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Central, Connected, Capable!Joplin, MissouriYour Supply Chain Link• A strong, central location creates easy access toregional, national and North American markets.• Efficient, cost-effective transportation routes connectJoplin to both coasts, as well as Canada and Mexico.• More than forty trucking firms, three Class-I andshort-line railroads, and air passenger and cargoservices provide the capability to move productsand people to and from key markets.• A large, hard-working labor force has the capabilitiesto meet the highest level of customer demands.Central location, market connections anda capable workforce are key linksJoplin offers your supply chain system.Join us today at one of thesegreat Joplin locations:••••670 acres Crossroads Business and Distribution Park on I-441500 acres Wildwood Ranch development, rail served50,000 square foot shell building, expandable to 100,000 square foot139,000 square foot shell building, seven docks, 4,000 sq. ft. of officeFOR MORE INFORMATIONRob O’Brian, CEcD/PresidentJoplin Area Chamber of Commerce320 East 4th Street, Joplin, MO 64801www.joplincc.com * robrian@joplincc.com(phone) 417.624.4150(fax) 417.624.4303

GREAT LOGISTICS SITES: The Pursuit of Excellence Gaining Groundin GreensboroSPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENTThe rapid growth of logistics and transportation infrastructurein and around Virginia’s ports is ripplingthroughout the region. Greensboro, N.C., located inthe heart of the Piedmont Triad region, is also strategicallypositioned as a budding distribution hotspot, with convenient links to ports throughout theSoutheast.“Greensboro is only three hours from the deep-water Portof Wilmington and proximate to the ports of Norfolk andSavannah,” says Dan Lynch, president of the GreensboroEconomic Development Alliance. “These deep-water portsare within 700 miles of more than 170 million American andCanadian consumers and 70 percent of the U.S. industrialbase.“Because of this close access to a variety of deep-water ports,as well as strategic location at the intersection of I-40, I-85,and I-74/73, Greensboro is a gateway to millions of consumersand an ideal site for manufacturing, distribution, and logisticsfacilities,” he says.Peripheral to one of the United States’ fastest growingregions, Greensboro is attracting interest from logistics serviceproviders and businesses alike. The newest FedEx ExpressHub, for example, is nearing completion at Piedmont TriadInternational Airport in Greensboro. It will provide speed tomarket and a level of accessibility for area companies unavailablein many U.S. markets.Located in the heart of North Carolina’s Piedmont Triadregion, Greensboro provides an ideal site for manufacturing,distribution and logistics facilities. 4 Inbound Logistics • October 2008

GREAT LOGISTICS SITES: The Pursuit of ExcellenceGreensboro also features one of the largestconcentrations of trucking companieson the East Coast, providing an intermodalcomplement to Norfolk Southern andCSX’s extensive footprints in the area.This saturation of transportation andlogistics resources has only raised expectationsfor businesses locating in the area.Honda Aircraft Company recently sited itsglobal headquarters, certification and testingfacility, and manufacturing operationin Greensboro, and O’Reilly Automotive,Mack Trucks, Procter and Gamble, EcoLab,and Tyco Electronics have followed suit.Lynch expects Greensboro’s locationwill become even more valuable as businesseslocate DC facilities closer to portsof entry and in proximity to major consumerpockets.“The city is a significant manufacturingcenter in the middle of the EastCoast; 66 percent of goods and servicessold occur in the eastern U.S. market,”he says. “Greensboro is well-positionedgeographically and from an infrastructureperspective to provide a competitiveadvantage to companies rethinking theirDC networks.“O’Reilly Automotive and Lenovo areboth excellent examples of companies thathave chosen Greensboro as a prime locationfor distribution operations just since2007,” Lynch reports. nThe Buckeye Stops in ToledoWhen it comes to a dynamicbusiness location, northwestOhio is a central pointfor access and opportunity.Nearly 100 million peoplelive within a 10-hour driveof the Toledo region, and with easy accessto air, rail, seaport facilities, and two of thecountry’s most traveled interstates, thedoors to the global market are wide open.