Improving Business in the Wilmington Region
NEW JERSEY-BASED LOGISTICS PROVIDER TO SET UP OPERATIONS IN ROCKY POINT
July 26, 2018 (Elizabethtown, N.C. and Wilmington, N.C.).
BlueArrow Warehousing & Logistics LLC will establish operations in Southeastern North Carolina in a move that will boost traffic at the Port of Wilmington. Based in Monroe Township, N.J., privately-held BlueArrow provides warehousing, distribution, transportation, pick-and-pack and logistics services for numerous “big box” retailers and e-commerce companies. The company signed a lease earlier this month for 100,000-sq.-ft. of space at the Cape Fear Industrial Complex in Rocky Point, where it will initially employ 20 to 25 workers.
“The arrival of this growing third-party logistics provider to Greater Wilmington further fuels our region’s emergence as the ideal backdrop for mid-Atlantic distribution and trade-related operations,” said Scott Satterfield, CEO of Wilmington Business Development (WBD). “BlueArrow is the latest national logistics name to take advantage of our exceptional multi-modal transportation assets, workforce and ready-to-go industrial product in pursuing an exciting expansion strategy.”
Earlier this year, FedEx Freight, the less-than-truckload (LTC) carrier unit of Memphis-based FedEx Corporation, announced its selection of Pender Commerce Park for a new service center. Empire Distributors and Coastal Beverage Company have also recently established significant distribution and warehousing operations in Pender County.
“We look forward to growing in the region,” said Zachary Mosseri, manager of BlueArrow Warehousing & Logistics. “Wilmington has a strong port and ready workforce, and we were able to find the right building to suit our needs.”
In addition to its direct job creation, BlueArrow’s expansion into the Southeast Region will result in increased traffic at the Port of Wilmington, which is just 20 miles away from Cape Fear Industrial Center. In recent years, WBD and NC’s Southeast have been working with the port to attract distribution-related operations pursuant to a strategy similar to that of Savannah and other major container-port regions.
“North Carolina Ports is excited to welcome a proven warehouse and logistics provider to the Cape Fear Region,” said Cliff Pyron, account executive for economic development at the North Carolina State Ports Authority. “From pick-and-pack to inventory management services, BlueArrow’s presence in the region will greatly benefit our current customers and assist in additional business recruitment.”
BlueArrow’s selection of Cape Fear Industrial Center resulted from a collaborative effort by WBD, the Ports and North Carolina’s Southeast. “We came in contact with this growing company earlier this year on a recruitment mission to New Jersey,” said Steve Yost, president and CEO of NC’s Southeast. “The more we learned about BlueArrow and their strategic goals the more we realized how well they would fit into our regional distribution cluster.” Cooperative marketing is part of the micro-region strategy North Carolina’s Southeast has executed in recent years with local economic development partners in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties.
BlueArrow will operate out of 100,000 sq.-ft. of space at the Cape Fear Industrial Complex. The facility has also been used by film companies for prop storage and as interior studio space. The 80-acre property features barge access to the Northeast Cape Fear River and is a 10-minute drive from 1-40.
“We’re looking forward to having BlueArrow here,” said David Barnes, co-owner and manager of Rocky Point Ventures LLC, which owns Cape Fear Industrial Complex. BlueArrow will be the largest single tenant at the property. “We hope their business expands and they find their future here,” Barnes said.
Founded in 1956, Wilmington Business Development oversees business recruitment and industrial retention for the City of Wilmington, New Hanover County and Pender County. A private, non-profit organization, WBD supports members, partners and allies through an array of technical expertise, leadership resources and value-added business services. For additional information, visit www.wilmingtonbusinessdevelopment.com
A public-private partnership headquartered in Elizabethtown, N.C., North Carolina’s Southeast links business leaders with county governments in seeking to “provide strong economic development leadership in southeastern North Carolina through innovative marketing and collaborative regional initiatives that will support the creation of new jobs, generate capital investment and secure new business locations.” Member counties include Anson, Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Hoke, Lenoir, Montgomery, New Hanover, Moore, Onslow, Pender, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland and Wayne. For additional information, visit www.ncse.org
Contacts:
Steve Yost, NC’s Southeast Scott Satterfield, WBD
910-991-5689 910-763-8414 x1
[email protected] [email protected]
