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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Michelin Plans 1.7 Million Square Foot Distribution Complex At RidgePort Logistics Center in Wilmington, Illinois

05/21/2014
Ridge Development, the industrial development arm of Transwestern Development Company, a diversified firm with an expertise in all commercial property, said Michelin has entered into a build-to-suit agreement in which the tire manufacturer will lease 1.7 million square feet of distribution space to be constructed at the RidgePort Logistics Center in Wilmington, Illinois, approximately 40 miles southwest of Chicago.

RidgePort, a 1,500-acre, rail-served intermodal park has room for 14 million square feet of industrial, warehousing and logistics buildings. It is strategically located three miles south of the Interstate 55 Arsenal Road exit that leads to the BNSF Logistics Park-Chicago in Elwood and Union Pacific-Joliet Intermodal Terminal in Joliet. RidgePort is flanked by more than two miles of BNSF mainline frontage to the west and Interstate 55 to the east.

“We are excited to break ground on the Michelin project,” said Jim Martell, President of Ridge Development. “As one of the largest U.S. distribution complexes when fully built out, this project should boost RidgePort to one of the most significant logistics parks in the country.”

“The Michelin project substantiates RidgePort as a compelling player in the freight movement and logistics sector in Will County,” said John Greuling, President/CEO of the Will County Center for Economic Development. “This project confirms the county as one of the more significant logistics centers in the Midwest as far as attractiveness and transportation options.”

The park would serve as the western terminus of the proposed Illiana Expressway, a toll road that would connect I-55 and I-65 in northern Illinois and Indiana. Located in the Will County Inland Port region, the largest inland container port in North America, RidgePort provides economic incentive packages to qualified companies, has an Enterprise Zone designation and qualifies for a Foreign Trade Zone designation.

“Since the annexation of RidgePort into the city of Wilmington, the relationship has been both positive and progressive in getting to the end result of having a signature intermodal center,” said Marty Orr, Mayor of Wilmington. “We are excited to have Michelin become a part of that and welcome them to the neighborhood.”

“The Michelin distribution center will be a showpiece for RidgePort Logistics Center and the city of Wilmington,” said Tony Graff, Wilmington City Administrator. “The project is already benefitting the city, bringing with it both temporary construction and permanent jobs, a high standard of employee safety and exceptional community relations.”

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