Voyles says the space could be occupied by a diverse range of tenants. "It could be anything from a large aggregator that wants to set up a regional or hub facility, to an independent operator or freight forwarder that is looking for an opportunity to grow their business on the transportation side," Voyles says. "The more that the project began to look like a reality, the greater the interest has been. Everyone is waiting to see if this thing materializes."

Voyles says the Rockford airport is within 300 miles of Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Minnesota and Indianapolis, making it ideally situated for receiving and dispensing time-sensitive air cargo to those markets. Voyles says the area also offers the advantage of congestion-free transportation once cargo is off the plane. "If you unload around Chicago, once you get back on the interstate, you're moving at 15 miles an hour," Voyles says. "Within five miles of the Rockford facility, you're going to be at 55 miles an hour moving. You're not going to be paying to sit in traffic." Additionally aiding rapid transit of goods, Voyles says four railways travel through the area, and cargo clears through customs within two days at Rockford, as compared to an average of three days at O'Hare.

CB Richard Ellis is marketing the facility, which is being constructed by Leopardo Construction, of Hoffman Estates. "Depending on how you look at the numbers, our airport is between the 19th and 22nd largest air cargo airport in the country," Voyles says. "The ability to continue to grow into that air cargo, whether it's package or heavy freight, is very, very strong."