Peoria Named a Top Logistics Metro in the U.S. by National Magazine

Peoria, Illinois – According to the September 2005 issue of Expansion Management magazine, Peoria was named among the top logistics metros in the United States . Rated in the top 20%, designating a “Five Star Logistics Metro” rating, Peoria fared the best in the railroad access category scoring 10^th in the country.

“Businesses depend on a strong transportation infrastructure to transport goods to factories, wholesalers, retailers and, ultimately, to consumers,” says Jim McConoughey, President/CEO, The Heartland Partnership. “For that reason, the region’s transportation infrastructure is extremely important when it comes to attracting and retaining businesses – that is why the TransPORT initiative is critical to the future economic development of our region.”

“The TransPORT (Heart of Illinois Regional Port District) initiative is designed to aggressively promote the Peoria region as a center for intermodal logistics and as an attractive and logical business location,” says Dan Silverthorn, Chairman, TransPORT board of directors. “With the growing congestion at the East and West coast ports, the inland ports are becoming a solution for many businesses.” “The Illinois River offers intermodal access points and proximity to major commodity and consumer markets like St. Louis, Chicago and Indianapolis.”

For the fifth year in a row, Expansion Management and Logistics Today magazines have published their Logistics Quotient™, a study that compares 362 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) according to 10 major categories: the overall transportation & distribution industry climate; work force/labor costs, availability and skill levels; road and highway basic infrastructure and spending; road density, congestion and truck safety; road and bridge conditions; fuel taxes and fees; railroad access; water ports, both river/lake and ocean); air service; and interstate highway access. The data comes from a variety of government and proprietary sources.

Expansion Management is a monthly business magazine for executives of companies that are actively looking for a place to expand or relocate their facilities within the next one to three years. Every year, the magazine’s renowned research department compares communities according to a wide variety of characteristics important to corporate site selectors.

CLICK HERE for more information on the ranking.

Sponsored by: