port city proud
New Facility In Mobile Puts Us In Position For Bright Future We continue to invest in facility enhancements, because they put us in position to grow for the future, attract like-minded associates and bring more shipments of all kinds into our system. Our project that we recently completed in Mobile is a prime example of that commitment. The new service center features 50% more dock doors, a 120,000-square-foot warehouse, a two-bay shop, a state-of-the-art automated truck wash, scales, and a Driver Support Center that will provide over-the-road drivers with comforts of home. “Our associates are very, very excited and over the moon about what we have and what we’ve invested,” says DAVID MCGONAGILL of our regional leadership. “We feel like it will help us attract new associates to the team. Before, we were limited in our hiring – we just did not have the space. As we bring on new business, we will have plenty of space to grow for the future.” PRIME TIME David points to industry trends that make Mobile an ideal location to invest – more freight continues to move from the West Coast to the South, and Mobile is in the process of dredging that will increase the port depth to 50 feet and allow for larger ships to enter that important gateway. “The Port of Mobile’s business was up more than 40% in 2022,” David explains. “And the relationship that we have with the port speaks volumes about our future. They’ve gone above and beyond to partner with us and bring in customers for tours. They’re doing what they can to bring in more business to Mobile, and we’re teaming up with them to help accomplish that. There are a lot of unique things going on at the Port of Mobile, and it seems to be the next hot place for customers to bring their freight.” ED SMITH, our Vice President of Distribution & Fulfillment, shares that same enthusiasm. “This new facility will enhance our current service offerings, and it will give us the leading distribution facility in the region,” Ed says. “Our ability to service the growing export market through the Port of Mobile will be unmatched.” LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION It also helps that the new facility is in a strategic location that will help us move more freight In And Out Of The South. “We found land that’s not far from the port, right off of I-10 and very close to I-65,” David explains. “We have a facility that’s large enough to accommodate warehousing and transloading. That puts us in good shape now and for the future to grow.” David adds, “If we can capture more of this business that’s coming in over the Port of Mobile, especially the customers who are interested in our warehousing, obviously it’s going to start to feed our LTL network back through the system. That’s what we’re hoping for. We don’t want freight just sitting in a warehouse. We want freight that we can transload to come into the warehouse and create
TOP: Our new facility in Mobile boasts more space for growth and amenities for our associates. CENTER: The 120,000-square-foot warehouse space is ready to be filled. BOTTOM: Continuing our sustainability efforts, all forklifts at Mobile are electric.
freight bills outbound to feed the system.”
ECO-FRIENDLY EXPANSION In addition to the amenities that associates and customers are sure to love, there’s also an environmental aspect to our Mobile enhancements. “We’ve been using a lot of electric forklifts in our warehouses, and Mobile is the first facility to go electric for both LTL and warehousing,” explains Service Center Director MARK WALTERS. “We’re now totally electric with our forklifts. Every light on the property is LED, and they’re set to where if there’s no motion for a certain period of time, they’ll turn off. Having motion-sensor lights will save a lot of energy.” We’re excited about our new facility in Mobile, and that expansion is made possible by your commitment to delivering excellence each day. We can’t wait to see what the future holds in Mobile – with extra room to grow, great things are definitely ahead in the Gulf and throughout our network! T m
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