Sweet Home Huntsville, AL
BIG Logistics prides itself on being well ahead of the curve, especially when we’re picking a location for an office. Our forward-thinking dedication to efficiency guided us to open our fourth office in Huntsville, Alabama, a booming area that’s strategically located in the southeast. Close to and alongside other large hubs, but at a savings we can pass on to our clients, Huntsville is a great location for your cargo.
Helmed by logistics expert Lara Fosnight BIG Logistics, Huntsville is the newest location in our network. Specially positioned to manage the plethora of defense contracts, automotive, and PPE shipments, the goal of growing alongside this city is a passion of Lara’s.
“Huntsville is flexible; the southeast is perfect for cargo right now because we can avoid the congested coastal cities where intermodal, truck and warehouse capacity is overwhelmed. We’re still close enough to get cargo to ports with ease, especially when you have a less used port at your shores like Savannah or Mobile,” Lara explains.
“Last year 2020, it was all about reaction to the market and the pandemic. BIG Logistics is still committed to helping people who are trying to make it through here in the US and overseas. Because building a community is important to securing supply chains, Huntsville gives us an opportunity to build from the ground up away from the big cities and avoid their delays and congestion.” Lara sees the future potential of being ready for the explosion of the southeast ahead of the competition.
On track to become Alabama’s biggest city this year, Huntsville surpassed Mobile; Montgomery, and currently runs neck and neck with Birmingham. That might seem like ancillary information, but consider that 90% of all shipments in the state of Alabama are small vehicle exports currently being assembled in smaller towns across the Yellowhammer State (it’s a bird). Because of the growth, Huntsville recently received a $325 million bid to create a mixed use development downtown – which we expect to see help logistics providers by offering a further varied mix of exports and provide support to expand cargo operations in the city. As it stands, there is more freight than forwarders in the area. The largest operators have a small local presence but unlike the cities of Memphis (FedEx) and Atlanta (Delta) Huntsville isn’t known as the home to any oversized companies to soak up the cargo.
Five hours south of Huntsville, is the booming container Port of Mobile. Consistently upgraded and expanded, the port is strategically located to serve major developments happening inland, such as growth of a steel mill in Calvert, the Hyundai plant in Montgomery and the new Toyota-Mazda cranking out autos in Huntsville. The Port of Mobile boasts has access to five Class I railroads – carriers with revenues of more than half a billion dollars per year. The Port of Mobile can now service two 1,000-foot-long ships at the same time.
BIG Logistics looks ahead in our plan to become the main forwarder working in the future biggest spots in the southeast United States. We believe that the research shows Huntsville will continue to explode both in growth and logistics as places like Atlanta and Nashville struggle with congestion. The list of companies developing strong presences in Huntsville include Facebook, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin among them in a distinguished list that’s regularly complimented by business leaders as fast growing and exceedingly livable.
The key combination of capacity, cost and underserved industries like autos and defense contractors allowed BIG to capture lightning in the bottle while avoiding the bottle necks. Contact your BIG Logistics representative today and learn how our Huntsville team can keep you ahead of the pack.
