Several members of his executive team began with the company more than two decades ago—Controller Sandra Duncan, for example, and IT Director Adam Zawacki, a Georgia Tech industrial engineer grad who spearheads constant evaluations of fulfillment processes, looking for ways to improve efficiencies and reduce costs. Kalinowski puts a high premium on All Points’ tech stack, believing it is a vital key to logistics success. “If you’ve been in business 30 years,” he says, “you have to stay on the cutting edge of technology— or you’re not going to be in business.” Those two keys—technology and workforce—make Georgia an ideal logistics home, Kalinowski believes, citing the outstanding logistics degree programs offered by the state’s colleges and universities. All Points hires many graduates of Georgia Tech, “which is in All Points’ backyard,” he says. BUILDING ON LOGISTICS ADVANTAGES “Think about both the culture and tremendous education resources for logistics in Georgia,” Kalinowski says. “Not only that, think of all the trade shows and economic forums, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and how they all work in unison for the logistics hub that Atlanta has become. “These are efforts that start at the governor’s level and work their way down to the local level,” he adds. “It’s no mistake that Atlanta has the largest airport, the most trafficked in the world, and that UPS is located here.” Additionally, he says, “Georgia’s miles and miles of actual freeway help us with time to market. All these things—from the support of the governor’s office to the logistics infrastructure and economic forums—work together to perpetuate Georgia’s logistics advantage. It has taken off to the point it’s hard for other regions to catch up to what we have here.” Since he landed All Points’ first major contract with Coca-Cola shortly after he opened the company—leading to a contract to distribute some $80-to- $100 million of Olympic pins for the 1996 Summer Olympic games held in
Port of Brunswick. (Photo courtesy of the Georgia Ports Authority)
Across every category, Georgia’s advantages as a logistics hub can be quantified with eye-popping numbers. Here are a few: 1. Georgia has a labor force of 5.3 million , with an especially strong talent pool in transportation and material moving. 2. The state’s logistics sector is powered by more than 15,000 logistics establishments employing more than 181,000 people in direct logistics industry jobs. 3. The University System of Georgia is made up of 26 higher education institutions , of which 25 offer concentrations and degrees in logistics and supply chain. 4. Georgia has 327 public and private airports , including 105 public-use airports . Two international airports—Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta and Savannah/Hilton Head—and nine of the top 10 cargo airlines in the world call Georgia home. 5. The state has 1,244 miles of interstate highways , 81,829 miles of country roads , 19,095 miles of state highways , and 13,731 miles of city streets . 6. With more than 4,600 miles of active rail lines , Georgia has the largest rail network in the Southeast. The railroad system in Georgia includes 28 freight railroads , including two Class I railroads—Norfolk Southern and CSX. Georgia provides direct rail access to the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Midwest regions of the United States. 7. Georgia’s two deep-water ports in Savannah and Brunswick, together with inland terminals in Chatsworth, Bainbridge, and Columbus, are gateways to the world. Sitting on 85 acres at the Port of Savannah, Mason Mega Rail is the largest on-terminal intermodal facility in North America. Sources: Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, University System of Georgia, Georgia Department of Transportation, Electric Cities of Georgia (ECG) Office of Economic and Community Development, Georgia Ports Authority. GEORGIA LOGISTICS: 7 STUNNING STATS
March 2024 • Inbound Logistics 41
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