An Industry Week Special - Missouri Partnership

MaryvilleWWW.OPPORTUNITY.MISSOURIPARTNERSHIP.COMThe transportation infrastructurein Missouri’s northeast has seenvast improvements over the lastseveral years, making shipping moreefficient for area manufacturers. TheChicago-Kansas City Expressway(US 36) is a new four-lane highwayoffering a less congested route fortruck traffic across the northernpart of the state. The Avenue ofthe Saints—I-64, U.S. Route 61 andMissouri Route 27—connects theregion with Minneapolis-St. Paul,Minnesota to the north and St. Louisto the south. Daily flights fromKirksville Regional Airport andQuincy (IL) Regional Airport (justacross the Mississippi River) providecompanies with easy connections toLambert-St. Louis International.Information access is also gainingspeed in the northeast corner ofthe state. Ralls Technologies andRalls County Electric Cooperativeare adding high-speed fiber opticbroadband access to their servicearea, and will soon expand evenfurther.“The high-speed internet access isan important step for this region,”says Gordon Ipson, Managerof Economic Development atNortheast Missouri Electric PowerCooperative. “We have had customerstell us they have faster broadbandin parts of our region than they canget in a major metropolitan area likeNew York City.”Missouri’s northwestcorner provides scenic vistas, rollinghills and open space for companiesto expand and enjoy. Though predominantlyrural, the area is home tovibrant communities and successfulmanufacturing operations. Ruralamenities—such as low cost laborand land—help communities buildon the region’s agricultural historywhile creating a micropolitan future.Home to Northwest Missouri StateUniversity, Maryville, Missouristands as the education and industrialhub of the region. The community’sextended trade area is pillaredby three cities—Kansas City, Omaha,and Des Moines; providing a marketand vendor base which includes 1.5million people. With convenient accessto shipping and transportation,Maryville connects this U.S. marketplacethrough a series of four-laneand interstate highways.With a population of 11,676 and a labormarket of approximately 45,000workers, Maryville is thriving withKawasaki Motors Manufacturing,Nurcor LMP Steel, Deluxe,Energizer, Federal Mogul, LacledeChain and Robbins LightningProtection as the primary corporatecitizens of the community. Thesewell-established, internationallyknown companies comprise the baseof a growing industrial platform.15