Georgia Logistics Summit highlights state's new inland port strategy
For the past decade, the Georgia Logistics Summit has been the Southeast’s premier logistics and supply-chain focused event, bringing top-notch content and discussions about innovative industry best practices reliably to Atlanta. This year, in an effort to better meet Georgia’s vast supply chain industry where it is, the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics forewent the large multi-day event in Atlanta and brought a regionally focused event to the Clarence Brown Conference Center in Cartersville, Georgia.
Northwest Georgia has played a crucial role in both Georgia’s manufacturing and supply chain industries, most notably hosting the bulk of the State’s floor-covering and auto manufacturing industries. With the introduction of the State of Georgia’s newest strategic logistics asset, the Appalachian Regional Port, this corner of the State is asserting itself as an even more important spoke in Georgia’s supply chain wheel.
The Georgia Logistics Summit Regional Forum was held on March 14th, 2019, to a capacity crowd. Attendees filled the Clarence Brown Conference Center’s lobby and made crucial connections while catching up with both new and familiar faces. The program began with remarks on Georgia’s robust and growing logistics industry with Center of Innovation for Logistics Director Matt Markham and Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson, as well as a video introduction from Governor Brian Kemp.
The meat of the day’s content began with State Transportation Board Representative Jeff Lewis presenting an update on the transportation initiatives underway to improve freight flow in Northwest Georgia and across the state.
Regional Forum attendees were given the unique opportunity for a virtual tour of the new Appalachian Regional Port by Georgia Ports Authority Terminal Manager Wesley Barrell. Using high definition drone footage, Wesley took attendees through a driver’s experience with the port, from its innovative check-in to its industry-best time on terminal which allows drivers to receive containers from the port and be on their way quickly and efficiently, offsetting more than 700 miles on Georgia highways.
The Regional Forum was anchored by the day’s panel discussion, where representatives from all sides of the supply chain industry – including shippers and logistics providers, as well as both economic and workforce development agencies - met on stage to discuss pressing issues in the development of the supply chain industry in Northwest Georgia, particularly surrounding the new inland port.
The panel discussed the region’s advantages in the logistics landscape and ruminated on the future of supply chain and workforce development in Northwest Georgia as well as the rest of the state. Investments in technology and infrastructure as well as a reframing in the way that potential employees are trained and recruited has those intimately connected with Georgia’s supply chain industry very optimistic for the future of logistics in the State.
This was the first regionally-focused event in the Georgia Logistics Summit portfolio, but the reception and engagement from the industry professionals in attendance assure it will not be the last. Every region of the state contributes to Georgia’s success in logistics, so there are sure to be important conversations to be had across Georgia for years to come.
