Representatives from 10 countries and provinces visited the Ports of Indiana – Burns Harbor to learn more about the Region's role in global logistics.
Port Director Ryan McCoy welcomed the delegates, who then went on a tour of the facility on April 23.
Heather Ennis, president and CEO of the Northwest Indiana Forum, offered an overview of the factors in the Region that make it a leader in economic growth.
Burns Harbor has more than 75 acres available for development, including a 34-acre greenfield site that has 1,000 feet of dock wall and Lake Michigan beach frontage.
“Québec is Indiana’s second largest Canadian trading partner, with bilateral trade totaling $3.1 billion USD,” said Jean-François Hould, chief representative for the Government of Québec in the Midwest, in a press release. “Northwest Indiana is strategically positioned within North American trade corridors, as the Ports of Indiana container project and the Gary Chicago International Airport expansion align with major logistics investments in Montréal and Québec City, strengthening globally competitive cross-border supply chains.”
A new sea cargo container hub will connect the greater Chicago region to Europe and Canada. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection approved the project in 2024.
Dan Vicari, executive director of the Gary/Chicago International Airport, discussed the airport's role in making global connections and its foreign trade zone capabilities.
Lisa Daugherty, president & CEO of the Center of Workforce Innovations, was on hand to share workforce development efforts in Northwest Indiana that would support the port's growth.
The Chicago International Trade Commissioners’ Association and the Québec government office in Chicago partnered to bring the tour to the port.
The Ports of Indiana, which was founded in 1961, operates three ports in Indiana.
