BY SUSAN K. LACEFIELD, ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR
SITE SELECTION
IF YOU KNEW NEXT TO NOTHING ABOUT
the United States and were handed a map and
asked to pick one state to locate a distribution
center in, chances are you’d choose Missouri.
That’s because the state is close to the geographic center of the country. Simply put: It’s
in the middle of it all.
“It’s just the perfect location,” says Billy
Cartwright, senior director of operations for
Con-way Truckload, which has been located in
Joplin, Mo., since 1951.
But it’s not just about Missouri’s central
location. The state offers other logistics-related
advantages as well. What follows are four additional reasons why companies should consider
locating a DC in Missouri (and one reason why
they might want to take a pass).
1Kick-ass infrastructure. It’s not enough for a distribution center to be centrally located.
Companies must also be able to move goods
in and out easily. “You have to have well-connected, high-quality infrastructure, preferably with multiple transportation modes,” says
Chris Chung, CEO of the economic development organization Missouri Partnership.
Missouri certainly has that. The state boasts
one of the largest road systems in the U.S.,
containing no fewer than seven major interstates: I-70, I- 64, I- 55, I- 44, I- 35, I- 25, and
I- 49. Trucks traveling those highways can
reach their destinations quickly: The majority
of the country is within a two- to three-day
drive of Missouri, and 50 percent of the country’s manufacturers are only a day’s drive away.
Furthermore, the state is served by all seven
Class I railroads, offers rail access to both the
East and West coasts, and houses not one
but two of the country’s largest rail centers.
According to the Association of American
strategicinsight
Locate a DC in Missouri?
Show me why
There are five reasons why you should consider locating a distribution center in
the “Show-Me State.” And one good reason why you shouldn’t.
