BNSF: $3 billion in 2018 economic development

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
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With an investment of $35 million, the Dolese Bros. Co White Eagle sand facility can now produce more than 1,000 tons of concrete sand per hour and can load railcars at more than 3,000 tons per hour. With a loop track capacity for 123 cars, the facility can currently load a 93-car unit train in under four hours.

Investments from customers served by BNSF totaled nearly $3 billion in 2018, a figure that reflects several large investments by customers including Kubota Tractor Corp., WinChill, Dolese Bros. Co., and Dakota Plains. These investments, which BNSF said are expected to generate approximately 1,400 new jobs in local communities, marks the eighth consecutive year that BNSF customers and local economic development organizations have invested more than $1 billion in a calendar year for new or expanded facilities.

“Customer investments of this scale emphasize how our rail network can be an integral part of a creative transportation solution for a wide variety of businesses and industries,” said Colby Tanner, Assistant Vice President Economic Development. “BNSF works tirelessly to help make locating on or near rail a quick and painless process.”

In 2018, new developments supported a wide variety of commodities including agriculture, consumer products, frozen meat, sand, aggregates and paper in more than 100 communities across the BNSF network. Highlights of supply chain solutions BNSF helped its customers achieve in 2018 include:

  • Kubota Tractor Corp.: Expanding its Logistics Park Kansas City facility, Kubota increased the number of employees at the facility by more than 150 and invested about $87 million to add one million square feet to the existing distribution center.
  • Dakota Plains: Located in Napa Junction, S.Dak., the new corn shuttle facility created eight new jobs in 2018 and accounts for $40 million in capital investment. Expansion discussions are already under way.
  • WinChill: The 326,000-square-foot cold storage facility located at Sioux Falls Foundation Park (a BNSF Certified Site located in Sioux Falls, S.Dak.) brought 105 new jobs to Sioux Falls and a $67 million investment.
  • Dolese Bros. Co: With an investment of $35 million, the White Eagle sand facility can now produce more than 1,000 tons of concrete sand per hour and can load railcars at more than 3,000 tons per hour. With a loop track capacity for 123 cars, the facility can currently load a 93-car unit train in under four hours.
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