FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 4, 2016
Contact:
John Henry
Effingham County IDA
(912)754-3301
jahenry@effinghamcounty.com

Effingham County Industrial Development Authority and

OmniTRAX Launch Public/Private Partnership
SPRINGFIELD, GA: The Effingham County Industrial Development Authority (ECIDA) has announced a
development agreement with OmniTRAX, Inc. to develop its 2,600-acre industrial property near Rincon,
Georgia. The project will allow new industries to locate on premium industrial sites providing dual Class I
rail access.
The site is located twelve miles north of the Port of Savannah and will have direct access to both Norfolk
Southern and CSX main lines. The development is a strategic partnership between the ECIDA and
OmniTRAX to build an economic epicenter that leverages the vibrant energy of the region to create the
East Coasts most outstanding large-scale, industrial, rail, and port served industrial mega park. It will be
configured to accommodate industrial parcels ranging from five acres to over one thousand acres.
This site has the potential of creating thousands of jobs for our community, says Chap Bennett,
Chairman of the ECIDA. It will also have a tremendous impact on our tax digest. The Board of
directors, management, and staff have worked diligently to create a strategic relationship which will
maximize both job creation and digest impact. Weve known for a long time that this development will
create its own gravitational pull for new industry and commercial projects throughout the area. This
announcement takes us one step closer to seeing this as a reality.
Having incomparable power, water, sewer and rail infrastructure located adjacent or on the site makes
it one of the best-served dual-rail mega parks on the eastern seaboard. Transportation infrastructure,
such as a public east/west corridor tying Georgia Highway 21 to the projected Effingham Parkway is
being planned to accommodate traffic generated by the new development. OmniTRAX will be
responsible for all infrastructure development to service the property.
John Henry, CEO of the ECIDA says, Through our partnership with OmniTRAX we will be able to
expedite development of this park in a comprehensive manner, leveraging private capital, marketing,
and resources to bring this development to market years before we would be able to do so with our
current resources.
ECIDA has sought a development partner for the property, formerly known as the Research Forest, for
several years. OmniTRAX was approached in early 2015 to determine interest and the two entities
quickly learned they shared a common development goal for the property and began discussions in mid2015.
The Savannah market is growing rapidly, supported by the fourth busiest port in the nation. This is a
perfect opportunity for OmniTRAX to supply the capabilities and experience gained at our other
industrial development sites to create a world-class business park. Were delighted to be working with

John Henry and his team to bring growth to the region, said Kevin Shuba, Chief Executive Officer of
OmniTRAX.
OmniTRAX has developed a tentative master plan for the development that will allow for several phases
of development and will ultimately provide in excess of 1,800 developed acres of industrial property
including a single user mega site. The company has developed other large scale projects including the
Great Western Industrial Park, a 3,000 acre, dual-rail served development near Denver, CO and GeoTrac
Industrial Hub at the Port of Brownsville, Texas, a 1,400 acre rail served development. They have
successful industrial development and marketing experience, a rarity for rail operators. They currently
service many of the countrys Fortune 500 companies.
The agreement is structured so ECIDA receives cost recovery, does not have to spend additional funds
for infrastructure provision and receives a profit share after investment costs have been returned.
Having this agreement will not only allow us to see full cost recovery on our investment, we will also
reap the benefit of creating new jobs and expanding the tax digest for our community and region much
more quickly than was previously planned. Once the investment costs are recovered we have the
potential to receive a windfall that will allow us to provide even more resources for growing jobs, the tax
base and the quality of life here in Effingham County for years to come, Henry said.
OmniTRAX is one of Americas largest short line railroad holding companies making shipping by train
easy and efficient. OmniTRAX is dedicated to making rail easy; through bundled services including,
terminal and switching, door-to-door container/transloading, processing, fueling, storage and
maintenance.
OmniTRAXs success in rail operations was a real attraction to us, the size and dual-rail nature of this
site is what truly gives it potential to be a stand-alone premium site in the Southeast. We knew in order
to capitalize on the sites potential we had to find a partner that took the rail into consideration. Rail
operators that also develop industrial property are few and far between. Given the success that they
have had in Colorado and elsewhere we found a respect for the company. Rail projects tend to have
fewer trucks than do projects that focus solely on warehousing and distribution. We wanted to be able
to capture those manufacturing and assembly operations that have been looking to the ports and this
region for their operations. Those jobs are typically higher paying and the capital investment is usually
better, Henry added.
About Effingham County Industrial Development Authority
The Effingham County Industrial Development Authority is a governmental Economic Development
Organization created to promote trade and industry in Effingham County, Georgia. For more
information, please visit www.effinghamindustry.com.
About OmniTRAX, Inc.
As one of North Americas largest private railroad and transportation management companies,
OmniTRAX's core capabilities range from providing management services to railroad and port services
and to intermodal and industrial switching operations. Through its affiliation with The Broe Group and
its portfolio of managed companies, OmniTRAX also has the unique capability of offering specialized
industrial development and real estate solutions, both on and off the rail network managed by
OmniTRAX. More information is available at www.omnitrax.com.
About The Broe Group

The Broe Group, based in Denver, Colorado, is a diversified privately-owned enterprise with a multibillion dollar asset base. The Broe Group and its affiliates employ more than 1,000 people directly and
provide employment for countless others through its Great Western Industrial Park in Northern
Colorado. The Broe Group and its affiliates own and/or manage commercial real estate and other
businesses across North America. Its transportation affiliate, OmniTRAX, Inc., is a leading transportation
services firm with railroad, port and terminal operations, and is the 2nd largest operator of short-line
railroads in the U.S. Its energy affiliate, Great Western Oil & Gas Company, is a top 10 driller in Colorado
and among the top 100 drillers in the U.S. The Broe Group has multiple other investment affiliates,
including Three Leaf Ventures, which is focused on innovative healthcare technology start-ups. For more
information, see www.broe.com.