C.H. Robinson announced that it plans to expand its business operations in Chicago, US, by signing a seven-year lease for a 235,000 sq ft commercial office building and warehouse in Des Plaines. Approximately 150 employees are expected to be based at the new facility, which is due to open its doors in early 2016.
Mike Short, president of Global Forwarding, C.H. Robinson said, “Chicago is one of the most important markets in our global shipping network, thanks to its connectivity to Class I rail, ocean shipping, truck transportation and one of the world’s leading airports,” Adding, “This move will enable our customers to have better access to these transportation options, and will position our company to build on our decade of rapid expansion in Chicago.”
The Des Plaines deal comes following the company’s announcement that it plans to build a three-story, 207,000 sq ft office building in Lincoln Park that will house more than 1,000 employees. The company has roughly doubled its Chicago-based headcount since 2005, and its nearly 2,000 Chicago employees account for almost 15 percent of the company’s global workforce.
The new facility is intended to serve as a hub for both North American and international freight consolidation operations.
The Des Plaines facility is expected to serve as C.H. Robinson’s in-house TSA Certified Cargo Screening facility (CCSF). This new facility is due to include 36,726 sq ft of warehouse space equipped with screening technology. The TSA approved C.H. Robinson as a CCSF in April 2012. Since then, C.H. Robinson has provided a dedicated air freight screening team. In addition, the facility is tied directly to Navisphere®, the company’s global technology platform, allowing customers to track their freight before, during, and after the screening process.