Located in the heart of America’s freight network, the St. Louis region is a national transportation hub with an abundance of resources and advantages that enable companies locating here to enjoy global reach from one uniquely central location.
Our region is home to one of the nation’s third largest inland ports, with positioning at the crossroads of six Class I railroads and strategic access to national interstates, international passenger and cargo airports, and significant pipelines. Within the United States, the St. Louis region has become the:
- Most efficient inland port system (USACE)
- One of the largest inland ports
- One of the highest volume rail hubs
- Third highest volume multimodal hub
- Fourth highest volume pipeline hub
While the St. Louis region may be recognized for its world-class freight assets and efficient movement of freight, it is the diverse available workforce, central location, distribution space, developable land and can-do attitude of its labor force that position the bi-state St. Louis area well for continued growth.
The COVID-19 pandemic created an inflection point for industrial real estate as companies turn away from a reliance on China and an ‘all eggs in one basket’ approach to manufacturing, which is resulting in supply chains moving and changing, with many returning to the U.S.
Companies reshoring will be looking for markets that support multiple modes of transportation, coupled with a large enough population to support labor requirements, and the St. Louis region is uniquely poised to meet their needs. Additional opportunity can be found in other changes occurring in global freight, including the expanded Panama Canal, the growth of e-commerce, and an expected 45 percent increase in freight volume by 2045 (U.S. DOT 2015).
Our multi-modal flexibility, agility and accessibility enable the St. Louis region to position itself as a flexible and effective logistics center more immune from supply chain and other disruptions as compared to other regions. Its modal agility offers companies certainty and multiple options compared to other metros when faced with severe weather, fluctuations in energy and transportation costs, or shifts in global government regulations or trade.
For more on the advantages of the St. Louis region, check out the following video interviews with industry leaders discussing the compelling selling points of the St. Louis region:
- Interview with David Branding, Managing Director for the St. Louis office of JLL, during FreightWeekSTL 2020.
- Interview with Doug Rasmussen, President & CEO of Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners, during FreightWeekSTL 2020.
- Why Big Manufacturing Expansion and Growth is Coming to the St. Louis Region, from FreightWeekSTL 2023.
“Private industry representatives with first-hand knowledge of the bi-state St. Louis area consistently reinforce that availability of space and speed of delivery; an available, job-ready workforce, and exceptional freight assets are continuing to drive the growth we’ve been seeing in our region. As a result of that growth, as supply chains continue to shift in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the St. Louis region has all the ingredients in place to accommodate those shifts.”