food sectors—positioning the company for long-term growth across the European cold chain landscape.

To reflect our evolution from a developer to a full-spectrum cold chain solutions provider, the company rebranded from Cold Summit Development to simply Cold Summit.