News Article | 3/30/2009

Alliance Lands A Large One: 300,000 SF Logistics Deal

FORT WORTH – The Alliance project in Fort Worth has gained a significant tenant at its Global Logistics Hub, according to the Hillwood firm, the developer of the 17,000-acre Alliance project.

It is the first deal Hillwood has completed its newly created Alliance Heavy-Load Container Area that will provide the most comprehensive services in the country to handle heavyweight containers at an inland port. Alliance Brokers Inc., an affiliate of Trans-Trade, has leased 292,500 sf in Hillwood’s Alliance Westport 20 building at the Alliance Global Logistics Hub. In the new facility, Alliance Brokers will provide its customers with a wide array of logistics services, including an expertise in transporting heavy-load containers.

Recently established private roads, between the Alliance Heavy-Load Container Area and the nearby BNSF Intermodal Facility, will allow for heavier loads than on public roads, which are subject to weight restrictions. This allows companies to put more of their product into one container, which will save approximately 20-30% on transportation costs and add efficiencies through using fewer containers. Once at the new facility, inbound goods are broken down into smaller, less heavy loads and placed into trucks or rail containers to be transported to other distribution centers or retail outlets. Outbound goods arrive in multiple trucks or containers then are combined into one container for shipment.

“An outstanding team has come together to create one of the most comprehensive inland port heavy-load container centers in the country,” said Mike Berry, president of Hillwood Properties, the developer and manager of the Alliance Global Logistics Hub. “Alliance Brokers, the city of Fort Worth, Alliance Operating Services, BNSF Railway and Hillwood have combined to provide all of the services necessary to provide customers with a more efficient and cost effective way to transport heavy loads, including tile, paper, bottled drinks and agricultural products, such as grain and cotton.”

Some of the unique services that will be offered in the new facility include Foreign Trade Zone expertise that will be provided by Alliance Operating Services, as well as a Centralized Examination Station, which is a high-security, bonded location for U.S. Customs officers to inspect selected import and export shipments. Alliance Brokers also will provide a variety of services, including heavy-load container drayage from the intermodal facility. The Alliance Heavy-Load Container Area is located within Alliance Foreign-Trade Zone #196.

“Alliance Brokers already has seen great interest from shippers who are interested in the new heavy-load container service we can provide at our new facility at Alliance,” said Bruce Galbraith, CEO of Alliance Brokers.

Some areas of the country allow heavy-load containers on public roads with a special permit, which can result in delays and additional costs. No permit is necessary at the Alliance Global Logistics Hub Heavy-Load Container Area, because the roads are private.

“This new facility provides Alliance Brokers with a distinct advantage in handling heavy-load containers for companies in this region,” said Tony Creme, vice president of Hillwood Properties. “They recognized this opportunity more than year ago. Hillwood is excited to have Alliance Brokers as the first company to locate in this new area and capitalize on the advantages it has to offer.”

The Alliance Global Logistics Hub Heavy-Load Area is adjacent to the Alliance BNSF Intermodal Facility, which already is one of the railroad’s largest intermodal hubs. BNSF recently completed major improvements that included new entry and exit gates, close to nine miles of new track and two new bridges. The facility, which currently handles more than half a million containers per year, will now be able to accommodate 1 million containers annually.

The Alliance Foreign-Trade Zone #196 ranks No. 1 among U.S. general purpose Foreign-Trade Zones in foreign merchandise admitted to the zone, with more than $4 billion in products per year.

Located in Fort Worth at the southwest corner of Intermodal Parkway and F.M. 156, the 562,500 sf Alliance Westport 20 building was completed at the end of last year. It is part of a package of five speculative buildings totaling 1.8 million sf that Hillwood completed at the Alliance Global Logistics Hub between 2007 and 2008.

The Alliance Global Logistics Hub is part of the 17,000-acre AllianceTexas development, which houses 200 companies, 29 million square feet and 28,000 employees. In addition to the Alliance Global Logistics Hub, the development includes the Monterra Village apartment home community, Alliance Town Center, the corporate campuses and golf courses of Circle T Ranch, and the Heritage and Saratoga residential communities. More than 60 companies at AllianceTexas are ranked on the Fortune 500, Global 500 or Forbes List of Top Private Firms.

Alliance Brokers, Inc. is a subsidiary of Trans-Trade. Since it was founded in 1984, Trans-Trade (http://www.transtrade.com/) has earned an excellent reputation for developing innovative customized global logistics solutions for a variety of clients. In addition to its export and import capabilities, Trans-Trade also features a variety of domestic services as well as warehousing and fulfillment.

Hillwood, (www.hillwood.com) a Perot company, is ranked as one of the top commercial real estate developers in the country and the top residential developer in Dallas-Fort Worth.