10-K/A

AMERICOLD REALTY TRUST (COLD)

10-K/A 2021-06-03 For: 2020-12-31
View Original
Added on April 06, 2026

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K/A

(Amendment No. 1)

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020
OR
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the Transition Period from            to

Commission File Number: 001-34723

AMERICOLD REALTY TRUST

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Maryland 93-0295215
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) (IRS Employer Identification Number)
10 Glenlake Parkway, Suite 600, South Tower
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(678) 441-1400

(Registrants telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Shares of Beneficial Interest, $0.01 par value per share COLD New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: NONE

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Yes No
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.
Yes No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter periods that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Yes No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:
Large accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer
Accelerated filer
Smaller reporting company
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Yes ¨ No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934)
Yes No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report
Yes No

As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate market value of the voting common shares owned by non-affiliates of Americold Realty Trust was $6.4 billion, computed by reference to the closing price of the common shares of Americold Realty Trust on the New York Stock Exchange on such date. Such value excludes common shares held by executive officers, directors, and 10% or greater shareholders as of June 30, 2020. The identification of 10% or greater shareholders is based on Schedule 13G and amended 13G reports publicly filed before June 30, 2020. This calculation does not reflect a determination that such parties are affiliates for any other purposes. The number of Americold Realty Trust’s common shares outstanding at February 26, 2021, was approximately 252,366,476.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This amended report on Form 10-K/A (the “Amendment Filing”) amends the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Americold Realty Trust (the “Registrant”) for the year ended December 31, 2020 initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 1, 2021 (the “Original Filing”) for the purpose of updating the disclosure in Item 9A., Controls and Procedures. Management’s Annual Report on disclosure controls and procedures contained in Item 9A. of the Original Filing, which inadvertently omitted a statement disclosing the conclusions of the Registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers regarding the effectiveness of the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2020. This Amendment Filing corrects such omission.

This Amendment Filing also amends Item 15 of Part IV of the Original Filing solely to include as exhibits (i) a new Exhibit 22, List of Guarantors and Subsidiary Issuers of Guaranteed Securities and (ii) the certifications required by Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Because no financial statements have been included in this Amendment Filing, paragraph 3 of the certifications has been omitted. The Registrant is not including the certifications under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 as no financial statements are being filed with this Amendment Filing.

Except as expressly stated, this Amendment does not reflect events occurring after the filing of the Original Filing or modify or update in any way any of the other items or disclosures contained in the Original Filing, including, without limitation, the consolidated financial statements and the related footnotes. Accordingly, this Amendment Filing should be read in conjunction with the Original Filing and the Registrant’s other filings with the SEC subsequent to the filing of the Original Filing.

ITEM 9A. Controls and Procedures

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The term “disclosure controls and procedures” is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act. These rules refer to the controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information is recorded, processed, accumulated, summarized, communicated and reported to management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding what is required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files under the Exchange Act. As of December 31, 2020 (the “Evaluation Date”), we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon that evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and reflect management’s judgments and estimates concerning events and transactions that are accounted for or disclosed.

Management is also responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Management recognizes that there are inherent limitations in the effectiveness of any internal control and effective internal control over financial reporting can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation. Additionally, because of changes in conditions, the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting may vary over time.

Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013 framework). The scope of our efforts to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act with respect to 2020 included all of our operations other than those we acquired in 2020 as described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements. In accordance with the SEC’s published guidance, because we acquired these operations during the year, we excluded these operations from our efforts to comply with Section 404 with respect to 2020. These acquired businesses constituted 40% of total assets as of December 31, 2020 and 3% of revenue for the year then ended. Of these acquisitions, the acquisition of Agro Merchants represented 28% of total assets and less than 1% of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020. The SEC’s published guidance specifies that the period in which management may omit an assessment of an acquired business’s internal control over financial reporting from its assessment of the Company’s internal control may not extend beyond one year from the date of acquisition. Based on our assessment, which as discussed herein excluded the operations of the businesses acquired, management believes that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020.

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which was included in the Original Filing.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a - 15(f) of the Exchange Act) identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rule 13a-15(d) under the Exchange Act during the year ended December 31, 2020 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 15. Exhibits, Financial Statements and Schedules

Americold Realty Trust and Subsidiaries

The following documents are filed as a part of this Form 10-K/A or incorporated by reference:

a.Financial Statements and Schedules

The response to this portion of Item 15 is incorporated by reference from the Original Filing, into this Amendment.

b.Exhibits

The exhibits listed on the accompanying Exhibit Index are filed as part of, or are incorporated by reference into this Amendment.

