b'8American Journal of Transportation ajot.comSPONSORED CONTENT (ADVANCINGcontinued from page 7)Cozzanotedthat,withtheCOVID-19pan-demic,unimpededspeedtomarkethasbecome South Carolina booming as distribution hubincreasingly imperative for beneficial cargo owners and the carriers serving them, commenting, Thats while growing inland intermodal capabilities what we think is going to launch us in these next years even more.By Paul Scott Abbott, AJOT Cozza said he believes Asia commerce will con-tinue to be a large growth area for the Port of Wilm-SoontoboasttheU.S.EastCoastsdeepestJim Newsome, president and chief executive offi- ington,withLatin AmericanandEuropeantrade harbor and with expanding capabilities for handlingcer of the South Carolina Ports Authority, enthused,continuing to expand as well. He sees key commod-megacontainerships,SouthCarolinaisenjoyingaWalmart represents the cutting edge of supply chainities continuing to be led by finished goods, retail boom as a preferred distribution hub, with Walmartmanagement sophistication and expectations.items, furniture, textiles and, above all, refrigerated thelatesttoannouncecargos, including fruits and vegetables.plansforacommerceAlso envisioned are increased regional invest-park about 30 miles fromments in cold storage infrastructureaugmenting Port of Charleston docks. the 3-million-cubic-foot Port of Wilmington Cold TheSouthCarolinaStorage facility opened on terminal in 2016 under PortsAuthoritysRid- a public-private partnershipand in warehouse and gevilleCommercePark,distribution centers. One recent addition has been a inCharlestonsuburbanhub for furniture retailer Rooms To Go.Dorchester County, alongBeyond containerized cargo, the Port of Wilm-withapairofthrivingingtonhandlesgeneralcargossuchaslumber, facilitiesfartherinland,cement and steel andsince the opening in 2016 of arecriticalrail-servedEnviva Partners LPs on-port terminalbeen doing linksefficientlymovinga healthy business in wood pellet exports.retailgoodsandotherDiversification is a good thing, as you know, containerizedcargotoCozza said, commenting that the broad portfolio of andfromCharlestonimport and export commodities has helped sustain marine terminals. recordoverallactivityatthePortofWilmington Witha52-foot-deepthrough present global challenges.harbor and the first phaseNC Ports also has been investing in the Port of oftheHughK.Leather- Morehead City, about 100 miles northeast of Wilm-man Terminal opening inSC Ports Wando Welch Terminal is undergoing significant enhancements, as pictured, and is toington, where a new multipurpose Liebherr crane early 2021, augmented bysoon be joined by the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal, opening in March.(Photo credit: English Purcell,entered service in 2019. Imports of organic grains asignificantlyenhancedSouth Carolina Ports Authority) fromtheMiddleEastandSouthAmericahave WandoWelchTerminal,added to a Morehead City cargo mix featuring iron the Port of Charlestons water infrastructure looks to Having this world-class company choose ourore, lumber and cement imports.be second to none. market for their distribution center is the ultimateWhatwevebuilthereisthefoundation, vote of confidence in SC Ports and in South Caro- Cozzasaid.Wheretheorganizationisgoingto SC P ortSE xtEndingA bilitiES lina, Newsome continued. Walmarts investmentmove forward is building all on this. Its just really RidgevilleCommercePark,InlandPortGreerwillcreatejobsforSouthCaroliniansandboosta start. I feel confident the growth is going to be and Inland Port Dillon extend the abilities of SC PortscargovolumesatthePortofCharleston.Weareexponentialinthesenextyears,becausenowthe in serving the needs of beneficial cargo ownerstoexperts at moving goods just-in-time for global com- foundation is here.soon include Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart,panies. We are thrilled to partner with Walmart toIm very happy, he added. However, weve the worlds largest retailer and the No. 1 importer intofurther their growth and impact for years to come. got a lot still to do, and I know the team here will the United States. (BOOMINGcontinued on page 14) keep it going. InJuly,Walmartannouncedplanstobuilda $220million,3-million-square-footdistribution centeratRidgevilleCommercePark,culminating nearly four years of discussions involving not just Walmart and SC Ports but also county, regional and state development officials.The South Carolina Ports Authoritys ridgeville Industrial Campus is located about 30 miles from Port of Charleston docks by way of Interstate 26 or Norfolk Southern rail.Walmartsexecutivevicepresidentofsupply chain, Greg Smith, put it this way: At a time when job creation is so vital, andmore than everour customers are relying on Walmart for the essentials they need during this unprecedented time, we are excited about the impact this new facility will have on the regional economy and how it will help us better serve customers across the Southeast.W AlmArtd ElivEring1,000 J obSWalmartsnewestdirectimportdistribution hub, which is expected to take about 14 months to build following March 2021 groundbreaking, is to supply several regional distribution centers support-ing more than 850 Walmart and Sams Club stores throughout the Carolinas and beyond, plus e-com-merce customers. More than 1,000 local full-time jobs are being created.'