N.O. logistics provider advancing $20.5M development on Industrial Canal

In a unanimous vote last week, the Board of Commission for the Port of New Orleans agreed to enter into a 15-year lease agreement with Transportation Con­sultants, Inc. (TCI), a New Orleans-based full-service logistical provider that is rapidly developing surplus property along the Industrial Canal.

The approval was specifically for the lease of the Governor Nicholls Wharf, which TCI will use to increase its capacity in the resin packaging industry. TCI says it will invest $8.2 million in the project. That’s approximately 40 percent of the $20.5 million that the company plans to invest in a more comprehensive expansion plan.

In 2008, TCI invested $10 million to secure 27 acres of land from the Port of New Orleans to construct a corporate office and warehouse and to secure a cargo handling facility.

Last week, the company announced additional expansions, including the development of the Governor Nicholls Wharf. TCI will also invest $570,000 to expand an imported granite distribution facility and has plans to negotiate with the Port of New Orleans for additional land on Alvar Street along the Industrial Canal corridor.

“This expansion project will leverage TCI’s operational capacity and efficiency with new systems and technologies, while creating an environment that is ripe with sustainable job opportunities and economic development,” said Christian Jensen, president of TCI.

President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans Gary LaGrange said the project will have a positive impact on commerce and workforce development.

“The Port of New Orleans is excited about TCI’s plans to grow its warehouse and distribution capacity. TCI has been very aggressive about developing new value-added services, which generate jobs and new cargo volumes for Port facilities,” LaGrange said.

In terms of output, the overall project is expected to create about 80 direct jobs and more than 300 indirect jobs. TCI also reports that prior developments have resulted in an increase of port activity with more than 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (the standard container measurement used in shipping) entering the Port of New Orleans in lieu of other ports. That number is expected to increase to 30,000 by the year 2013 with the additional space provided by the newly leased wharf, which could generate roughly $25.3 million in new revenue for the Port.

This article was originally published in the September 26, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper