Loup Logistics Acquires Big Footprint in Hot Arizona Market

Aerial view of PCI yard

Precision Components Inc.'s 100+ acre facility in Maricopa County, Arizona.

The recent acquisition of a premier reload facility in one of the fastest growing counties in America gives Loup Logistics (Loup) a big footprint in an expanding market.

Loup, a wholly owned Union Pacific Railroad subsidiary, acquired Precision Components Inc.’s (PCI Reload) in late 2021.

The 100+ acre facility processes more than 8,000 rail cars annually in Arizona’s Maricopa County, a county that consistently ranked as one of the top growth counties in the nation in the last decade.

“The long-term growth opportunity is incredible. We have room to grow our business and the facility, providing the efficiency and environmental benefits of rail service to customers seeking access to the greater Phoenix market,” said Kiley Freeman, general director - Marketing & Sales, Loup.

Maricopa County’s population grew by 15.8 percent from 2010 to 2020, more than twice the national rate, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.

The growth is expected to continue and Loup Logistics has a role to play in that growth, said Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.

"Advanced manufacturing is growing in the region and is expected to increase faster in Greater Phoenix than any other competitor market over the next five years, adding 5,400 jobs," said Camacho.

"Loup Logistics' acquisition of the Phoenix Transload Facility will ensure that the region's modern shipping infrastructure remains reliable with this growing demand. Efficiency of rail creates opportunity for all current businesses and its dependability is instrumental in attracting business and investment from the world's biggest companies,” added Camacho.

The acquisition is also an opportunity for Loup to carry on a legacy of quality service at a transload facility that helped fuel Arizona’s growth, providing easy, efficient access to Union Pacific tracks in the heart of Phoenix.

PCI Reload is a 60-year-old family business with an exemplary reputation – known for being customer focused.

Hal Owens, president – PCI Reload, is an incredible advocate for rail and has been a great business partner with Union Pacific for more than 25 years, said Shelly Huckfeldt, manager in Marketing & Sales – Network Economic and Industrial Development.

“Hal is highly respected within the business community. He has a reputation of doing the right thing. He wants his customers to be happy and he strives for consistent, reliable service,” said Huckfeldt.

Owens, who is still managing the facility as a Loup operator through the transition, said he believes Loup is in a great position to continue the PCI Reload tradition of exceeding customers’ expectations.

Owens acknowledged there is a lot of “mixed feelings” that come with selling a family-owned business that his father, Herb, started in 1962, with 10 acres in what was then mostly an agricultural area.

Today, PCI Reload is in the heart of an industrial area, surrounded by freeways in all directions making it a perfect location to feed the supply chain.

“Many industries and businesses relied upon us to reach the rail system and we were proud to go in that direction, especially since railroads are a green, efficient option,” said Owens.

PCI Reload includes 125,000 square feet of covered storage and three miles of rail capacity. It processes over 8,000 rail cars and 38,000 trucks annually, offering transloading, storage and trucking solutions to customers shipping in and out of the Phoenix market.

It is the largest transload facility in the Phoenix area, transporting lumber, metals, plastics, and food, including barley, flour and sugar.

“PCI Reload and Loup had a great partnership long before this acquisition and we are so proud that we have been given this opportunity to carry on Hal and PCI’s legacy of growth with integrity,” said Freeman.

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