By Leo Quigley, AJOTPORT OF STOCKTON: ON A ROLLWhile other West Coast ports may be suffering from the economic malaise that has hit the US, or from environmental issues that are slowing growth, the Port of Stockton is on a roll. With new business lined up at the gate, an expanded transportation infrastructure to service customers at Rough and Ready Island, a recently approved $3.4 million contribution towards dredging by the House of Representatives and a strong bottom line, there’s lots of optimism at America’s second largest inland port. Located about 75 nautical miles inland from San Francisco Bay, Stockton – once called Mud City – is a designated Free Trade Zone. In 2000 the port acquired a large piece of land that was the US Navy’s Stockton Ordnance Deport, located on Rough and Ready Island, which came complete with extensive warehousing and transportation facilities. One of the reasons the deep water Port of Stockton is doing so well, according to Bill Lewicki, Director of Marketing, is growth in the amount of building materials being handled. Last year 6,587,289 tons of cargo moved through the port. “We shipped 2.5 million tons of cement last year,” Lewicki said, “and we expect to be about the same (this year).” As well, the port recently signed a deal with US Gypsum that will be breaking ground for their new Stockton plant in early 2008. The new plant, scheduled to go on stream in 2010, will replace two of US Gypsum’s older, higher-cost, wallboard plants, and at one billion square feet annually will be the world’s largest. The Stockton location was selected because of its proximity to West Coast markets and the port’s vision for the development of its facility. During announcement ceremonies, Michael Locke, Chief Executive of the San Joaquin Partnership said that upon hearing the news, two additional companies have since made inquiries about locating at the port, saying, “If US Gypsum’s there, why aren’t we?” At present, the largest commodity shipped through the port is cement, which represents nearly two million tons annually. As well, steel products have reached about 68 million tons and bagged rice to Japan and New Guinea adds about 200 million tons. The port also handles bulk and liquid bulk products. This year the port celebrated the export of its one-millionth ton of bagged rice. In addition to US Gypsum’s plan to locate a plant at Stockton, Pacific Ethanol has also announced that they will be building a new facility at the port that will use corn as the primary feedstock. The 600 million gallon/year plant will require three or four 100-car unit cars of corn monthly to feed the facility, and 35 trains annually, to deliver the ethanol to regional distributors. Lewicki also said “several companies” are also planning to build new biodiesel facilities at the port. The port is also getting involved in a new core business with the construction of a $30 million, 220,000 square foot near-dock cold storage facility on port property. Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new, highly computerized facility owned by M&L Commodities were held recently. “One of the things we’re excited about,” Lewicki said, “is the fact that they’ve developed a new patented process for recycling fumigants. Here in California that’s a hot topic right now. There’s a lot of concern about air quality.” Another growth area for the port has been project cargo, due to the number of new biofuels plants and retrofittings in the energy sector. “Right now we’re also seeing a lot more interest in large windmills,” Lewicki said. “A lot of the units that are coming in now are actually replacement units for existing towers. “The towers that are now being built are of such a nature and size that they’re replacing two, three or four of the current ones that are on the windmill farms.” As well, Lowe’s has constructed a new lay-down distribution center at the port and Ferguson Pipe & Supply, the largest plumbing supply company in the US, recently added a new 650,000