Cordele Intermodal Services, Inc. (CIS) is an asset based 3PL that provides direct rail access exclusively to the Georgia Ports Authority in Savannah, Georgia. Intermodal shipping provides cost savings, traffic mitigation, reductions in CO2 output, and additional operational service offerings to benefit shippers, trucking companies, and steamship lines. CIS is located within a market that includes the SW quadrant of Georgia, the southern half of Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. The CIS facility is located one mile from I-75, a major north-south logistics corridor that passes through Atlanta. They are served by the Heart of Georgia Railroad, with access to both Class I Railroads in the region. (CSX and Norfolk Southern). CIS also has a trucking brokerage and a domestic trucking department in addition to its intermodal container handling division.
History
The concept for a rail centric inland port was introduced by Heart of Georgia Railroad co-owners, Brad Lafevers and Duane Broxterman. Early studies showed a strong potential for economic viability and extensive lobbying and sales efforts commenced. Father and son duo, Brad and Jonathan Lafevers, took the lead in getting the company off the ground. Cordele Intermodal Services incorporated in January, 2010 after twelve years of research and careful market analysis. The company celebrated a ground breaking ceremony in July of that year.
The following year, GDOT funded rail improvements that were essential to operation. On December 1, 2011, Cordele Intermodal Services sent its inaugural train to the Georgia Ports Authority in Savannah. That first train held eight containers.
CIS immediately showed great potential in its first full year of operation. That year, Cordele Intermodal Services experienced tremendous growth. CIS sent 1400 containers to GPA in 2012. A ringing endorsement and proof to the naysayers that CIS had a viable business model.
Cotton and kaolin were the only two commodities shipped in 2012. However, a large peanut exporter came to the table late in the year interested in the service. The massive peanut crop in 2012 left shippers scrambling for truck power. Cordele Intermodal Services was able to fumigate on site and move massive amounts of peanuts to the port for the shipper. A third commodity was added to the list of CIS shippers.
By the summer of 2013 the relationship between CIS and GPA had evolved significantly. It was decided that CIS would be Zone 1 for a project formed by the two entities called "Network Georgia". Network Georgia will be a network of inland ports that all exclusively serve the Georgia Ports Authority in Savannah. Cordele is the flagship terminal and will set the standard for the other 5 zones. In July, 2013 CIS and GPA signed an MOU outlining this mutually beneficial relationship. The event was attended by Governor Nathan Deal and GPA Executive Director, Curtis Foltz.
The forward momentum continued with full force. A fourth shipper, a plastics manufacturer, was added to the CIS roster. Cordele Intermodal Services more than doubled its business in 2013, handling 3,500 containers. Maersk Line, the largest container vessel line that calls Savannah, designated Cordele Intermodal Services an official Container Yard. OOCL, MSC and MOL also added Cordele as a container pool yard. Having these major steamship lines ground containers at the Cordele facility made Cordele Intermodal Services attractive to more shippers.
The future continues to be a bright one at CIS. The company conservatively estimates it will handle more than 6,000 containers in 2014.