Conexus Announces New Logistics Council
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowConexus Indiana and the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership have launched the Central Regional Logistics Council. Plainfield-based Integrated Distribution Services Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark DeFabis will lead the effort to boost the region's logistics sector.
March 27, 2014
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and Conexus Indiana, the state's advanced manufacturing and logistics initiative, today announced the formation of the Central Regional Logistics Council (CRLC), an industry-led initiative to identify and advance local projects and policies to strengthen the region's logistics sector.
Mark DeFabis, president and CEO of Integrated Distribution Services Inc. in Plainfield, has been named chairman of the Council. DeFabis also serves as a member and chairman of the Public Policy Task Force of the Conexus Indiana Logistics Council (CILC), a 54-member statewide industry-led council that guides the development of infrastructure, public policy, awareness and workforce development priorities for the state's logistics industry.
CRLC will address strategic projects and public policy issues that impact a 28-county region that includes Marion and surrounding doughnut counties and counties as far north as Howard County and extending east to Wayne County, west to Vermillion County and south to Monroe County. This council is the sixth regional council launched in Indiana since early 2013.
“Central Indiana has major logistics infrastructure assets and our goal is to protect and grow those assets to continue to strengthen our logistics industry and our position as the ‘Crossroads of America,'” DeFabis said. “Like other businesses in Central Indiana, Integrated Distribution Services recognizes how important it is to leverage our existing position and continue to plan for future growth.”
CRLC will provide input to the Conexus Indiana Logistics Council statewide logistics plan, and develop strategic initiatives to help transportation, distribution and supply chain firms on a regional and local level. CILC has identified a number of projects and priorities on the state level, which are outlined in a new plan, Delivering Indiana's Logistics Future, scheduled for release in April.
“Conexus Indiana has advanced significant projects throughout the state that have defined and strengthened our logistics industry,” said David L. Johnson, president and CEO of CICP. “Because of the depth and breadth of CICP member companies and the high caliber of the region's logistics firms, this Council has great potential to discover more opportunities for economic growth.”
Several Central Indiana projects have been identified by CILC and have either been completed or are now underway, including:
• The Senate Avenue Intermodal facility located just south of downtown Indianapolis opened in 2013 and will give companies that ship products through Indiana access to a more efficient all-rail route to ports in western Canada (the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia) with access to multiple shipping lines offering weekly service to all major Asian ports. The service via the Indiana Rail Road Company (INRD) and Canadian National Railway (CN) is a game-changer for Indiana business, allowing cargo to flow between Indianapolis and Shanghai in as little as 18-20 days.
• The US 31 project from Indianapolis to South Bend is partially complete, and will convert the existing 4-lane highway to a 4-lane full access-controlled freeway with interchanges at major intersections on US 31.
• The Indiana Commerce Connector is a proposed outer loop outside Interstate 465 that would connect Madison, Hamilton, Hancock, Shelby, Johnson, Morgan, Hendricks and Boone counties from 1-69 to 1-65. This project has not yet begun.
“The Central Indiana region is in an enviable position when it comes to logistics,” said David Holt, vice president, operations and business development of Conexus Indiana. “We're home to national and international distribution companies that realize the benefits of our region's assets. While the Conexus Indiana Logistics Council has studied key issues facing the industry and recommended improvements including investing in our highways, optimizing our airport network, maintaining our locks and dams, all while reducing the tax and regulatory barriers to logistics companies, the Central Regional Logistics Council will build on that by focusing on projects and policies that impact the regional economy.”
The Conexus Indiana Central Regional Logistics Council is represented by the following companies: ABF Freight Systems, Allison Transmission, American Structurepoint, Appian, Backhaul Direct, Becton Dickinson, Belkin, Bernardin Lochmueller & Associates, Butler Fairman & Seufert Civil Engineers, Cargo Services, Inc., Caterpillar, CB Richard Ellis, CDM Smith, Celadon Group, Central Indiana & Western Railroad, CHA Companies, Citizens Energy Group, Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Container Port Group, Coregistics, Corradino, D-A Lubricant Company, Dematic Corporation, Dow AgroSciences, Duke Realty, Eli Lilly and Company, Fed Ex Corporation, Finish Line, Firestone Building Products Company, Fraley & Schilling, Genco, G.S. Transportation, Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Guitar Center, Hanzo Logistics, HNTB Corporation, HP Products, Ice Miller, Indiana Rail Road Company, Indianapolis Airport Authority, Ingram Micro Company, Integrated Distribution Services, Jacobson Companies, Katz, Sapper & Miller, Langham Logistics, Magnum Transportation Solutions, MD Logistics, Merchandise Warehouse Co., MJ Insurance, MKM Distributing, Monarch Beverage, Montgomery Aviation, OHL Contract Logistics, OSP Group, Perkins Companies, Red Gold, Reese Alexander, Regal Beloit, Roche Diagnostics Operations, Rolls-Royce Corporation, Sentry Logistics Solutions, Spot Freight, Stoops Freightliner, Summit Realty Group, Telamon Corporation, The Phoenix Group, Tippmann Group/Interstate Warehousing, Turley Martin Tucker Commercial Real Estate, UPS, URS Corporation and Venture Logistics.
About Conexus Indiana:
Conexus Indiana is the state's advanced manufacturing and logistics initiative, dedicated to making Indiana a global leader. Conexus is focused on strategic priorities like workforce development, creating new industry partnerships and promoting Indiana's advantages in manufacturing and logistics. Learn more at www.ConexusIndiana.com.
About Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP):
The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) was formed in 1999 to bring together the chief executives of Central Indiana's prominent corporations, foundations and university presidents in a strategic and collaborative effort dedicated to the region's continued prosperity and growth. To advance this mission, CICP sponsors four key economic development initiatives, BioCrossroads, Conexus Indiana, Energy Systems Network and TechPoint, each of which addresses challenges and opportunities unique to its respective sector: life sciences, advanced manufacturing and logistics, alternative energy systems and information technology.
Source: Conexus Indiana