Montgomery, AL – July 25, 2023 – The race to attract economic investment is highly competitive. When looking at the assets communities need to win these competitions, none are as important as the ability to provide a high-quality fully served industrial site.
The Montgomery Chamber is proud to announce that the 230-acre Montgomery CNJ industrial site located along US Highway 31 in close proximity to the State’s Inland Port is the only site on CSX’s 23-state network to have been designated as the top tier “Gold Level” site. This designation identifies this site as a world-class industrial site that is prepared to compete for the top industrial projects in the world.
The CSX Select Site program, one of the nation’s most rigorous industrial site certification programs, is designed to identify the top-tier rail-served industrial sites in CSX’s 23-state footprint. Only eight sites were awarded a Gold, Silver and Bronze designation. In addition to the Montgomery site’s Gold rating,
Silver sites were named in Illinois and Indiana, and Bronze sites were selected in Kentucky, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee. With support from its partner GLS, a prestigious site location firm headquartered in South Carolina, the sites were recognized as being ready to compete for the top domestic and international industrial projects.
“Factors ranging from sustainability to shortening supply chains by bringing manufacturing capability back to the U.S. are driving companies’ growing interest in the economic and environmental advantages of rail,” said Christina Bottomley, CSX vice president of Real Estate and Industrial Development. “The Select Site program is one way CSX is helping companies to meet their business objectives and partnering with communities to drive economic growth.”
LaBarron Boone, Montgomery Chamber Chairman of the Board reacted to the designation. “It is a great honor to be recognized by CSX and their nationally prominent partner GLS Consulting,” Boone said. “The CSX Select Site Gold designation proves to our clients that this site is ready to compete for world-class industrial projects and to meet the short project timeframes demanded by our clients.”
Ray Roton, Chairman of the Board for Montgomery Water Works, which owns the parcel, said, “We are honored to partner with the Chamber and the other economic development team members in industrial recruitment efforts for Montgomery. We are proud to provide this nationally recognized site as a tool to help attract the top industrial projects. There is a shortage of fully prepared industrial sites, which is why this CSX program is vitally important. Fortunately, here in Montgomery we have been very creative in identifying outstanding sites for large-scale industrial development.”
About The Montgomery Chamber
With a mission to drive economic prosperity and build a greater life for all in the capital region, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber is a full-spectrum economic development public/private partnership representing 1,600 businesses and organizations with more than 90,000 employees throughout Central Alabama.
About CSX
CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company. It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer products. For nearly 200 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation\’s economic expansion and industrial development. Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation\’s population resides. It also links more than 240 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and farming towns alike.
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