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The following development organizations are recipients of Expansion Solutions Magazine’s 2010 Awards of Excellence in the *** Warehouse/Distribution*** industry category. These awards recognize organizations who have demonstrated exceptional progress and potential in the development of their areas -- by successfully recruiting, retaining and growing businesses. The winners below are listed in alphabetical order and are reflective of our top 5 selections.
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Harlingen Economic Development Corporation
Harlingen, TX
www.harlingenedc.com
Harlingen, Texas is located at the Crossroads of the Rio Grande Valley at the gateway to the Americas.
Harlingen's central location in the Valley (with a population of 1.2 million) has allowed it to share
in this growth and prosperity.
Harlingen offers all the advantages of a Texas location (ranked "America's Top State for Business"
by CNBC) with close proximity to the "near-shore" advantages of Mexico. Major firms like
United Launch Alliance (a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin), Dish Network,
Penske Logistics, Panasonic, Cardone Industries (the world's largest re-manufacturer of auto parts)
and many others have established profitable and productive homes in Harlingen.
Harlingen is at the intersection of US 77 (future I -69) and US 83. It is 9 miles from Los Indios
Free Trade Bridge, the fastest commercial border crossing in Rio South Texas. Valley International
Airport is the busiest passenger and freight airport in South Rio Texas. It is served by Southwest,
Continental Express and Sun Country Airlines with over 825,000 passengers per year. The NAFTA
Cargo Port has aligned VIA as the Air Cargo Hub of Rio South Texas via Fed Ex, UP BAX Global,
DHL, Contintental Cargo and Southwest Cargo. They have an FTA with 62 Customs Offices, Union
Pacific main line serves the area. The Port of Brownville (deep water is 25 miles away) and the Port
of Harlingen (intercoastal waterway) also serves the area. There are 434 Industrial AirPark available
with streets and Utilities already in place.
High Point Economic Development Corporation
High Point, NC
www.highpointedc.com
High Point is a globally-connected city of more than 103,000 residents, located alongside
Greensboro and Winston-Salem in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad – the nation’s 37th largest
metro area with a population of 1.6 million.
High Point’s strategic location and transportation assets make it easy for a company to distribute products to the majority of the US population.
• High Point is halfway between Miami / Boston; Atlanta / Washington; and Charlotte /
Research Triangle. It is in the geographic center of North Carolina and its region.
• Four interstate highways are in High Point or soon will be.
• In early 2010, a third runway opened at Piedmont Triad International Airport. The airport
is served by seven air cargo companies and is less than a mile from the High Point city limits.
• The region boasts a deep-water-port inland terminal along with passenger and freight rail service.
• More than 100 trucking companies serve the region with more than 60 local terminals.
Distribution, logistics, and warehousing continue to be a major industry cluster for High Point. In 2010:
• The FedEx Mid-Atlantic Hub celebrated the first anniversary of its one-million-square foot, air
cargo package-sorting complex at Piedmont Triad International Airport. As the national economy
improves, High Point is expecting a host of distribution companies to open due to the Hub.
• Construction continued on a major FedEx Ground facility just north of the city. The 400,000-square foot sorting facility, which will be served by High Point utilities, will open in 2011.
• Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. has shown great success with its two major High Point fulfillment /
distribution centers.
• Guilford Technical Community College broke ground on a new logistics-focused campus just
north of the city that will house the “North Carolina Center for Global Logistics.”
Corporation for the Economic Development of Midlothian
Midlothian, TX
www.midlothian.tx.us
Midlothian is ideally located in northwest Ellis county just minutes from Dallas, Fort Worth,
Arlington, and DFW International Airport. The city’s residents enjoy the small-town atmosphere;
yet have all the amenities of the DFW Metroplex readily available. Midlothian is quickly becoming
a community of choice for both businesses and families because of its ideal location, excellent
transportation corridors, progressive business attitude, and hometown feeling. Midlothian is a
growing community with a low crime rate, excellent schools, great neighborhoods, and an enhanced
quality of life.
With an ever increasing population, Midlothian is a community that is planning for the future with a
new Comprehensive Plan, Envision 2025, which will manage the city’s growth in way that will preserve
small town values yet allow for continued community and economic development.
For decades, Midlothian has been known for its industrial manufacturing base, particularly
in Portland cement. In recent years, Midlothian’s economy has diversified to include two
NYSE corporate headquarters and a sundry of other commercial and retail concerns. The commercial development on the east side of the city will continue the diversification of the Midlothian economic base.
Commercial development is also happening along the new US 287 Bypass. The newly
constructed Midlothian Conference Center and Senior Activity Center are located on the
bypass and are neighbors to Navarro College - Midlothian campus. Baylor Family Medical
Center at Ellis County and the Midlothian ISD multi-purpose stadium are located on the bypass.
While the commercial sector continues to grow and diversify the economy in Midlothian, the
industrial sector has also experience significant development. In addition to the manufacturing
of Portland cement, Midlothian is also home to three distribution centers, an automobile processing
center, an electric generation company, several steel enterprises, and many other manufacturing
companies. Midlothian’s three major industrial areas are The US Highway 67 Corridor, The Auto Park (FTZ 113), and RailPort.
River Region Economic Development Initiative (RREDI)
St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish, St. John Parish and the Port of South Louisiana, LA
www.portsl.com
The River Region, comprised of St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James Parishes, is located
along Interstate 10 on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge with one of
North America's largest concentrations of heavy manufacturers, a reflection of the strategic location, competitive market access, and highly-skilled labor pool that it enjoys.
Industry leaders in the energy and chemical sectors continue to invest billions of dollars as they
expand operations to capture market opportunities. These comparative advantages have also attracted significant investment by companies in support industries including logistics, business
services, metals and others.
Key advantages of operating a business in the River Region include: logistical opportunities offered by an intermodal transportation network and facilities featuring access to four interstate
highways; four Class I railroads and deepwater via the Mississippi River. They also have a highly-skilled and productive workforce in a right-to-work state. There are over 20,000 acres
of prime land for future development, competitive business costs and quality, abundant
educational institutions at all levels.
Within the 108 miles (174 kilometers) of deepwater frontage on both banks of the Mississippi River are more than 50 piers and docks. Vessels drafting 45 feet (14 meters) call the port district
throughout the year.
The Region's port authority, the Port of South Louisiana is the largest tonnage port district in the Western Hemisphere. The Port of South Louisiana transfers cargo to and from vessels and barges arriving in the lower
Mississippi River. The inland barge system, comprised of 19,262 miles (30,992 kilometers) of
waterway, moves more than 233 million short tons (source: Port of South Louisiana 2008 data)
of cargo upriver to major U.S. markets in the Midwest and Northeast.
The River Region truly offers an intermodal transportation network of waterways, roadways,
rail, and air, an advantage resident companies enjoy. The region sits at the intersection of the
Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, which allows speedy and expeditious distribution of
products throughout the Americas and to the world.
Three major interstate highways connect the Port of South LA to major U.S. markets.
Interstate 10 extends across the nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Interstate 55 reaches
points as far north as Chicago, Detroit, and St. Paul. Interstate 59, originating near the Port's northern boundary, allows direct entry to cities in the eastern United States. Just within
600 miles are 20 metropolitan area markets in the southeast U.S. accessible via these interstates.
Throughout the River Region, an excellent state highway system feeds traffic to these major
interstate arteries. Shipments can flow easily, without congestion, into the mainstream of the
interstate highway system.
The Port of South Louisiana is served by four trunk line railroads, two on the east bank of the Mississippi River and two on the west bank. The Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads on the west bank
provides service to western U.S. markets, whereas the Canadian National and Kansas City Southern railroads, both on the east bank, serve the mid-continental United States, Canada,
and Mexico. These four railways are part of the six Class One railroads converging in the region, one of only two U.S. regions offering this level of rail service.
The New Orleans (Louis Armstrong) International airport is just minutes away from the River Region with daily passenger and commercial air services are available to major airports
throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe, Central and South America, and Canada.
Other area airports, including the St. John the Baptist Parish airport (with two paves runways -4,000'
and 1,219'), offer private, business, and air freight services and storage (cold included).
City of Victorville Economic Development and Redevelopment Agency
Victorville, CA
www.victorvillecity.com
Victorville is the multimodal transportation hub of Southern California and a top choice for a
distribution/warehouse operation. Whether you transport cargo via truck, rail or air, Victorville brings them all together and on their way within a pro-business, fast track environment.
Victorville, with easy freeway access, is located off I-15, US-395 and SR-18 between Los Angeles and
Las Vegas—just 40 miles from I-10 and I-40. Other nearby main routes include SR-60, I-215, I-210,
SR-138 and other major highway. Cargo can be cleared and transported to the West and points eastward
within 24-hours via ground or rail.
Victorville offers express access from Victorville to both deep-water ports, less than 100-miles,
via Union Pacific Railway and BNSF and, secured Port of Entry designation allows businesses
to bypass lengthy seaport Customs inspections.
The Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA) is a 5,000-acre international logistics hub with
multimodal capabilities, including ground transportation services and a 2-hour turnaround. SCLA
has been master planned to serve as a fully-dedicated business and logistics park featuring a 1,954-acre Foreign Trade Zone, U.S. Customs Point of Entry designation and LAMBRA
Enterprise Zone. SCLA is home to many world renowned companies including Dr Pepper,
Snapple, Rubbermaid, Boeing, GE Transportation, Leading Edge and Pratt Whitney.
Located along I-15 with global access, SCLA is an ideal logistics hub with air, rail and ground
transportation access.
Latest developments at SCLA include:
*Newell Rubbermaid opened a 407,000 square-foot distribution facility in October 2007
at Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA). The state-of-the-art facility combines
products made under 20 different divisions within the company including Sharpie, Rolodex
and Paper mate.
*Dr Pepper/Snapple announced in June 2008 announced plans to build a manufacturing
and distribution facility at Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA). The 850,000
square-foot plant includes 550,000 square-feet of warehouse space and 300,000 square
feet of manufacturing space. The $120 million project is facility was completed in
March 2010 and is bringing approximately 200 jobs to the Victorville area.
Features of the park include multimodal manufacturing and distribution facilities with direct access
to rail spur, international cargo facilities, technology centers, aviation maintenance facilities,
executive jet travel center, and recreational amenities. Many available lots are divisible and can
accommodate 20,000 sq ft to 1 million sq. ft. facilities. Also, land cost is much lower than in the
Los Angeles Metro area.
The Foxborough Industrial Park is an award winning 233-acre industrial park that boasts
distribution companies such as Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, M&M/Mars, ConAgra
Foods and Nutro Products. Foxborough includes over 2 million square feet of distribution and
manufacturing space with plans for additional expansion.
Latest developments in Foxborough include:
*Ottawa Business Center is the proposed site for a 1,033,340 square foot distribution facility
on the north end of Foxborough Industrial Park. The City of Victorville has partnered with
Space Center Mira Loma to develop the 52-acre site.
Features of the park include rail access. It sits adjacent to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail
mainline, traveling from the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports to points east, including Chicago. There is also quick access to Foxborough via Bear Valley Road from I-15.Other nearby major
highways include I-40, US-395, and SR-18.
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