The Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA) has named the Sadel Group’s Magnavale Easton cold storage facility in Grantham, United Kingdom (pictured above), and Griffco Design/Build’s Scout Cold Logistics project in Lancaster, Texas, USA, as the winners of the 2025 CEBA Built By the Best Awards. The companies’ achievements were saluted on November 5 during the CEBA Annual Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Controlled Environment, Cold Storage & Distribution Warehouses category
Completion of the Sadel Group’s project in Britain, which has set a new benchmark in Europe for automated frozen storage combining speed, precision, flexibility, operational efficiency and safety, delivered the UK’s most advanced cold chain facility. The fully automated high-bay frozen warehouse at -18°C boasts 101,000 pallet capacity, including over-height positions.
Innovative design and automation features include ASRS with dual monorails and 3,000 meters of conveyors across three floors. The facility also benefits from a custom built control system to ensure uninterrupted flow and a 3.5 MW two-stage refrigeration system to maintain precise temperatures across multiple zones.
Sadel Group Director Andrew Lawrence stated: “We are incredibly proud to receive the CEBA Award, which recognizes the dedication, innovation, and collaboration of everyone involved in developing the Magnavale Easton cold store facility. This project represents years of commitment to pushing the boundaries of cold storage design, resulting in the most advanced high-bay frozen warehouse of its kind. Our team, along with our trusted partners, have set a new benchmark for efficiency, sustainability, and performance in the sector.”
Special Works Projects Category
Griffco Design/Build was tops in the Special Works Projects category for its Scout Cold Logistics project in Lancaster, Texas (pictured below), where it met the considerable challenge of delivering an 88,115 square foot box-in-box cold storage buildout inside a 551,000 square foot warehouse to support a global meal kit brand.
Special features of the facility include multiple temperature zones, separated high/low-care areas, and three occupancy types. The design incorporates BIM and digital twin modeling that enables clash detection, and 3D visualization. A unique fire code required a custom smoke/heat system, while extended permitting and rock obstructions were successfully met while staying on time and budget. Sustainability credentials were supported with freon-based split refrigeration, enhanced drainage, and reinforced structure for expansion.
“We are honored to be named CEBA’s first Built by the Best Award winner in the Special Works Projects category. Delivering this complex project on time and within budget was a true team effort, and we appreciate CEBA’s commitment to recognizing innovation and excellence in the controlled environment industry,” said Scott Griffin, the company’s founder and chief executive officer.
In addition to the category winners, a selection of entrants were shortlisted as Built By the Best Award Finalists or given Honorable Mentions. Brief descriptions are provided below.
Finalists
• TI Cold for its Banks Cold Storage project in Commerce, Georgia, USA – a scalable, efficient, sustainable and resilient facility setting a benchmark for innovation and supply chain advancement.
• Greek Design | Build for its Ocean Kingdom project in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, which expanded cold storage capacity to enhance Ocean Kingdom’s seafood distribution with direct access to I-95 and Philadelphia International Airport.
Honorable Mentions
Carroll Daniel Construction Company for its Eskimo Cold Storage Project in Gainesville, Georgia, USA.
Cold Solutions Services East Africa Limited for its facility in Ruiru, Kiambu County, Kenya.
Coldbox Builders Inc. for its Arla Foods/Condor Properties project in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada.
Consolidated Construction Co. for its Midwest Refrigerated Services project in Belvidere, Illinois, USA.
Fisher Construction Group for the Simplot Freezer project in Rainier, Washington, USA.
Greek Design | Build for its RL Cold & BGO project in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, USA.
Primus Builders for its Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics/Saxum Real Estate project in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
The finalists presented their projects to attendees during the CEBA Conference and Expo, and were decided by a team of judges drawn from the non-submitting member companies.