“Toledo is one of the few metro areas inthe United States supporting all modes oftransportation, from a world seaport to aheavy air cargo hub operation,” says SteveWeathers, president and CEO of the ToledobasedRegional Growth Partnership (RGP).Toledo is the largest general cargo porton the Great Lakes and is home to one ofthe top five rail centers in the country interms of handled tonnage. The city alsohas a major airport and the benefit of beinglocated at the intersection of three crosscountryinterstate highways.Located on the western shore of LakeErie, and in the heart of northwest Ohio,Toledo has a population of roughly 300,000.The city offers businesses and families theattributes of a large cosmopolitan settingwhile maintaining small town atmosphereand charm.Northwest Ohio is at the center of anefficient, intermodal transportation networkthat connects local businesses toworld markets. Toledo Express Airport,which provides daily flights to major midwesternhubs including Chicago, Detroit,Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Cleveland,is the 16th busiest cargo airport in theUnited States – 50th worldwide – and secondonly to Chicago in the Great Lakesregion. The airport also operates as BAXGlobal’s international cargo hub.Northwest Ohio is a significant truckinghub as well. Three major interstate highwaysserve the region; I-80 (east/west from NewYork to California); I-90 (east/west fromMassachusetts to Washington); and I-75(north/south from Canada and Michigan toFlorida). Other connecting interstates supplydirect links to major cities throughoutthe United States and Canada.In addition to its dense road infrastructure,Toledo is the United States’fifth-largest rail hub. Norfolk Southern,CSX, and Canadian National all providerail service to locations throughout theUnited States and Canada – which furthercomplements the Port of Toledo’s expandingintermodal facilities and capabilities.The port, located at the mouth of theMaumee River, is the second largestdeep-water facility on the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System and is one ofthe closest major U.S. ports to NorthernEurope.“We have abundant acreage for developingairfreight distribution centers atToledo Express Airport and deep-watersites for heavy industry at the Port ofToledo,” Weathers says. There is also spacefor expanding manufacturing and distributionoperations at the intersections ofI-80/90 and I-75.Northwest Ohio provides benefitsbeyond infrastructure and amenities. “Ourregion offers a lower cost of doing business,quicker turnaround time due to less trafficcongestion, and a highly skilled, trained,and flexible workforce,” Weathers says.The RGP works closely with partnersat the local, regional, and state level onbusiness attraction projects. “Incentivesinclude enterprise zone tax abatements onnew construction, low-interest financing,employee training grants, new technologyfunding, and other items,” he reports.By maintaining an 11-county site andbuilding database, the RGP and its partnersjoin with businesses to assist in theToledo Express Airport operates asBAX Global’s international cargo hub.6 Inbound Logistics • October 2008

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENTsite selection process. “The RGP has anextensive partnership with local realestate professionals, developers, local economicdevelopment officials, and the OhioDepartment of Development,” Weathersadds.nNebraska’sPower PlayNebraska remains one of thebright spots for enterprisingU.S. businesses, largely asa result of public and privatecommitment to incenting andattracting logistics and distributionopportunities to the state.As the state’s largest electric utility, theNebraska Public Power District (NPPD)is well-grounded in the power Nebraskawields to attract transportation and logisticsinvestment.The NPPD was formed in 1970, whenseveral of the state’s major power utilitiesmerged into a single entity. The stateoffers the benefits of a vibrant economyOmaha’s location at the nexus of interstates 80 and 29 provides exceptional access to allmajor markets.and a workforce that’s highly educated,mechanically adept, and cost-efficient,according to Dennis G. Hall, the NPPD’seconomic development manager. He alsonotes that the state’s advanced transportationsystems give businesses a means ofdelivering and receiving shipments convenientlyand efficiently.Nebraska’s central location along keytransportation routes provides speed toall major markets, regardless of direction.Within one day, goods shipped by truckcan reach 26 percent of the U.S. population;add a second day and the percentagejumps to 91 percent.The state is also positioned strategicallywithin the North American Free TradeAgreement (NAFTA) trade corridor, makingit an ideal location for companies thathandle shipments between Canada andMexico.Nebraska works hard to maintainand improve its 483-mile stretch ofInterstate 80, which links state residentsOctober 2008 • Inbound Logistics 7

