New York, NY – February 13, 2016 – Today, The ARK at JFK announces the official opening of its Phase 1 services, which include The ARK Pet Oasis, Equine & Livestock Export Center and Aviary In-Transit Quarantine. The opening of Phase 2 is expected to take place in Q2 2017, which will include a full-service ARK Import-Export Center (“IEC”) featuring Equine Quarantine/Import, Grooms’ Lounge and The ARK Aviary. The ARK at JFK will become fully operational in summer 2017, with Phase 3 services, operated by sub-tenants, which will include a full veterinary clinic, a veterinary blood laboratory, and pet boarding and grooming facility.

The ARK Pet Oasis is a central resource available to all airlines, pet shippers and pet parents, servicing the needs and promoting the welfare of companion animals traveling as live cargo. The ARK at JFK Equine and Livestock Export Center provides essential resting stalls in a spacious, modern environment for horses and livestock departing John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport. The In-Transit Aviary Quarantine provides isolation rooms in a bonded warehouse, enabling commercial shippers to schedule several hours to overnight rest stops for birds traveling through the U.S.

“The opening of The ARK Pet Oasis, In-Transit Aviary Center, and Equine & Livestock Export Center marks the inaugural opening phase of The ARK at JFK,” said John J. Cuticelli, Jr. CEO, Racebrook and Founder and Chairman of ARK Development/The ARK at JFK. “Four years ago, we embarked on this process to address the unmet needs for the import and export of companion, sporting and agricultural animals at JFK International Airport. Transporting live cargo by plane can be a complex and arduous process for owners and animals alike. Our goal is to create a more efficient and safe process by reducing the need for additional travel and offering trained animal care staff immediately pre- and post-flight. The ARK provides a healthy and comfortable environment, and sets new international airport standards for comprehensive veterinary, kenneling and quarantine services.”

“The Port Authority is continuously exploring innovative ways to meet our customers’ needs,” Port Authority Aviation Director Thomas L. Bosco said. “The ARK is a world-class animal care and comprehensive veterinary service facility, and will be a great addition to JFK – not only for our passengers, but as a driver for the regional economy that will create jobs and generate sales activity.”

 

The ARK Pet Oasis

The ARK Pet Oasis services the needs and promote the welfare of all furry companions traveling as live animal cargo, including:

• Educating pet parents on travel requirements.
• Micro-chipping pets pre-travel.
• Evaluation of readiness to fly, ensure that documents and crates meet IATA and specific airline standards. Provision of food and water as needed, pre-flight relief.
• Just-in-time pick-up and delivery directly to/from aircraft in customized and branded vehicles.
• Reception of animals on inbound flights, evaluation and treatment of any acute medical conditions, crate and animal cleaning, relief, feeding and watering.
• Veterinarian and licensed veterinary technician on call for emergency care.
• U.S. Customs clearing for pets arriving from international origins.
• In-transit quarantine for animals between flights to/from international destinations as needed.
• Individualized identification of animals and crates to ensure that pets depart on correct flight.
• Premium service individual animal reports available including photograph and information on activity.

The ARK at JFK Equine and Livestock Export Center is a holding and rest area for all horses and livestock departing JFK International Airport. In order to meet the live animal cargo export needs of JFK, ARK Export is equipped with twenty-three individual 12’x12’ stalls outfitted with steel-framed open airway front stall doors, non-slip flooring, and high-quality hay and bedding. ARK Export can accommodate multiple shipments of horses and livestock. A dedicated and experienced staff of animal handlers and grooms provides all necessary care prior to domestic or international departure. With direct airside access at Building 78, this state-of-the art facility offers expedient, efficient and safe handling and direct loading of horses from export departure to jet stalls. All animal handling activity can occur indoors or under cover, improving comfort and safety for both humans and animals. A reserved parking and trailer drop-off area optimizes agent ground transportation for easy animal unloading. Additionally, a lounge area (opening Q1 2017) will offer rest and comfort for all horse grooms pre-departure.

As the world’s first privately owned, 24-hour animal terminal and airport quarantine center, The ARK at JFK is located at Cargo Building 78 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on 14.4 acres and will fully open in summer 2017. Approved by the Board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), The ARK is being constructed by ARK Development, LLC. The $65 million state-of-the-art facility will provide both airside and landside services, including a USDA-approved import quarantine, in-transit companion, animal kenneling, boarding, and veterinary and diagnostic services.

For more information, visit www.arkjfk.com.

 

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ARK Development, LLC

ARK Development's managing member is an affiliate of Racebrook, a private equity firm and portfolio of companies based in New York City that finances, develops, constructs, operates and manages real estate assets and related businesses.

The Racebrook Portfolio Companies

Racebrook is a real estate private equity, management and advisory portfolio of companies, founded by John J. Cuticelli, Jr. in 2004, as a division of Warburg Pincus LLC. Since its inception, Racebrook and its affiliates have acquired and invested in real property, including direct and indirect interests in improved and unimproved real estate, loans, and securities, and provided focused solutions for a wide array of related assets. Racebrook portfolio companies have extensive experience in development, redevelopment, entitlements, property management, leasing, and sales of real property assets. Its affiliates advise clients on real property as well as on sub- and non-performing commercial loans secured by real property, workouts, and restructurings. Racebrook is the parent of Sheldon Good & Co., the nation's leading property auction company, which is celebrating its fiftieth year in operation.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency’s network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center site, where the 1,776-foot-tall One World Trade Center is now the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. The Port Authority receives no tax revenue from either the State of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency raises the necessary funds for the improvement, construction or acquisition of its facilities primarily on its own credit. For more information, please visit http://www.panynj.gov.