June 2007

Kansas City SmartPort E-News

KC’s National Academy of Railroad Sciences

Preparing the future workforce is an important part of the Kansas City region’s influence as a national logistics industry leader. For the railroad sector, Kansas City is home to the National Academy of Railroad Sciences.

An outgrowth of the BNSF Technical Training Center, The National Academy of Railroad Sciences (NARS) was founded in 1988. Today NARS is a recognized leader in the preparation, certification and continuing education of railroad professionals across the United States. Its primary facilities are centrally located on the campus of Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas.

The Academy brings comprehensive railroad training to individuals seeking to become an employee of a Class-I or short line railroad, as well as those who work around or with railroad facilities as part of their job in another industry. The Academy's affiliation with an accredited community college makes it possible for NARS students to earn an Associate of Arts degree, creating a potential path to a Bachelor's degree or other educational opportunities.

The extensive capabilities of NARS also can serve as a starting point for developing customized training programs for specific rail lines or companies with specialized rail transportation activities.

For more information, please visit NARS.

KC SmartPort in the News

KC SmartPort was recently featured in two of the logistics industry’s most well-read and influential publications.

Inbound Logistics identified KC as one of 16 U.S. sites that is becoming a key distribution destination for logistics minded companies.

And according to World Trade magazine, “Although relatively new to the scene…Kansas City’s SmartPort is going after international trade that’s coming in from Asia and destined for consumer bases in the nation’s interior. And, the advantage of serving multiple corridors with a variety of transportation modes is again a huge selling point.”


Highway Watch®

More than 600,000 transportation professionals nationwide have received the American Trucking Association’s Highway Watch anti-terrorism and safety training. This has resulted in more than 8,000 reports to the Highway Watch hotline ranging from stranded vehicles to tips on potential terrorist plots. The 10-year-old program trains the entire surface transportation sector from truck drivers to law enforcement personnel. For more information, contact Gary Davenport with the Kansas Motor Carriers Association at 785.267.1641 or Ross Nichols with the Missouri Motor Carriers Association at 573.634.3388.

KC SmartPort's Trade Data Exchange

Visibility is the most recent buzzword in the supply chain industry. Visibility means knowing where your freight is in real time anywhere along the supply chain - from purchase order to final delivery.  This can be a challenge in today's fragmented supply chain where multiple carriers, third party logistics providers and others touch and move freight.  Beginning in early 2008, SmartPort's Trade Data Exchange (TDE) will provide this level of visibility.  The phrase "enter the data once, use it multiple times," will become reality. 

For more information on this exciting project please contact Chris Gutierrez.

Investor Profile: The McAninch Corporation

The McAninch Corporation began in 1967 when Dwayne McAninch built his first farm pond with a D7 dozer. Today, with a fleet of more than 600 Caterpillar machines, McAninch is one of the Midwest’s largest earthmoving, underground utility and site development services contractors.

McAninich specializes in large-scale mobilization of equipment for mass grading work. The company is nationally recognized as one of the most technically advanced earthmoving contractors.

Typical private-sector projects include residential developments, golf courses, shopping centers, office complexes, industrial parks and power plants. In the public sector, McAninch builds highways, airports, and flood-control levies, often in co-bid partnership with other contractors.

Please visit McAninch for more information.