OHIO RIVER CORRIDOR
Paducah and Points Beyond
Even as the Ohio begins to empty into the Mississippi, communities along its path continue to grow. In Paducah, Ky., Infiniti Media has followed through with a pledge made in early 2004 by establishing a $47-million, 100,000-sq.-ft. (9,290-sq.-m.) media packaging plant, employing 35 at the outset. The facility is projected to employ 105 after five years.
Saeed Yousefian, president of Infiniti Media, tells Site Selection the search went on for about a year, evaluating locations in the company's home state of California, Arizona, Utah, both Carolinas, Missouri and Tennessee.
Ultimately, logistics needs and transportation costs drove the choice toward a central U.S. location.
"We looked into other areas, what kind of incentives we could get, what kind of electrictiy prices we could find, what sort of skilled employees we could find," says Yousefian. "All came together for us in Paducah."
The project is the first manufacturing location in the U.S. for the company, which until now has imported product from overseas for U.S. distribution. Yousefian says that the company has already hired a third of its initial labor force, which will begin to see production activity by mid-November 2004.
Illinois too gets in on the Ohio River action. In late September 2004, the Delta Regional Authority released federal grants that will back projects like a 12,000-sq.-ft. (1,115-sq.-m.) business incubator in Mounds, in the 16-acre (6.5-hectare) Pulaski County Development Association Business Park, located in an Illinois Enterprise Zone.
Also of interest in the county: 90 acres (36.5 hectares) of riverfront property in Olmsted, just south of the new locks and dam, are ready and available for industrial sale or lease.
According to property co-owner Sherman Wilson, all utilities are available to the property, which most recently produced a 2004 crop of corn.
Wilson, a former steel worker who has also worked in automotive assembly, says the property has received close scrutiny for both a coal-loading facility and a coal-burning power plant.
As the trends indicate, either now may be a fitting end use for the end of a vibrant river corridor.
Saeed Yousefian, president of Infiniti Media, tells Site Selection the search went on for about a year, evaluating locations in the company's home state of California, Arizona, Utah, both Carolinas, Missouri and Tennessee.
Ohio River Basin Trade/Tourism/Transportation System Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission Appalachian Regional Commission Pennsylvania Dept. of Ports of Indiana Northern Kentucky Tri-ED Regional Leadership Coalition Southern Indiana Southernmost Illinois Delta Empowerment Zone |
Ultimately, logistics needs and transportation costs drove the choice toward a central U.S. location.
"We looked into other areas, what kind of incentives we could get, what kind of electrictiy prices we could find, what sort of skilled employees we could find," says Yousefian. "All came together for us in Paducah."
The project is the first manufacturing location in the U.S. for the company, which until now has imported product from overseas for U.S. distribution. Yousefian says that the company has already hired a third of its initial labor force, which will begin to see production activity by mid-November 2004.
Illinois too gets in on the Ohio River action. In late September 2004, the Delta Regional Authority released federal grants that will back projects like a 12,000-sq.-ft. (1,115-sq.-m.) business incubator in Mounds, in the 16-acre (6.5-hectare) Pulaski County Development Association Business Park, located in an Illinois Enterprise Zone.
Also of interest in the county: 90 acres (36.5 hectares) of riverfront property in Olmsted, just south of the new locks and dam, are ready and available for industrial sale or lease.
According to property co-owner Sherman Wilson, all utilities are available to the property, which most recently produced a 2004 crop of corn.
Wilson, a former steel worker who has also worked in automotive assembly, says the property has received close scrutiny for both a coal-loading facility and a coal-burning power plant.
As the trends indicate, either now may be a fitting end use for the end of a vibrant river corridor.
