(The following story by Eric Smith appeared on The Daily News website on January 20, 2010.)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — When Bruce Lambert was looking for a place to host a regional freight conference, he set his sights on a city about six hours upriver from his hometown of New Orleans.
As head of the Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies, Lambert knew a major epicenter of southeastern freight movement was in Memphis – home of the world’s busiest cargo airport, five Class I railroads, two major interstates (with more coming) and the nation’s fourth-busiest inland port.
Lambert said having the conference, dubbed “Moving Our Region’s Business,” in Memphis made sense because of the city’s numerous transportation assets and advantages.
“Memphis presents an interesting focus for freight in the Southeast, from the port of Memphis to the airport, its access to intermodal rail facilities and interstate highways,” Lambert said. “While there are other facilities just as important throughout the Southeast, Memphis’ concentration in all modes, as well as its understanding of that role to its local economy, are critical.”
The event, set for Jan. 25-27 at the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis, will feature experts from across the Southeast discussing topics including imports and exports, alternative fuels and freight modeling, distribution networks and foreign investments. For more information and registration details, visit https://bf.memphis.edu/conferences/itts/.
Lambert said he is expecting around 150 people at the conference, which is geared toward “anyone interested in hearing about some of the various drivers influencing freight in the Southeast, from both the private and public sectors.”
“I envision most of the attendees will be from the public sector, from state departments of transportation or those interested in economic development,” he said. “The benefit to the private sector is to hear discussions regarding where the region is going, which will have implications for their business. All of the items in the program are related to the region’s future economic vitality.”
Links in the chain
Martin Lipinski is an engineering professor at the University of Memphis and director of its Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute, which is co-sponsoring the event with the ITTS.
Lipinski echoed Lambert’s comments about Memphis’ importance as a nexus for freight movement, making the city a perfect locale for this conference.
“Our logistical advantages and our existing logistics and distribution industry here make it a good place for people to gather to see what’s going on,” Lipinski said. “There’s a whole bunch of reasons they want to look to us as we’re the place that already has a vibrant and sustainable logistics/distribution activity.”
Lipinski said issues that will be addressed include the widening of the Panama Canal and what that does to the East Coast ports and the investments that railroads like Norfolk Southern Corp. are making here to enhance their operations.
But, as Lipinski noted, not only will the event bring heavy-hitters to town to speak to Memphis transportation officials, but it will showcase the city’s logistics and distribution assets to the visitors. It also might pair a local carrier with another city’s port, helping both entities garner a business relationship and increase trade.
“Absolutely it’s going to help. Among other things, it can help identify partners,” Lipinski said. “The chamber is very much interested … in trying to establish trading partners and other people to work with. If you get people from these other areas … people from the Port of Pensacola (Fla.) or the Georgia Department of Transportation, how does our work fit in with what they want to accomplish and vice verse?”
Destination city
Evidence of Memphis’ logistical advantages was in the spotlight last week when about 30 private and public officials from Canada came to town to tour the city. The group, headlined by the premier of Manitoba, Greg Selinger, saw the FedEx Super Hub, local rail yards and some of the city’s biggest, most impressive distribution centers.
Selinger told The Daily News he was impressed with the people in Memphis, and he also was impressed with the city’s and region’s assets, all of which combine to make this area a transportation freight hub.
“When you look at your facilities, the amount of money you’ve invested in your infrastructure to put these facilities together, it’s truly impressive, and it shows a long-term, sustained effort on your part to make these things happen,” Selinger said. “You can see the evidence of that everywhere – the size of the operations, the efficiency of the operations, the up-to-date-ness of the all the infrastructure – it’s very evident when you take a look at it.”
Dexter Muller, the Greater Memphis Chamber’s senior vice president for community development and logistics council director, said establishing partnerships with seemingly disparate communities like Winnipeg are important in terms of expanding the city’s business development – and further enhancing Memphis’ role as a freight capital.
“Any business that comes down on the Canadian National Railway is going to come through Winnipeg, and it’s going to come to Memphis or Chicago, so we do have some linkages already,” Muller said.