Kaskaskia Port District Featured On TV Show
The Kaskaskia Regional Port District is being featured on an episode of the television show “World’s Greatest!” on November 2 and November 9. Ranking as the 10th largest inland port in the country with annual tonnage exceeding 1.5 million tons on the Kaskaskia River, the port district was chosen by producers to recognize as one of the “World’s Greatest.”
The Kaskaskia Regional Port District has been a fixture of Red Bud, Ill., for more than half a century and is home to a variety of specialized and dedicated tenants. Producers were looking for something that had a mix of different operations that translate into a good story, and they said they found exactly what they were looking for at the Kaskaskia Regional Port District. The episode is scheduled to air locally on both cable and satellite television.
“World’s Greatest!” is a series on the Ion Television network that takes viewers on a tour around the world, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews to bring interesting people, places and companies into the spotlight. Featuring companies and organizations of all sizes, “World’s Greatest!” prides itself on highlighting the positive and making sure that audiences are able to connect with and understand the companies behind products and services people use every single day.
During the episode, viewers will learn more about three specific tenants that call Kaskaskia Regional Port District home: Gateway FS, Southern Illinois Transfer Company (SITCO) and The Material Works (TMW). The port district features five terminals that provide businesses endless opportunities, with each terminal location having unique capabilities such as river, road and rail access, multiple tenants with operations related to agriculture, steel, scrubber stone and more. Through the use of aerial shots, drone photography inside a warehouse and GoPro camera shots from the bucket of an excavator unloading a barge, viewers will get a close-up look at the activity that occurs daily within the port district and on the river.
Kaskaskia Regional Port District also has a stakeholder group that promotes the river. “Being included in the ‘World’s Greatest!’ TV Show is a wonderful opportunity for Kaskaskia Regional Port District,” said Ed Weilbacher, general manager of the Kaskaskia Regional Port District. “It shows the dynamic nature of the port, the variety of products being handled here and how we serve the community. It is a true asset for the entire region.”
Mary Lamie, executive vice president of Multi-Modal Enterprises at Bi-State Development and head of the St. Louis Regional Freightway, praised the selection of the Kaskaskia Regional Port District for the show. “This is another in a long list of accolades for the diverse ports that make up the St. Louis region’s port system,” Lamie said. “Within the United States, the St. Louis region has become the most efficient inland port system, according to the Corps of Engineers, home to the second and 10th largest inland ports, second highest volume inland water port and the Ag Coast of America. Kaskaskia Regional Port District is an integral part of our region’s port system, and we hope viewers of the show enjoy getting to know more about its operations.”
