Officials from state and local government agencies, local businesses and developers joined Gov. Spencer Cox to celebrate the recent opening of an 820-acre sustainable industrial park in Cedar City. Industrial steel company BZI hosted the event that marked the beginning of Commerce Crossroads and the grand opening of its first tenant, transloading company RailSync.
In addition to Cox, members of the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) board joined in the event.
Addressing the crowd, Cox stressed that the Aug. 22 event marked a significant milestone for the state and illustrated progress toward efforts to{mprestriction ids="1,3"} support a cohesive “OneUtah” and the economic health of rural communities.
“Utah businesses and communities bring differentiated contributions to the rest of our country and world. Commerce Crossroads, and its collaborative partnerships with our state’s business, economic and governmental leaders, will help raise global awareness about the premier offerings of Utah and attract new economic opportunities to our state and citizens,” said Cox.
Commerce Crossroads and UIPA have partnered to establish the first rural inland port in the state of Utah. This hub will serve as a component of the Iron Springs Project Area and will be the site of the new BZI headquarters, scheduled to break ground in 2024. Commerce Crossroads is one of BZI’s affiliated companies.
The UIPA echoed the governor’s comments and underscored that the groundbreaking of the industrial park is further evidence that the UIPA’s vision for its Iron Springs Project Area is coming to fruition.
“Our partnership with Commerce Crossroads ensures that the vision of our Iron Springs Project Area is coming to life quickly,” said Ben Hart, executive director of the UIPA. “We are committed to facilitating a positive generational economic impact in Southern Utah. Today’s groundbreaking signifies that many great opportunities and growth will be created for our state and region. We are excited to see RailSync begin a logistics paradigm shift in Southwestern Utah, and we look forward to continuing our efforts with Commerce Crossroads, as they play a key role in the development of this facility and associated businesses.”
The Commerce Crossroads industrial park will initially include office buildings, on-site products and services to construct tailored processing facilities for customers. The company anticipates technology, construction material manufacturing, data centers, e-commerce and distribution centers, as well as office space and residential housing.
“It is extremely rewarding to collaborate with fellow business leaders and organizations who are contributing to the future of vibrant and sustainable growth in the Southern Utah region,” said Ryan Obray, chief operating officer of Commerce Crossroads.
According to the company, the exclusive and sustainable offerings available at Commerce Crossroads will improve the transportation of raw materials and allow for more effective and efficient processing of goods and products for global companies.
“Additionally, companies in the region will now experience improved access to a worldwide shipping network. We anticipate additional jobs and new dynamic commerce opportunities will also be generated in the area,” said Obray.
The first tenant of Commerce Crossroads, transloading service RailSync, will provide integrated short-line rail service to individual businesses and eventually to future Commerce Crossroads tenant facilities.
“We are excited to highlight that RailSync is operating and open for business,” said Guy Nielsen, chief operating officer of RailSync. “We began delivering product on July 5 and are already hearing from customers that they are thrilled to have a more accessible, sustainable and streamlined delivery option for raw materials.”{/mprestriction}
