Mulder and Sons auctions off equipment after a half-century in business

Cassandra Lybrink, The Holland Sentinel
·1 min read

HOLLAND — A well-known West Michigan trucking operation auctioned off its equipment this week after shutting down operations in November, reports Crain's Detroit.

Art Mulder and Sons held a one-day online auction Tuesday, Jan. 24, to sell 145 inventory items, including semi-trucks, refrigerated trailers and other equipment, the publication reports.

A rendering of the expansion project split between Mulder and Sons and The Mandich Group.
A rendering of the expansion project split between Mulder and Sons and The Mandich Group.

Mulder Holding Co. — which primarily served customers in the food industry — closed its trucking division in late November, laying off 50 employees. The business, founded in 1971, retained 34 employees split across its remaining divisions: Mulder Brothers Brokerage and Mulder Fleet Services. The former provides logistics services, while the latter offers truck and trailer maintenance and repair.

The closure came only months after the business announced a $31 million, 147,000-square-foot expansion that was slated to create up to 55 new jobs. The facility is owned by MG88 Holland Cold Storage LLC — an entity created by Mulder and Sons and The Mandich Group.

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The expansion includes freezer and cooler warehouse storage, refrigerated and cooler dock space, office space, mechanical rooms, maintenance areas and training and conference rooms. It remains operational, and Mulder Holding Co. retains a 50 percent stake, according to Crain's.

COO Greg Mulder told Crain's his company "could no longer make the math work" with rising overhead costs and lower volumes. The trucking brand, for now, will "go dormant" while Mulder Holding Co. bolsters its logistics division.

"We plan on continuing to serve as a legit full-service logistics company and continue to provide good service for our customers," Mulder told Crain's.

— Contact editor Cassandra Lybrink at clybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @CassLybrink.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Mulder and Sons auctions off equipment after a half-century in business