BY SUSAN K. LACEFIELD, ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR
SITE SELECTION
FOR 45 YEARS, VIRGINIA HAS BEEN PROCLAIMING TO THE WORLD:
“Virginia is for lovers.” The state’s travel and tourism ad campaigns have also
declared at various times that “Virginia is for history lovers,” “Virginia is for
beach lovers,” and “Virginia is for mountain lovers.” State economic development groups might like to add one more slogan: “Virginia is for logistics lovers.”
With a deepwater port capable of receiving the giant post-Panamax megacon-tainerships and with a location in the center of the Eastern Seaboard, Virginia
has attracted companies like Amazon.com, Lumber Liquidators, and Ace
Hardware, all of which have opened “big box” distribution centers (those larger
than 300,000 square feet) in the state. In addition, industrial real estate developer
CenterPoint Properties recently opened an intermodal center near the port that
includes 5. 8 million square feet of large and desirable Class A distribution and
warehouse space.
Why is the commonwealth generating all this logistics love? Here are a few
reasons.
YOU CAN GET THERE FROM HERE
If you’re looking to locate a single distribution center on the East Coast, Virginia
makes a lot of sense. The state lies between the major consumer markets of New
strategicinsight
Virginia is for (logistics) lovers
Companies seeking a
new distribution center
site will find a lot to love
about Virginia, including
a deepwater port and its
location in the middle of
the Eastern Seaboard.