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No. Description
2.1 Equity Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 16, 2019 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 16, 2019 (File No. 001-34723))
2.2 Transaction Agreement, dated as of October 12, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 13, 2020 (File No. 001-34723))
3.1 Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of Americold Realty Trust, dated as of January 22, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 23, 2018 (File No. 001-34723))
3.2 Amended and Restated Bylaws of Americold Realty Trust (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 23, 2019 (File No. 001-34723))
3.3 Certificate of Limited Partnership of Americold Realty Operating Partnership, L.P. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to Americold Realty Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 26, 2019 (File No. 001-34723))
3.4 Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of Americold Realty Operating Partnership, L.P. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 2, 2019 (File No. 001-34723))
3.5 Articles of Amendment to Declaration of Trust of Americold Realty Trust, dated as of March 9, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 10, 2020 (File No. 001-34723))
4.1 Description of shares of Beneficial Interest (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 2, 2020 (File No. 001-34723))
4.2 Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of December 30, 2020 by and among Americold Realty Trust and the Holders named therein.
10.1 Credit Agreement, dated as of December 4, 2018, by and among the Operating Partnership, the Company, the Several Lenders and Letter of Credit Issuers from Time to Time Parties Thereto and Bank of America, National Association, as Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 5, 2018 (File No. 001-34723))
10.2 Consent and First Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of December 23, 2019, by and among the Company, the Operating Partnership and the guarantors, lenders and letter of credit issues named therein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Form on Form 8-K filed on January 9, 2020 (File No. 001-34723))
10.3 Credit Agreement, dated as of March 26, 2020, by and among the Company, the Operating Partnership, certain of their subsidiaries, Several Lenders and Letter of Credit Issuers named therein and Bank of America, National Association, as Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 30, 2020 (File No. 001-34723))
10.4 Note and Guaranty Agreement, dated as of December 4, 2018, by and among the Operating Partnership, the Company and the purchasers named therein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 5, 2018 (File No. 001-34723))
10.5 Note and Guaranty Agreement, dated as of May 7, 2019, by and among the Operating Partnership, the Company and the purchasers named therein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 8, 2019 (File No. 001-34723))
10.6 Amendment No. 1 to the Note and Guaranty Agreement, dated as of May 7, 2019, dated as of December 30, 2020, by and among the Operating Partnership, the Company and the purchasers named therein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 6, 2021 (File No. 001-34723))
10.7 Amendment No. 2 to the Note and Guaranty Agreement, dated as of December 4, 2018, dated as of December 30, 2020, by and among the Operating Partnership, the Company and the purchasers named therein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 6, 2021 (File No. 001-34723))
--- ---
10.8 Note and Guaranty Agreement, dated as of December 30, 2020, by and among the Operating Partnership, the Company and the Purchasers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 6, 2021 (File No. 001-34723))
10.9# Employment Agreement, dated as of January 23, 2018, by and between AmeriCold Logistics, LLC and Fred Boehler (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 23, 2018 (Registration No. 333-221560))
10.10# Employment Agreement, dated as of January 23, 2018, by and between AmeriCold Logistics, LLC and Marc Smernoff (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 23, 2018 (Registration No. 333-221560))
10.11# Employment Agreement, dated as of January 23, 2018, by and between AmeriCold Logistics, LLC and Thomas Novosel (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 23, 2018 (Registration No. 333-221560))
10.12# Letter Agreement, dated May 11, 2018, by and between Americold Realty Trust and Marc Smernoff (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to Americold Realty Trust’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, filed on May 15, 2018 (File No. 001-34723))
10.13# Employment Agreement, dated as of September 11, 2018, by and between AmeriCold Logistics, LLC and Carlos Rodriguez (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed on September 11, 2018 (File No. 001-34723)
10.14# Employment Agreement, dated as of March 26, 2018, by and between AmeriCold Logistics, LLC and James Snyder (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to Americold Realty Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed on February 27, 2019 (File No. 001-34723))
10.15# Employment Agreement, dated as of September 25, 2018, by and between AmeriCold Logistics, LLC and James Harron (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to Americold Realty Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed on February 27, 2019 (File No. 001-34723))
10.16# Employment Agreement, dated as of September 13, 2018, by and between AmeriCold Logistics, LLC and David Stuver (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to Americold Realty Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed on February 27, 2019 (File No. 001-34723))
10.17# Employment Agreement, dated January 7, 2020, by and between Americold Realty Trust and Robert Chambers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 10, 2020 (File No. 001-34723))
10.18 Form of Indemnification Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to Americold Realty Trust’s Registration Statement on Form S-11/A, filed on December 19, 2017 (Registration No. 333-221560))
10.19 Americold Realty Trust 2008 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to Americold Realty Trust’s Registration Statement on Form S-11/A, filed on January 12, 2018 (Registration No. 333-221560))
10.20 Americold Realty Trust 2010 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to Americold Realty Trust’s Registration Statement on Form S-11/A, filed on December 20, 2017 (Registration No. 333-221560))
10.21 Americold Realty Trust 2017 Equity Incentive Plan, effective as of January 23, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to Americold Realty Trust’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 23, 2018 (Registration No. 333-221560))
10.22 Form of Annual Trustee Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Americold Realty Trust’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, filed on May 15, 2018 (File No. 001-34723))
10.23 Form of Retention Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Americold Realty Trust’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, filed on May 15, 2018 (File No. 001-34723))
10.24 Form of Performance Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to Americold Realty Trust’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, filed on May 15, 2018 (File No. 001-34723))
10.25 Form of Annual Trustee OP Unit Award Agreement (incorporated by referenced to Exhibit 10.1 to Americold Realty Trust’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, filed on August 9, 2019 (File No. 001-34723))
10.26 Form of Retention OP Unit Award Agreement (incorporated by referenced to Exhibit 10.2 to Americold Realty Trust’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, filed on August 9, 2019 (File No. 001-34723))
10.27 Form of Performance OP Unit Award Agreement (incorporated by referenced to Exhibit 10.3 to Americold Realty Trust’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, filed on August 9, 2019 (File No. 001-34723))
10.28 Form of Performance Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.26 to Americold Realty Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 2, 2020 (File No. 001-34723))
21.1 List of Subsidiaries
22* List of Guarantors and Subsidiary Issuers of Guaranteed Securities
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23.1* Consent of Ernst & Young LLP
31.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Americold Realty Trust
31.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Americold Realty Trust
31.3* Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Americold Realty Trust
31.4* Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Americold Realty Trust
32.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Americold Realty Trust
32.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Americold Realty Trust
95.1 Information concerning mine safety violations or other regulatory matters required by Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
104* The cover page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K/A (Amendment No. 1) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, formatted in Inline XBRL.

