If you had any questions after Murray County announced the opening of the Appalachian Regional Port, you may soon have a chance to get answers.
Dalton State’s Wright School of Business is hosting a presentation by executives of the inland port that should answer those questions. The public is invited to attend the free, hour-long session on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. in Goodroe Auditorium. The Dalton State Foundation is co-sponsoring this event.
“When the port opens and is operational after 2018, 50,000 shipping containers are expected to travel 388 miles by CSX tracks from Savannah to Murray County annually,” said Dr. Marilyn Helms, dean of the Wright School of Business. “This port is also expected to bring 40,000 new jobs to the area.”
Regional port executives speaking at the presentation will be John Petrino, director of business development; Wes Lanier, director of strategic operations and safety; and Wesley Barrell, terminal manager.
The inland port is expected to ease congestion on 1-75, and will allow companies to ship at a cheaper rate since it costs less to ship by railway, Dr. Helms said.
“We should see a positive economic impact to the area as this should grow services and increase warehouse locations near the inland port,” she said. “Northwest Georgia has key clusters of transportation and logistics support activities in the region. This is such a good fit for our area and the industry here.”
The port is also expected to bring service jobs to the region with more hotels and restaurants in the area, Dr. Helms said.