State and local dignitaries, including Mayor Eddie Melton and Gov. Mike Braun, gathered Thursday afternoon for a groundbreaking ceremony at the future site of a $60 million FedEx distribution center near Buffington Harbor.
The Democratic mayor had announced that the Memphis-based shipping giant would be coming to Gary during his State of the City address in April.
"As years progressed, we knew that this was the best location for more transportation and logistics," Melton said, pointing to the harbor, the Gary/Chicago International Airport and the three freight railroads running through the area. "Gary, Indiana, is a logistics gold mine."
FedEx will lease the new distribution center from Rosemont, Illinois-based Transport Properties and Indianapolis-based Scannell Properties, the two firms undertaking the construction project.
A 78-acre parcel near the lakefront will soon be home to a 322,000-square-foot logistics facility with over 100 docking positions for semitrailers. Merchandise will be transferred from the trailers to smaller trucks for delivery.
The operation is expected to support some 600 jobs and FedEx has committed to filling at least 20% of the new roles with Gary residents.
