The following economic development organizations are recipients of Expansion Solutions Magazine’s 2007 Awards of Excellence in the *** Warehouse/Distribution *** category.

 

These awards recognize areas who have made exceptional progress in economic development by successfully recruiting and retaining businesses.

 

The winners are listed in alphabetical order and are reflective of our top 5 picks.

 

City of Maumelle Economic Development Corporation
Maumelle, Arkansas
www.maumelle.dina.org

Maumelle is one of the fastest growing cities in Arkansas with one of the highest median household incomes in the state, as well as one of  the highest education levels. Centrally located, it is the perfect location for warehouses and distribution centers, as well as a prime area for light manufacturing.

Maumelle is strategically located between Interstates 40 and 430. Arkansas State Highway 100 is a four lane divided highway that links the city and the industrial park with Interstate 40 to the North and Interstate 430 to the South. Little Rock National Airport is only 15 miles away with more than 150 arrivals and departures connecting to all major air carrier hubs. Rail service is provided by Union Pacific Railroad.

The Maumelle Industrial Park is home to a "who's who" of industrial giants, including Molex, Kimberly Clark, Cintas Corporation, Ace Hardware, Target, Kraft, BEI, Scholastic, and Fresenius Medical Care North America, as well as other successful corporations.  Maumelle Industrial Park is a premier setting for light manufacturing and distribution centers.


City of Victorville Economic Development Department
Victorville, California
www.victorvillecity.com

The City of Victorville is ideally suited for Warehouse/Distribution. The city has developed two award-winning industrial parks which can accommodate any transportation needs.

Foxborough Industrial Park is a 233-acre, award-winning site which now houses key distribution centers for Goodyear Tire & Rubber, ConAgra Food and M&M/Mars, plus Nutro Products' manufacturing/distribution center. This industrial park features easy freeway access from I-15. Other major highways nearby include I-40, US-395, and SR-18. Rail access is provided by Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail which travels from the Los Angeles and Long Island ports to points east, including Chicago.

Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA) is a fully dedicated logistics and industrial park with 5,000 acres of multimodal business space, integrating air cargo with rail, ground and port access all in one location. It features multimodal manufacturing and distribution facilities with direct access to rail spur, international cargo facilities, and technology centers. Via I-15, the location is only 90 minutes from Los Angeles, yet land is much less expensive. Many US cities are accessible within 24 hours on the ground. 

 
City of Wentzville Economic Development Department
Wentzville, Missouri
www.wentzvillemo.org

Wentzville, Missouri is literally a gateway to markets everywhere. Located at the crossroads of Interstate 70 and Highway 40, Wentzville offers convenient transportation access into St. Louis, and reasonably-priced existing and new housing.

Wentzville's prime location with surrounding interstates offers valuable access to the rest of the U.S., an important factor for companies like General Motors, who has an assembly plant located in the area and depends on on-time deliveries.

Roadways are not the only means of transportation available in Wentzville.  Arkansas Freight System, Inc. and Distribution Transportation Services provide daily truck service for the area. Rail service is offered by Norfolk Southern Railroad. Lambert St. Louis International Airport offers multiple daily flights from a wide variety of air carriers.

Wentzville has a state of the art business park. The City Business Park has over 74,000 acres and a 30,000 square foot spec building available. It is conveniently located near 2 major interstates and is next to GM's assembly plant and Century Tel's Regional Headquarters. 

 
Northwest Louisiana Economic Development Foundation
Shreveport, Louisiana
www.nledf.org

Northwest Louisiana, a ten parish region of 600,000 including the Shreveport-Bossier metro area, has been a key location for reaching new opportunities. Multi-modal transportation is an important factor for the area's success. The inland ports of the Red River offer access to the Gulf of Mexico and the world. Two Class I railroads (Union Pacific and Kansas City Southern) serve the region.  

 

A well-developed and expanding interstate system, including I-20 and I-49 connecting in Shreveport-Bossier and the planned I-69, a trans-NAFTA highway, makes this metro one of only a handful in the U.S. with three major interstates. Air service is offered by Shreveport Regional Airport. There are direct flights on five airlines to six hub cities.

Shreveport-Bossier boasts one of the most diversified and healthy economies of its size in the southern U.S.  It is increasingly seen as a positive place for distribution. From Libbey Glass' new 646,000 sq. ft. warehouse/distribution facility to numerous food and other distribution operations, the area's growing and well developed highways are moving the region into a distribution hub.

 
Quad City Development Group

On the Mississippi River, within the heartland of America, the Iowa/Illinois Quad Cities is an existing hub for distribution companies. With its transportation infrastructure and ideal location, the Quad Cities is engineered for the success of warehousing or distribution businesses.

The efficient transportation network is readily apparent when considering the area’s following attributes: cross-country interstates & highways; 4th coast barge and shipping access; major rail access; efficient air cargo facilities; and, the U.S. Customs Port of Entry & Foreign Trade Zone. Other key aspects of this area include:

In the warehouse/distribution/logistics categories, some well-known industry leaders companies that have chosen to locate to the Quad Cities include: Steel Warehouse, Jacobsen Warehousing, FedEx Ground, UPS, Honda America, Deere & Company and Olympic Steel.