Interview with Jonas Swarttouw, US Country Manager for NewCold

NewCold is a Dutch logistics service provider offering cold storage and supply chain solutions for frozen and refrigerated food, with a specialty in highly automated cold storage warehouses. With their US headquarters in Chicago and warehouses in Idaho and Washington, NewCold has exposure to a diverse swath of the American market.

Key to succeeding in the US market is demonstrating the ability to deliver what you promise. Entering the market here takes time, effort, and money, but once a company proves its ability to deliver, doors begin to open to do more and more business.

“The USA has a culture of embracing success…now that we have entered the market, now that we are successful, there are a lot of doors opening for us to do more business, once people see that we deliver what we promise.”

“Getting the first customer landed is the most important thing you can do for your business development.”

Also powerful in expanding your business in the US is the ability to communicate a compelling story about your company’s role in value creation. The American focus on value creation aligns nicely with the Dutch search for efficiency, but the ability to concisely communicate that value proposition is crucial to success.

“In the Netherlands, we are always looking for efficiency. In the USA people look for value creation – but these often go hand in hand.”

Swarttouw highlighted Chicago’s quality of life, central location, the city’s relatively good time-zone overlap with the Netherlands, and the availability of talent as important factors in choosing Chicago, but emphasized that location selection is company specific. For NewCold, Chicago’s status as the hub of the American food market – and therefore proximity to key customers - was a critical factor.

 “If you’re looking at intrinsics like an easy-going culture, a relatively affordable place to live and work, access to talent, access to all the conveniences of a big city – Chicago is an excellent choice.”