Facebook Twitter Twitter    Archive | www.aapa-ports.org February 24, 2015
   

Maritime Economic Development: Anchorage, JAXPORT, Vancouver USA

Print Print this Article | Send to Colleague

Anchorage: Private Sector Investments in Port Grow 

Major business investments are coming this year to the Port of Anchorage. Delta Western, a petroleum and lubricants distribution company, is scheduled to break ground on a new facility at the port while Alaska Basic Industries (ABI) will expand its cement operation. 

"We’ve had a long-standing and successful business relationship with the Port of Anchorage," said ABI President Dale Morman. "The port’s staff and facilities have been critical to our operations, and we believe that Port of Anchorage is the best location to grow our business." 

Kirk Payne from Delta Western said: "The Port of Anchorage’s existing petroleum handling infrastructure and our new terminal site were both an ideal fit for us. We’ve done business with the port for many years, and now we look forward to establishing a long-term presence there." 

 "It’s reassuring to know that the private sector sees the relevance and business value-added of investing in the Port of Anchorage," said Port Director Stephen Ribuffo. "They could have gone anywhere; but instead they chose to either grow their footprint or plant their flag here." 

Both companies agreed that well-maintained as the dock facilities are, they are showing their age and keeping them safely operational is a growing challenge. "We hope that the planned modernization program gets the support it needs this session. This port is too important to the state to risk doing nothing." 

Anchorage is located at the northern end of Cook Inlet in south-central Alaska. The port’s three dry cargo berths and two petroleum handling facilities serve five military bases and approximately 90 percent of the population. 

Volkswagen Selects JAXPORT as Southeastern U.S. Port

Volkswagen Group of America is moving its import facility for cars and SUVs and its Southeast U.S. distribution operations to the Port of Jacksonville. The renovated plant and properties will be used to receive and process factory-new Volkswagen, Audi and Bentley vehicles. Volkswagen, Audi and Bentley expect to transport 100,000 cars within one year and approximately 550,000 units in the next five years. The Jacksonville location will create 100 jobs at AMPORTS and a capital investment of $3 million in the region.

"This announcement reflects what all of us at JAXPORT already know: our tenants, partners and employees are dedicated to offering creative shipping solutions and unmatched customer service, reinforcing our reputation for vehicle-handling excellence each and every day," said JAXPORT Board Chairman John Falconetti."Through their unwavering commitment to long-term investments in a state-of-the-art seaport and transportation network, Governor Scott and our state leadership give us the tools we need to grow jobs and opportunity."

Vancouver USA Port Commission Approves Sale of 18.9 Acres to Sunlight Supply Inc. 

The board of commissioners of the Port of Vancouver USA on February 10 unanimously approved selling 18.9 acres of what the port describes as "prime light-industrial property" to Sunlight Supply Inc./National Garden Wholesale.

The Vancouver-based company and port tenant is planning to build a 285,000-square-foot facility at the port’s Centennial Industrial Park. The facility would house Sunlight’s corporate headquarters, along with a mix of manufacturing, warehouse and office space.

"There are so many good things about this," said board President Nancy Baker. "This is a huge investment by Sunlight in the port – $23 million – and we’re helping keep 253 people working here in our community and retaining a local business."

Sunlight currently operates out of five separate facilities across Southwest Washington, including a 90,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility leased from the port. The board’s decision allows the company to consolidate facilities, increase efficiencies, and bring all of its local employees together in the same building for the first time since 2004.

The new facility also gives Sunlight room to expand.

"Our company grew 21 percent last year, and in the month of January, we were up 28 percent over January 2014," said company founder/owner Craig Hargreaves. "So, with that growth tends to come additional staff members: customer service people, shipping and receiving staff, and manufacturing staff. It is growth-dependent. If we continue to grow, staff members will be added to facilitate that growth."

The port and Sunlight plan to finalize the sale of property this spring. Facility construction could begin this summer and be completed before the end of the year.
 

Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn