S. WHITEHALL TWP., Pa.- On a cold, blustery Tuesday in Lehigh County, a company that considers itself an expert in the business of keeps things cold celebrated the opening of its new hub.

Peli BioThermal is shifting operations from an existing 63,000 square-foot facility at 795 Roble Road in Hanover Township to a new 90,100 square-foot building at 1215 Hausman Road in South Whitehall Township. 

Some of Peli BioThermal's products

Some of Peli BioThermal’s products 

The company, based in Maple Grove, Minnesota, has had a presence in the Lehigh Valley for about a decade. It makes temperature-controlled packaging solutions in a number of sizes that allow for the safe transport of things like medicines, biologics and vaccines. 

The new facility, which Peli BioThermal calls its Allentown Service Center, will provide conditioning, refurbishment, and logistics support for the company’s reusable Credo shippers.

“A lot of our boxes and units are sustainable, meaning we have reusable boxes,” said President and Chief Operating Officer Doug Ross. “We’ll recondition those boxes, get them back to temperature, and then send them back out. It’s a circular kind of sustainable process that allows us to eliminate landfill (waste) out in the world.”

Doug Ross, President and COO of Peli BioThermal

Doug Ross, President and COO of Peli BioThermal 

Ross was one of the company executives who was on hand for the official grand opening on Tuesday. Chief Executive Officer Sam Herbert was another; he previously was in the Lehigh Valley in March, touring potential sites for the new center. 

“This was a very easy decision to make, to give the team here the home and the tools to allow and unleash growth,” he said.

After brief remarks, employees- collectively known as the Allentown 2.0 team- gathered outside for the ceremonial ribbon-cutting as the winds whipped.

Ribbon cutting for Peli BioThermal in South Whitehall Township

Ribbon cutting for Peli BioThermal in South Whitehall Township 

Peli BioThermal hopes to have all products and employees moved from Hanover Township to South Whitehall Township by the end of the year. Ross estimates about 30 employees will work at the Hausman Road facility, and there’s plenty of room to grow.

The company has locations around the world but sees the Lehigh Valley as one of its more strategic spots.

“There are so many pharma companies that are in the Northeast of the U.S. We really kind of call this the Northeast Corridor,” said Ross. “So we’re well positioned to get to different airports. We can get to Newark quickly, we can get to Philadelphia quickly, we can get to Allentown quickly. So this area to us was a key location we had to stay in.”

The ceremony was organized by the Western Lehigh Chamber of Commerce.