The Freightway

  This article originally ran in the Illinois Business Journal on May 3, 2022.  Illinois Route 3 from Alton to Columbia, Ill., is the backbone of a 60-mile-long corridor supporting the manufacturing and logistics industries in Southwestern Illinois running parallel to St. Louis along the Mississippi River and Interstate 255. It is a corridor that is economically impactful and successful, […]

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The Metro East Levee System, which consists of five levees in Madison, St. Clair, and Monroe Counties, has been given its final letter of accreditation from FEMA for the 100-year level. In August of 2007, FEMA announced its intention to de-accredit the levees, which protect 156,000 residents and more than 4,000 businesses. Based on past funding, it was estimated that […]

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The Missouri Department of Transportation is currently accepting applications for its FY2023 Freight Enhancement (FRE) program through June 3, 2022. MoDOT’s Freight Enhancement Program is focused on improving and maintaining the high priority freight assets and corridors that are critical to the movement of freight through Missouri. This program is based on partnerships with freight stakeholders and public officials to […]

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This article originally ran in The Telegraph on April 20, 2022.  A public meeting to discuss the proposed replacement of the Interstate 270 Chain of Rocks Bridge and related changes near Riverfront Drive in Missouri is set for May 4 in Granite City. The bridge replacement and Riverfront Drive improvements are a part of a larger project by the Illinois […]

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This article originally ran in the St. Louis Business Journal on April 20, 2022.  Toyota said Tuesday it will invest $109 million in its cylinder-head plant in Troy, Missouri. The money will fund new equipment to build four-cylinder engine heads on three production lines, the company said. The 550,000-square-foot plant, in Lincoln County, currently has the capacity to annually build over […]

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This article originally ran in the Illinois Business Journal in April 2022.  Efforts continue to boost supply chain management jobs in Southwestern Illinois with officials repeating their call for participation in a unique training program. Since it was rolled out last year, the program done cooperatively between Madison and St. Clair counties and four higher education institutions has gotten good feedback […]

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This article originally ran in the Waterways Journal on April 15, 2022.  In March 2021, American Commercial Barge Line’s Western Terminal, also known as the Hall Street facility, temporarily warm idled. Today, it is back up and transloading Powder River Basin coal from rail to barge. ACBL’s Western Terminal operations went on a temporary warm idle as the company re-evaluated its strategic […]

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This article originally ran on Splash247.com on April 20, 2022.  The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) is expanding the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP) with new routes, designations and extensions in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, California and Oregon. The AMHP supports the increased use of navigable waterways to relieve landside congestion, provide new and efficient transportation options, and […]

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This article originally ran in the St. Louis Business Journal on April 8, 2022.  St. Louis’ engineering firms are having a good year. For the 19 firms that reported local engineering revenue for 2020 and 2021, most reported growth. The 16 firms that grew local engineering revenue reported an average increase of 17% from 2020 to 2021, representing a combined increase of […]

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This article originally ran in the St. Louis Business Journal on April 11, 2022.  A St. Louis-based industrial hemp fiber processor will expand its operations in Metro East after the company closed on $7 million in tax credit financing. Tiger Fiber, which has operations in Sauget and Fenton, will expand its Sauget facility and add 90 permanent jobs there after receiving $7 […]

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A delegation from South Korea had the opportunity to view the Ag Coast of America from a unique perspective last week on a Riverboat Tour hosted by USAKO Group in cooperation with the Southwest Illinois Trade and Investment Council. Coordinated by Edie Koch, Executive Director of the Monroe County Economic Development Corporation, the tour was offered as part of the […]

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This article originally ran in the Alton Telegraph on April 7, 2022.  COLLINSVILLE — Transportation has always played a major role in the economy of the Metro East and St. Louis. Combined with modern logistics, it has become a major factor in job creation in the region. Issues in that industry sector — ranging from infrastructure to worker training — are becoming […]

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This article originally ran in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on April 6, 2022.  At a time when pandemic-related disruptions have slowed shipping and left some industries unable to produce goods, the state’s proposed new budget includes $50 million to make improvements to Missouri ports. Among last-minute amendments added to the House version of the state’s new spending plan Tuesday was a $50 […]

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This article originally ran in the St. Louis Business Journal on April 6, 2022.  Construction is underway on one of the St. Louis region’s largest speculative warehouses, a building that could expand due to growing demand in the industrial market. Global real estate firm EQT Exeter is developing a warehouse with 800,000 square feet of space in the Gateway Commerce Center in […]

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This article originally ran in the St. Louis Business Journal on March 30, 2022.  Anheuser-Busch said Wednesday it would make a $50 million investment in its St. Louis campus, including a new, dedicated seltzer building. The new building will be the first addition to the local campus in over 15 years, the company said in a press release. It’s expected to be […]

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This article originally ran in the St. Louis Business Journal on April 1, 2022.  I recently received an email from the St. Louis Business Journal inviting me to fill out a survey regarding how St. Louis is perceived in the business community, the challenges of the region, and possible solutions for addressing those challenges. As I was filling out the survey, It […]

The post Opinion: St. Louis needs to build a new brand. Here’s what it should say. appeared first on St. Louis Regional Freightway.

Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Omer Osman has announced Kirk Brown will be appointed as the Region 5 Engineer, effective April 1, 2022. Mr. Brown has over 30 years of experience in transportation engineering, specifically in Region 5 at IDOT. He is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he […]

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This article originally ran on NEXTSTL.com on March 28, 2022.  Looking down at the Mississippi River from Bellerive Park in south St. Louis, the most prominent features aren’t eagles and egrets but barges and tows. The Port of St. Louis may lack the natural beauty of other parts of the Mississippi, but it’s a busy place. Millions of tons of bulk products […]

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Brent R. Wood has had the “Interim” tag removed from his title and has been named the new President of the TRRA. Brent has served TRRA as its Chief Financial Officer since 2017. Prior to that, Brent spent over 35 years in various roles in the coal and power industries, and four years in public accounting. Brent served in various […]

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This article originally ran in the St. Louis Business Journal on March 16, 2022.  A Houston-based real estate firm is entering the St. Louis market for the first time by developing a warehouse in St. Charles County. Vault Partners broke ground on a 75,000-square-foot flex industrial warehouse in Wentzville March 10. Construction on the project, called the Corporate Parkway Business Center, should […]

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