Development News From Southwest Indiana

Consultants update port board on strategic study
By Kevin Koelling, Managing Editor, Perry County News, June 15, 2005

TELL CITY - "You're offering total, to-the-door rates. That's what customers want. Keep it simple - don't make me get three different prices after it lands," Ron Coles urged at a meeting of the Perry County Port Authority.

He and Bob English, both representing W.R. Coles and Associates of Nashville, Tenn., were briefing the port authority's board of directors on work they've done so far in conducting a strategic marketing study. Coles commended them on the flexibility of their port-rail capabilities, but English reminded them, "because you're a riverport, everything doesn't have to move by river; it can be truck or rail." He said the study will show the port officials how to capitalize on all of their opportunities.

"We're well into our work and research," Coles said, explaining he expects the research portion of their study to be half-completed by the end of the month.

The study is examining existing and potential markets and customers and national trends in the transportation of pig iron and other products.

"You have plenty of competitors, especially going west," Coles told the board.

English is based in the Owensboro office of the port and economic-development planning, engineering and business-consulting company. He said he is researching many other area counties and spending a lot of time with local and regional economic-development officials.

He said port marketing "is seldom an overnight success. It's long-term and long-range, and you have to lay the groundwork over and over. To do proper marketing may take more personnel than you have now," he told port-authority vice president and Chief Executive Officer Dick Neumann. "It's hard to be a port director and do marketing at the same time."

Coles said the riverport's existence is a benefit to this community - because it helps entice jobs to the area - that isn't reflected in the port authority's bottom line.

He hopes to have study results available in time for the board's annual planning retreat in August.

In other business, Neumann reported June is shaping up to be a busy month for barges transiting the port, with up to 15 expected. "Rail continues to be mediocre - not strong, not poor but nothing to write home about," he said.

In other business, Neumann said efforts to secure planning-grant money toward the improvement of River Road have faltered.

"Everyone seems to want to help with construction, but there's no money for planning because there's no connection between the road and new jobs," Neumann said. The board voted previously to improve the long-neglected River Road between the Tell City Port and an area of Indiana 66 near the Patio Steakhouse to divert truck traffic from other Tell City streets.

"I feel we need to continue trying to get the planning done," Neumann said. "I want to include something about the greenway, if that comes to pass."

A local committee is working to launch its own planning effort for the development of a riverfront recreation path, and may be able to use abandoned rail line between Tell City and Cannelton for a portion of it.

Board members voted to go ahead with the road-improvement planning effort at the port authority's expense, and authorized Neumann to issue a request for qualifications.

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