The Kaskaskia Regional Port District appeared on a recent episode of World’s Greatest TV Show, which aired locally on both cable and satellite television 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 an easy choice for producers to recognize as one of the “World’s Greatest.” The Kaskaskia Regional Port District has been a fixture of Red Bud, IL 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.
World’s Greatest TV Show is a national television series that takes viewers on a fast-paced tour around the world, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews to bring the most interesting people, places and companies into the spotlight. Now in its 14th season, the program continues to surprise audiences with quality “edutainment” that entertains while it educates. Featuring companies and organizations of all sizes, including some of the most recognized and respected brands the world has to offer, 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 learned more about three specific tenants that call Kaskaskia Regional Port District home: Gateway FS, Southern Illinois Transfer Co. (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 great aerial shots, drone photography inside a warehouse and GoPro camera shots from the bucket of an excavator unloading a barge, viewers got 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 one-of-a kind stakeholder group which promotes the river to levels unheard of before.
As an award-winning company and one of the world’s greatest port districts due to its diversity, terminals, location, product mix and technology, Kaskaskia Regional Port District is always planning for the future and helping the economy of southwestern Illinois continue to grow with tenants that have successfully brought jobs into the community and region in addition to transferring cargo on the river.
“Being included in the World’s Greatest TV Show was such a wonderful opportunity for Kaskaskia Regional Port District,” says 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 national television show.
“This is another in a long list of accolades for the diverse ports that make up the St. Louis region’s port system,” says Lamie. “Within the United States, the St. Louis region has become the most efficient inland port system, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), home to the second and tenth 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 enjoyed getting to know more about its operations.”
World’s Greatest TV Show Episode 293 can be accessed here.
About St. Louis Regional Freightway
The St. Louis Regional Freightway is a Bi-State Development enterprise formed to create a regional freight district and comprehensive authority for freight operations and opportunities within eight counties in southwestern Illinois and eastern Missouri which comprise the St. Louis metropolitan area.