A New Top 10 List: The growing portfolio of BNSF Certified Sites helps customers and communities bridge the gaps

Anyone who has ever worked on developing a site or facility project knows first-hand how time intensive it can be. Establishing transportation and distribution solutions that are customized to your business isn’t always easy, and that’s why BNSF Railway looks to partner with its customers to help select the best solution that meets their needs.

“We believe in collaborating with our customers to proactively develop products that enhance and improve their supply chains,” says Colby Tanner, assistant vice president, economic development, for BNSF.

He should know. In a career that spans state economic development, location advisory and and site selection for Walmart and Sam’s Club, he’s seen all sides. At one point during his time with the Arkansas-based retailer, his team was looking for a distribution center location on the outskirts of Kansas City.

“We reviewed the site, and one of the biggest reasons we ended up not choosing it was the timing was off between us and the railroad. In other areas you came across the same thing time and time again — cities had sites they’d earmarked for industrial development, but had made no progress in getting it entitled, permitted and prepared.”

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