Great Lakes Ice Company

What Great Lakes Ice Company does

Great Lakes Ice Company is a privately-held, owner-operated ice distribution and cold-storage rental business headquartered in Port Huron, Michigan. The company delivers bagged ice products in 7 lb and 20 lb formats to commercial customers and rents mobile freezer trailers for short-term refrigeration needs. Its customer base spans convenience retail (7-Eleven), airline ground operations (United Airlines, Spirit), large-scale events (NFL Draft Detroit 2024), construction (Xtreme Construction), food service (Sunrise, Speedy Q, Fronney's Foods), and specialty vending (Chillbox).

Operations run from a single warehouse in Port Huron, MI, staffed by a small team of CDL Class B truck drivers and shop assistants. Revenue is generated through two streams: per-bag ice delivery priced at $5 per 20 lb bag, and mobile freezer trailer rentals priced at $275 for weekend and $500 for weekly terms. The go-to-market is direct B2B sales supported by local delivery radius and event-driven contracts.

The business model is transactional and project-based rather than subscription or platform-driven. There is no disclosed institutional funding, no M&A activity, no proprietary technology platform, and no digital component to the offering. Competitive positioning rests on local delivery density, service reliability for time-sensitive ice logistics, and the operational capacity to fulfill high-volume episodic events such as the NFL Draft.

Name

Great Lakes Ice Company

Legal name

Great Lakes Ice Company

Website

https://greatlakesice.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Great Lakes Ice Company is a privately-held ice delivery and mobile freezer trailer rental service based in Port Huron, Michigan, serving convenience retail, airline, construction, food service, and event customers across the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Huron

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Bagged Ice Sales: Sale of packaged ice in 7 lb and 20 lb bags to businesses including retail stores, gas stations, convenience shops, campgrounds, event venues, factories, warehouses, construction sites, and oil refineries.
2. Freezer Trailer Rentals: Rental of mobile freezer trailers for special events (graduation parties, weddings, carnivals, festivals, concerts, corporate events) and emergency backup refrigeration for restaurants. Pricing includes weekend and weekly options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Great Lakes Ice Company distributes premium packaged bagged ice in 7 lb and 20 lb sizes directly to commercial customers across Michigan, including retail stores, gas stations, grocery and convenience shops, campgrounds, stadiums, factories, warehouses, construction sites, and oil refineries. The company also rents mobile freezer trailers for special events, weddings, graduations, festivals, corporate events, and emergency backup refrigeration for restaurants.

Product overview

Great Lakes Ice Company is a locally owned and operated ice delivery and cold storage service provider based in Port Huron, Michigan. The company offers two core services: On-Site Ice Delivery (supplying premium packaged ice in 7 lb and 20 lb bags to retail stores, gas stations, grocery stores, campgrounds, stadiums, factories, construction sites, and oil refineries across Michigan) and Freezer Trailer Rentals (providing mobile freezer trailers for events, weddings, graduations, festivals, and emergency refrigeration backup). The company primarily serves commercial customers including major retailers, airlines, and event venues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• On-Site Ice Delivery

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Reddy Ice: North America's largest packaged ice manufacturer and distributor, serving retail, foodservice, and industrial customers across the US and Canada. Directly comparable to Great Lakes in core bagged ice distribution, but at vastly larger national scale with manufacturing capabilities Great Lakes does not disclose.
• Arctic Glacier: Major packaged ice manufacturer and distributor serving North America with retail, foodservice, and industrial ice products. Closest direct competitor to Great Lakes in the packaged ice category, with broader geographic reach and own manufacturing.

Regional players

• Penguin Ice: Regional packaged ice distributor serving parts of the Midwest with delivery to retail, c-stores, and events. Comparable bagged-ice wholesale/distribution model with similar product sizes and customer base to Great Lakes.
• Ice Express: Regional packaged ice distributor serving convenience and grocery retail with direct delivery. Comparable to Great Lakes in business model and product offering, though specific website not confirmed.
• Mr. Ice: Regional packaged ice distributor serving convenience stores, grocery, and foodservice accounts across parts of the Midwest. Direct competitor in the bagged ice wholesale space with similar delivery-driven GTM.
• Crystal Fresh Ice: Regional packaged ice producer and distributor in the Midwest selling bagged ice in standard sizes to retail and foodservice customers. Closely matches Great Lakes on product format, customer type, and regional distribution model.

Others

• Thermo King (Trane Technologies): Manufacturer of transport refrigeration units and refrigerated trailer systems used across cold-chain logistics including ice and food delivery fleets. Adjacent infrastructure provider whose equipment underpins Great Lakes' refrigerated trailer rental and ice delivery capabilities.

Direct peers

• Home City Ice: Midwest-focused packaged ice manufacturer and distributor serving Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and surrounding states. Comparable regional delivery model, similar customer mix (retail, foodservice, events), and overlapping Midwest geography near Great Lakes' Michigan territory.
• Polar Leasing Company: National provider of refrigerated and freezer trailer rentals for events, construction, and emergency backup. Directly comparable to Great Lakes' mobile freezer trailer rental business, though Polar Leasing operates nationally without the bagged ice distribution arm.

Emerging players

• Coolnerd: Mobile refrigerated and freezer trailer rental provider focused on events, festivals, and emergency backup across multiple US regions. Comparable to Great Lakes' trailer rental product line with an event-tilted customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-lakes-ice-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Great Lakes Ice Company