The following development organizations are recipients of Expansion Solutions Magazine’s 2008 Awards of Excellence in the *** Warehouse/Distribution*** 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 picks.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Belz Enterprises
Memphis, TN
www.belz.com
Belz Enterprises is one of the South’s largest commercial and industrial real estate developers with interests throughout the Mid-South and much of the country.
Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, Belz develops, owns and manages warehouse/distribution, retail, office/showroom, factory outlet malls, apartments/residential developments, land and hotels. Belz total property holdings include more than 25 million square feet of developed property. Site consultants and brokers looking for warehouse/distributiono locations will find two to be particularly attractive:
Memphis Logistics and Technology Center - (MELTECH)
The newest component of the 233 acre MELTECH development delivers from 190,000 SqFt up to 390,000 SqFt of bulk warehouse or manufacturing space in an ideal location just outside of Memphis in southeast Shelby County. Constructed of smooth-faced tilt-up concrete, the new building features a clear height of 30 feet with 50 foot column spacing, ESFR sprinkler system, and R-19 roof insulation - all in an area 1000' X 200' with the capacity for cross docks. With easy access to I-55, I-40, Nonconnah Parkway and U.S.Highways 78 and 51, this development is perfectly situated for companies that are going places.
Metro Marina Building
Served by both rail and truck, Metro Industrial Park offers an excellent warehousing location in the city fast becoming known as America's Distribution Center. Special tax incentives, an ample work force and free job training in a right-to-work state all add to the opportunity. Metro is ideally located in thriving Olive Branch, MS, a Memphis suburb, offering numerous land parcels up to 66 acres. Sears and Mazda saw the merit of Metro Industrial Park and put their regional warehouse here.
Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation
Grand Island, NE
One of the best locations for a warehouse/distribution center, Grand Island (Nebraska) is definitely worth a closer look. This area is strategically located in the middle of the country and can serve North America, Canada, and Mexico. No other community in Nebraska offers such a well-connected network of highways to all points in the state. This grid of highways, like the spokes of a wheel, can provide the most efficient commuting time to the entire state from any location. Serving Grand Island directly are Interstate 80, U.S. Highways 30, 34 and 281 and Nebraska Highway 2, with key lateral connections to U.S. Highway 6 and Nebraska Highways 92, 14 and 11. Besides the well-connected network of highways, Grand Island is the cross road of two Class 1 rail systems, Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
Grand Island’s Economic Development Corporation is in the process of developing the Cornhusker Industrial Park. Over 1,700 acres are available with access to dual rail service. The advantages of this mega site are:
· Large area unencumbered by residential development.
· Available water for production use from onsite wells.
· Easy access to Highways 2, 30 and Interstate 80.
· Increased truck traffic would not pose a problem
· Access to site from 3 sides.
Located in the southern most portion of the City of Grand Island is the Platte Valley Industrial Park. This park is particularly suited for a warehouse/distribution center as there is up to 320 acres available.
The bottom line is that Grand Island appears to have all the keys to a successful warehouse/distribution operation. There is plenty of land, a strong infrastructure, a multitude of transportation avenues, an industrious workforce, government relationships that expedite development and much more. Grand Island is a vibrant community that lives and works together – and lives by their motto “Growing Potential in the Heartland.”
High Point is a thriving city of more than 100,000 residents, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina – the nation’s 37th largest metro area with a population of 1.6 million. Distribution / logistics / transportation is a major industry cluster for High Point. Two companies in this cluster include:
· RalphLauren.com – a division of Polo Ralph Lauren – held a grand opening in May 2008 for its major fulfillment / distribution center. More than 225 jobs have been created to date.
· The FedEx Mid-Atlantic Hub is currently under construction at Piedmont Triad International Airport – three miles from the city limits of High Point. When it opens in 2009, High Point is expecting a host of distribution/warehousing companies to open in the city.
High Point’s strategic location and transportation assets make it easy for a company locating there -- to distribute its products to the majority of the population in the United States. Read on and you’ll see:
· High Point and its Piedmont Triad region are halfway between Boston and Miami, halfway between Washington and Atlanta, and halfway between Charlotte and Raleigh. High Point is in the geographic center of the Piedmont Triad region.
· Interstate 85, I-40, I-73 and I-74 are all either in High Point’s city limits today or soon will be.
· In addition to FedEx (noted above), six other air cargo companies serve High Point and its region’s airport.
· A third runway is being built at Piedmont Triad International Airport, which will benefit both freight and passenger service.
· The Piedmont Triad boasts passenger and freight rail services and has an inland terminal for North Carolina’s deep water ports.
· More than 100 trucking companies serve the Triad with more than 60 local terminals.
Indian River County is located on Florida's east coast, covering 543 square miles of beaches, citrus groves, thriving commercial and growing light industry. Located an hour north of West Palm Beach and 90 miles from Orlando, Indian River County is within three hours of 90% of Florida’s population -- with easy access to markets, yet far from urban sprawl, traffic and congestion.
The primary north-south transportation route through Indian River County is I-95. State Road 60 is the main east-west arterial between Vero Beach and the Tampa Bay area, with Florida’s Turnpike just 30 minutes to the west.
Indian River County has several shovel-ready sites available for any build-to-suit light industrial project with easy access to road or air transportation. The 150-acre Indian River Park of Commerce, with permit-ready sites, is located on State Road 60 one mile west of I-95. The Park’s central location for markets in Florida was cited as the major factor in the decision made by CVS Pharmacy to locate its 400,000sf distribution center to Vero Beach -- plus the cooperation of local government and local leadership. It was the best site geographically and economically, as stated by the company’s site consultant.
Indian River County’s diverse workforce of 52,000 ranges from semi-skilled to highly technical Training programs are abundant through Indian River State College and Florida Atlantic University, with initial employee screening available through the Workforce Development Board One-Stop Career Centers.
Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce
Joplin, MO
The Joplin Metro area is well positioned for serving national markets as a major distribution hub in the United States. A market of 5.2 million persons can be reached within a 150-mile radius of the Joplin area. Interstates 40 and 44 (east west) and US Hwy. 71 (north-south) connect to every region in the country. Four airports within 110 miles serve the region, providing commercial and cargo service to markets throughout the world. There are 50 major freight carriers in the area. Two Class 1 and one local railroad are an important part of the transportation system. Both UPS and FEDEX offer daily early morning deliveries in Joplin and Neosho through their regional hub at Springfield.
Joplin has an excellent location for distribution based on the population within 150 and 250 miles. Joplin has the largest population within a 150 mile radius. The population in the local market has as much of an influence on distribution costs as the overall population within the distribution radius, as it is far cheaper to distribute to local customers than to customers that are two hours from the distribution center.
With Wal-Mart Headquarters' in nearby Bentonville, Arkansas (45 miles) directive for suppliers to provide just-in-time deliveries, Joplin is well positioned geographically to serve as a distribution center for these suppliers. Joplin is located within two hours of six of Wal-Mart Centers, which gives the region a logistics advantage for supplying the Wal-Mart system, the nation's largest retailer.
There is an available labor pool in the Joplin Labor Market of 93,668. Of those, more than half have at least some college education, while 94% have at least a high school diploma. The Joplin area already has several back office operations that have prepared a large pool of full and part-time workers in this industry. Companies such as La-Z-Boy, General Mills and Owens-Corning transport their finished products from the area. In addition, there are numerous large freight companies located in the area that provide logistics services. | 
