INRD, Venture Logistics inaugurate intermodal warehouse
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
The Indiana Rail Road (INRD) and Venture Logistics on Aug. 24, 2016 officially opened the new Venture Rail Warehouse, decribed as “the first rail-served mega-warehouse constructed in Marion County in decades.”
The 406,000-square-foot facility, located on Indianapolis’ south side at 1102 W. Hanna Ave., “represents a new era in central Indiana logistics,” INRD said. INRD is the exclusive rail service provider for the facility, which features 15 indoor railcar spots, 58 truck dock doors, a 32-foot clear ceiling, 8-inch cement floors, and is food grade. Venture Rail Warehouse is one mile from Interstate 465, and with more than a dozen interstates and four-lane highways radiating from Indianapolis, more than 80% of the U.S. population is within a day’s truck drive of the facility. Venture Logistics’ fleet consists of 1,000 truck tractors and 2,500 trailers.
Venture Logistics and INRD officials said the new warehouse is “a game-changer in the logistics landscape because the current rail-served warehouse inventory in central Indiana consists of smaller buildings with low ceilings. Our companies also will offer a variety of value-added services, including multiple rail switches per day based on volume, and state-of-the art warehouse management and inventory systems.”
Contingent upon the success of the first facility, adjacent land has been secured for a second rail-served warehouse that official said could exceed 500,000 square feet.
“With our fast and efficient connections to the North American rail network, and Venture’s deep bench of trucking industry experience, the warehouse is garnering a lot of attention from companies interested in the combined efficiencies of long-haul rail and regional trucking,” said INRD President and CEO Peter Mills. “We’re excited to have this partnership with another Indiana-based company that, like INRD, has a reputation for superior customer service and an entrepreneurial mindset.”
“Venture Logistics and Indiana Rail Road have a great mutual respect and appreciation for one another’s ability to serve the customer, and we both have a deep understanding of the marketplace, said Venture Logistics President and CEO Greg Eddy. “The Venture Rail Warehouse has been sorely needed in this market for quite some time.”
Venture Logistics is a privately held ISO-certified trucking and logistics firm with terminal locations in Indianapolis and Lafayette, Ind.; Chicago; Atlanta; St. Louis; Laredo, Tex.; Nashville, and Spartanburg, S.C. INRD is a privately held, 250-mile Class II (regional) that serves central and southwest Indiana, and eastern Illinois. INRD connects to the North American rail network via Chicago, Indianapolis and Newton, Ill.