GREAT LOGISTICS SITES: The Pursuit of ExcellenceSPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENTand businesses to both the East and WestCoasts, Hall reports. Seven national highwaysrun north-south across the state,encompassing 22,156 miles of hard-surfacedroads.Nebraska is part of the nationwide automaticvehicle identification (AVI) system,which allows participating transponderequippedcommercial vehicles to bypassdesignated weigh station facilities. Thissystem features technologically advancedplates built into roadways so trucks areweighed and recorded while maintainingtheir 75-mile-per-hour speed.Rail also plays an important role inNebraska’s transportation infrastructure.The nation’s two largest rail companies– Burlington Northern Santa Fe andUnion Pacific – provide rail service to mostof the state’s communities. In all, 13 freightrailroads operate more than 3,600 miles oftrack throughout Nebraska. “No major cityin the United States is more than five daysby rail from Nebraska,” Hall adds.In addition to road and rail networks,Nebraska hosts an extensive air transportsupport system. Commercial airline serviceis available in nine Nebraska cities andscheduled airfreight service is provided tofive additional communities.Although Nebraska is land-locked,two major river systems provide accessto key port cities. The Missouri River, onNebraska’s eastern border, supplies aninland water link to the Gulf of Mexicoand the Atlantic Ocean via the MississippiRiver. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineersmaintains a nine-foot-deep, 300-footwidechannel that runs 735 navigablemiles from Sioux City, Iowa, to the mouthof the Missouri River near St. Louis. Withno locks or dams, the free-flowing river isnavigable approximately eight months ofthe year.Nebraska’s unique geographic locationand extensive logistics underpinningsplace the state in a class by itself. “Becausethere is no other place like Nebraska, thereis no competition,” Hall says. nAll Roads Lead to Hampton RoadsHampton Roads is strategicallylocated on the mid-Atlanticcoast, covering the southeasterncorner of Virginia and a smallportion of northeast NorthCarolina. A pivotal trade hubsince colonial times, the area’s seaportscontinue to evolve with the ebbs and flowsof global commerce and the region’s economicdevelopment potential is inherentlytied to transportation and logistics.“Hampton Roads provides a strategiclocation with outstanding portfacilities and transshipmentnetworks,”says Keith Norden,senior vice presidentof the Hampton RoadsEconomic DevelopmentAlliance. “Our 50-footharbors can handlepost-Panamax vessels,and bridges do notrestrict access.”The Hampton RoadsEconomic DevelopmentA l liance is anon-profit public-privatepartnership withthe mission of marketingthe region worldwide as the choice forbusiness investment and expansion. Thealliance also serves as Hampton Roads’lead organization for recruiting new businessesto the area and helping existingcompanies expand and prosper.Southeastern Virginia’s strategiclocation and advanced transportationinfrastructure offer shippers reliable accessto two-thirds of the U.S. population. Morethan 75 international shipping lines servethe region, which has one of the most frequentdirect sailing schedules of any portin the country.In fact, southeastern Virginia is home toone of the best natural deep-water harborson the U.S. East Coast. “Fifty-foot deep,unobstructed channels provide easy accessand maneuvering room for today’s largestcontainerships,” says Norden. “Virginia’sports are located just 18 miles from theopen sea in a year-round, ice-free harbor.”In terms of modal access, HamptonRoad’s Port of Virginia transports moreintermodal containers to more citiesfaster and more efficiently than any otherport in the United States. As the largestintermodal facility on the U.S. East Coast,Virginia offers six direct-service trains to28 major cities daily.On the road, more than 50 motor carriersoffer full freight handling and load-consolidationservices, and they are supported bya network of interstate and local highwaysthat facilitate fast, inland transport to anypoint in the United States.Beyond its current capabilities, HamptonRoads is moving forward with infrastructureinvestments to pave the way for evenmore growth. As an example, the VirginiaPort Authority plans todevelop Craney Islandin Portsmouth into thefourth state-owneddeep -water mar ineterminal. The terminalwill cover 600 acres andbe built in three phasesstarting in 2013, withcompletion scheduledfor 2032. At buildout,Craney Island isexpected to have anannual throughput of2.5 million TEUs.Hampton Roadsis ready to work withbusinesses looking to take advantage of thearea’s logistics resources. “The HamptonRoads Economic Development Alliancehas an aggressive marketing outreachprogram, which takes its staff across theglobe,” Norden says. “We also work withthe local economic development departmentsof our 15 Hampton Roads localitiesto identify and assist companies with theirexpansion and relocation plans.”Additionally, the alliance serves as afacilitator to connect necessary strategicpartners with prospective companies duringsite location searches. “Local and stateincentives are offered to qualified projectsand are based on corporate investment,employment numbers, and annual payroll,”Norden says.Thanks to its advanced transportationinfrastructure, Hampton Roads has beensuccessful in recruiting several large distributioncenters, including Wal-Mart(three million square feet), Target (1.8 millionsquare feet), Cost Plus-World Market(one million square feet) and QVC HomeShoppers Network (one million squarefeet), among others.n8 Inbound Logistics • October 2008