84 • The Produce News • November 12-26, 2012 FLORAL MARKETING Perishables cargo center at O’Hare: A valentine for Windy City? B Y J OHN S. N IBLOCK A bidding process to select a firm to develop and operate a new perishables cargo center at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago is moving slowly along, preparing for the day O’Hare can speed the process- ing of flowers, food and medi- cine. Officials hope to have a contractor selected by the end of the year and the facility up and running by Feb. 14, a valentine for Windy City importers of perishables. “This is huge for all perish- able imports and should lead to a big increase in the volume coming into O’Hare,” said Shlomo Danieli, owner of Blooming of Beloit, an importer and grower of special- ty cut flowers with its office in suburban Chicago and its farm in Beloit, WI. The firm imports Shlomo Danieli of Blooming of Beloit is eager to see a new per- ishables cargo center open at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Mr. Danieli predicts it will lead to a surge in direct over- seas flights carrying flowers and foliage. flowers and foliage from Colombia, Chile and Thailand, and flowers, foliage and herbs from Israel. Chicago’s central location and large population make it a natural choice for direct floral shipments from overseas, Mr. Danieli said, rather than truck- ing them up from Miami. “With the addition of this per- ishable cargo center at O’Hare,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel said in an August news release, “Chicago will be positioned to grow as a mar- ketplace for a diverse array of goods, such as fresh flowers and food, from around the world.” The Chicago Department of Aviation operates O’Hare, which ranks sixth in the nation in air cargo tonnage. The department put out a Request for Qualifications on Aug. 1, with a deadline of Aug. 15. The bid process will select a con- tractor who can convert a 1960s-era structure that has sat in no va a ti on innovation vacant for a decade near the international terminal into a central refrigerated cargo han- dling center with facilities for government customs and pest inspectors. The department has cleared out the 27,000-square-foot building and brought it up to building code requirements. It estimated the contractor would have to spend about $600,000 to get it ready for occupancy, not counting any special equipment required for the perishables center, such as refrigeration for cooler space, on-site fumigation and cus- toms and pest inspection sta- tions. Currently, flower importers “don’t want to come here because the facilities are lack- ing,” said Jim Richards, presi- dent and owner of Floral Express Inc., a trucking compa- ny in the Chicago area that spe- cializes in fresh flowers. “They’re clearing New York, clearing Miami but held in Chicago,” he told Crain’s Chicago Business in an Aug. 20 interview. ‘This is huge for all perishable imports and should lead to a big increase in the volume coming into O’Hare.’ — Shlomo Danieli F rom From the w world reno wned Mystique or orchids orld renowned c hids ww ww silvervase www silver vase com Call 1.800.87 72.6586 to place y your order todaay . .y 1.800.872.6586 o our today. UPDATES producenews.com Miami’s supremacy in imported flowers is sketched by U.S. Department of Com- merce figures that show in 2011 Miami had flower imports worth $747.3 million, up about 4 percent from 2010; New York City had $43.5 mil- lion, up about 6 percent; and Chicago had $7.7 million, down about 2 percent. The new facility can’t hap- pen fast enough for Mr. Danieli, who helped push for an on-site fumigation opera- tion to streamline customs operations and expedite deliv- ery of flowers and other perish- ables at O’Hare this spring (See “O’Hare airport perishables facility opens; boost to imports seen,” May 7-21, 2012, The Pro- duce News, page 76). Set up in a trailer, the operation would move to the new facility. Before the on-site fumiga- tion facility debuted this spring, Mr. Danieli explained, “If they found bugs in your flowers, you had to truck them 18 miles into downtown Chicago — an hour-long trip during rush hour — to get them fumigated, or else you had to destroy them. The long trip downtown and back was inconvenient, hard on the flowers and expensive.” The new perishable cargo center is needed to complete the pic- ture, he asserted.