Ingram Marine Group, the largest barge operator on inland waterways, announced plans to invest nearly $50 million in the St. Louis region over the next three years. The company shared details of its expansion and sustainability initiatives during the opening session of FreightWeekSTL 2025 on June 2.
Dan Lester, senior vice president of business development at Ingram Infrastructure Group, emphasized the strategic importance of the St. Louis area to the company's operations.
"St. Louis is a key growth area for the infrastructure group. We have eight landside terminals on the Missouri and Illinois sides of the Mississippi River here," Lester said.
Key projects include expanding the Municipal River Terminal north of downtown St. Louis, which will feature one of the largest barge-to-rail direct transfer systems for fertilizer crop nutrients in the Midwest. The company is also rebuilding the Tyler Street terminal to handle export bulk materials more efficiently.
On the Illinois side, Ingram is developing another rail-to-barge facility for grain and grain byproducts. These projects are funded through a combination of private funds and a public BUILD grant.
Lester highlighted Ingram's commitment to sustainability, noting investments in alternative fuels and more efficient equipment. The company anticipates powering its fleet with some percentage of alternative fuel within the next three to five years.
The expansion comes after Ingram's acquisition of SCF in February 2024, which added fleeting and barge maintenance services to its portfolio. The company now employs approximately 200 people in the bi-state area.
Mary Lamie, executive vice president of Multimodal Enterprises for Bi-State Development, welcomed Ingram's investment plans.
"It's great to hear that Ingram is already seeing the advantages of operating within the most efficient inland port in the nation and planning additional investments to strengthen its presence here in the St. Louis region," Lamie said.
Lester also noted the potential for growth due to the reshoring of manufacturing to North America, highlighting the St. Louis region's strategic location and multimodal connectivity as key advantages for future expansion.
