3rd Party Logistics and Warehouse for Cicero, IL Businesses

Opened in Omaha in 1894, Gratton Warehouse Company is still family-owned and now in its fourth generation. A town that remembers the Hawthorne Works will understand what that means: staying power built on practical work, one shift after another. More than 130 years of distribution services cover rail freight, interstate trucking and cloud software. G5 Logistics powers the business, and B2B Omaha gave Gratton its 2023 Best of B2B award. Each client has a dedicated account manager who knows the account and can say where a pallet is. The values that built the company in 1894 still guide how customers are treated, from the first quote to the thousandth shipment.

As a Nebraska warehouseFamily Owned Since 1894Four generations of one family have run Gratton, storing and shipping goods for over 130 years and taking a 2023 Best of B2B award. with one site, Gratton is clear about its place. We are not in Cicero or anywhere in the Chicago area. Our Omaha building lies 471 miles west, near I-80 and close to the region's other major highways, which is useful for overflow, central-U.S. distribution and stock placed closer to western customers. Cicero firms that choose contract warehousing services from us tend to keep a small working supply near home for rush orders, and use Omaha for everything else, shipping on a schedule they control. That split keeps Chicago-area square footage focused on the goods that really must sit close to buyers, while bulky, seasonal or slow-moving stock rides west through cross-docking moves or direct trucks when the plan calls for it.

Goods We Handle Every Day

Product variety is a strength. Our floors handle general merchandise, consumer products, textiles and apparel, electronics, toys, industrial products and machinery, plus document storage and even movie sets. Grocery and natural foods are accepted in our FDA-registered space, hazmat services are available, and temperature-controlled storage protects goods that cannot tolerate swings. A catalog may hold one SKU or up to 5,000, and our pallet storage take single pieces up to 5 tons, which suits Cicero metalworkers and equipment dealers. Pallets, crates and loose pieces can all be received, counted and stored in the same facility.

Value-added work removes steps from your day. Crews perform kitting, sub-assembly and special project tasks, and returns management sorts items back into sellable stock. Customers who prefer to collect goods themselves may use will-call. Every handling event is recorded in our inventory tracking system, so your office sees what moved without calling to ask. When a customer wants an update late in the afternoon, the answer is already on your screen, with dates, quantities and carrier details beside it. Gratton is a National Safety Council member, and safe practice on the dock, including during pick and pack tasks, is part of that commitment.

Working Across 470 Miles

Partnerships across several states depend on plain routines. Each account receives one dedicated account manager who works Central Time hours, on weekdays, opening at eight in the morning and closing at four-thirty. Plans, rates and receiving instructions are written down early, and changes are confirmed in writing as the account grows, which spares small teams from chasing details. Many Cicero clients begin by sending one truckload, reviewing the receiving record and then deciding how much more to move. The whole distribution services picture is visible from a laptop, so distance matters less than most owners expect.

Flexible terms complete the picture. A public warehousing arrangement in Omaha lets you add pallets before a busy season and release them afterward, without a lease that outlives the need. Our Omaha Chamber and AIB ties come with surveillance cameras in all facilities. If extra room, a western distribution point or more predictable costs sounds useful, one call during weekday hours is enough to request a warehousing quote and begin.