"Not only will IDI provide tenants the Class-A space that we're known for in the industry, [but] we will also be able to offer them FTZ benefits that reduce the cost of doing business," he remarks. FTZs save companies money by eliminating customs duties, government excise taxes and import quotas. for products or components shipped into the zone. Businesses assemble the components in the duty-free zones, then ship out completed products. There are also no duties on completed products that are intended for export.

Located less than a mile from interstates 40 and 55 and between the Union Pacific and BNSF railroad lines, the IDI project is slated to have eight buildings totaling 5.2 million-sf of warehouse and distribution space when completed in about 10 years. It will offer flexible build-to-suit and inventory space options in buildings from 311,000 sf to 1.2 million sf. The park has one pad-ready site of 453,600 sf, which can be expanded to accommodate a facility of up to 900,000 sf.

In general, West Memphis takes an aggressive stance toward attracting new industrial development, says Nelson, pointing out that tax and utility rates are significantly lower than adjacent counties in both Arkansas and Tennessee. Land costs are also lower than across the Mississippi River in Memphis, he adds. Last year the city launched a full-scale campaign, "Turn to West Memphis, Arkansas," to lure logistics and distribution developers and businesses. Conceived by the city's director of economic development Ward Wimbish, the effort focuses on direct mailings to industrial site consultants and executives that underscore both local government programs to reduce business costs and the city's strategic location.