COACHELLA, CA - Prime Time International has acquired an 80,000 sq. ft. packing house and distribution facility in Somis, California in anticipation of future expansion in the area.
“We reached a point where we needed to expand our operations and take control of our own destiny in this important region,” said Mike Way, Managing Member at Prime Time. “This purchase enables us to expand not only our packing and shipping operations, but also to develop a line of services for other produce industry companies including handling, cooling, consolidation, and cross docking.”
Formerly a tomato packing operation, the facility was previously owned by Gargiulo Incorporated of Naples, Florida, according to a press release. Renovations to the establishment are currently underway, with plans to convert the packing operations to be compatible with peppers, installation of new bagging equipment, converting to a forced air cooling system, and installing new storage racking to increase capacity.
Jeff Taylor, Managing Member at Prime Time, notes, “We expect to have all the work completed by the end of the year and to hit the ground running in 2015. This is part of a long term strategic plan to continue to grow our pepper business and meet the expanding needs of our customers.”
Carl Sam Maggio and Mark Nickerson, Founders and Principle Owners in the company, will oversee the transition to the new facility. Morgan Fragoso, a newcomer to the company and former Oxnard, CA-based Cal-Sun employee, has been appointed as the Shipping/Cooler Manager at the facility as well.
Congrats on the successful acquisition, Prime Time!