This document has been identified as a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

* Filed herewith

Certain agreements and other documents filed as exhibits to this Form 10-K/A, or incorporated by reference, contain representations and warranties that the parties thereto made to each other. These representations and warranties have been made solely for the benefit of the other parties to such agreements and may have been qualified by certain information that has been disclosed to the other parties to such agreements and other documents and that may not be reflected in such agreements and other documents. In addition, these representations and warranties may be intended as a way of allocating risks among parties if the statements contained therein prove to be incorrect, rather than as actual statements of fact. Accordingly, there can be no reliance on any such representations and warranties as characterizations of the actual state of facts. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of any such representations and warranties may have changed since the date of such agreements and other documents.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

AMERICOLD REALTY TRUST
By: /s/ Fred W. Boehler
Fred W. Boehler
Chief Executive Officer

Date: June 2, 2021

Document

Exhibit 22

List of Guarantors and Subsidiary Issuers of Guaranteed Securities

From time to time Americold Realty Operating Partnership, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership and a subsidiary of Americold Realty Trust, may issue debt securities under a registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Americold Realty Trust.

Document

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the following Registration Statements:

(1)Registration Statement (Form S-3 No. 333-22981) of Americold Realty Trust,

(2)Registration Statement (Form S-3 No. 333-237704) of Americold Realty Trust,

(3)Registration Statement (Form S-3 No. 333-237704-01) of Americold Realty Operating Partnership, L.P.,

(4)Registration Statement (Form S-8 No. 333-222637) pertaining to the Americold Realty Trust 2017 Equity Incentive Plan, Americold Realty Trust 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, and Americold Realty Trust 2008 Equity Incentive Plan of Americold Realty Trust, and

(5)Registration Statement (Form S-8 No. 333-251200) pertaining to the Americold Realty Trust 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan;

of our reports dated March 1, 2021, with respect to the consolidated financial statements and schedule of Americold Realty Trust and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of Americold Realty Trust, incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K/A of Americold Realty Trust for the year ended December 31, 2020.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Atlanta, Georgia

June 2, 2021

Document

Exhibit 31.3

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a) OF THE EXCHANGE ACT, AS AMENDED,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Fred Boehler, certify that:

  1. I have reviewed this Amendment No. 1 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Americold Realty Trust;

  2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

  3. [omitted];

  4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

  1. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: June 2, 2021

/s/ Fred W. Boehler
Fred W. Boehler
Chief Executive Officer, President and Trustee

Document

Exhibit 31.4

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a) OF THE EXCHANGE ACT, AS AMENDED,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Marc Smernoff, certify that:

  1. I have reviewed this Amendment No. 1 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Americold Realty Trust;

  2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

  3. [omitted];

  4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

  1. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: June 2, 2021

/s/ Marc J. Smernoff
Marc J. Smernoff
Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President