ATLANTA (Feb. 4, 2011) - Standing before scores of journalists, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed made a bold prediction this week.
"Atlanta is going to be the logistics center for the Western Hemisphere," he said during a speech before the Atlanta Press Club at 191 Peachtree Tower downtown. The city will reach this lofty goal in part, the mayor said, if the Savannah Harbor is deepened in time for the 2014 opening of the Panama Canal expansion.
The widening project will enable more and larger ships to transit through the Panama Canal. This will lead to more traffic at the Georgia Ports Authority terminals. And much of the product and inventory being imported through Savannah will make its way to Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the mayor said.
This in turn, will help fuel the hope-for recovery in Atlanta's industrial real estate market.
The mayor steadfastly believes that deepening the Savannah Harbor will increase logistics business in his city. "When we deepen it 6 feet, we are going to eat Charleston's lunch," Reed said last month at the State Capitol.
As part of his plan to make Atlanta a leading global logistics city, Reed also is working to bring more air cargo carriers to the airport. The airport's air cargo business, already up 20 percent in the past year, has a $33 billion impact on the state.
Moreover, Mayor Reed told the Press Club, "Logistics is in the DNA of the city and state." He was referring to Atlanta's key role in the country's railroad system. This excerpt from Wikipedia confirms the role the city played in the country's logistics timeline: "During the Civil War, Atlanta served as a vital nexus of the railroads and hence a hub for the distribution of military supplies."
Reed acknowledged he'll have detractors as he works to position Atlanta as the Western Hemisphere's logistics center. But, they will not deter him, the mayor said. He pointed to Billy Payne and other organizers who had plenty of people scoff at their vision to bring the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games to Atlanta.
