In May 2020, the Heartland Port Authority of Central Missouri received a market study and business development plan, showing a port would be economical to potential users in a 24-county area.
The study, which was done by Iowa-based Decision Innovation Solutions, found the primary draw would be from Cole, Boone, Callaway, Maries, Miller, Moniteau and Osage counties.
Now the port authority board wants to get out an meet face to face with potential businesses that could be using the port.
At their monthly meeting Thursday, board members discussed how a subcommittee of board members could go out and find what the needs of these customers would be and how committed they would be to using a port facility. They may also look at hiring an outside group if they find they need more help to reach out to businesses.
The group said they would use a condensed version of the DIS study to take with them when they talk with these businesses.
One of the biggest assets the DIS study said the Heartland Port would have is good access to roads such as Interstate 70 and Interstate 44 thanks to U.S. 50, 54 and 63. Trucks would have easy access to bring freight to be shipped out on barges that could follow corridors that would lead to markets in Mexico and Asia.
The DIS analysis showed the flow of truck and rail traffic in Central Missouri is "showing signs of congestion leading to poor freight flows. Barge traffic would be very economical and environmentally friendly for goods to be transported through this area."
DIS talked to a "number of potential users in the 24-county area, and 42 percent of those users responded favorably, saying port access was something they felt they could potentially take advantage of."
The forestry industry could take advantage of the port to export products, as well as agricultural items such as soybeans and wheat, according to the report.
The DIS study estimated 2.1 million bushels of soybean exports could be moved through and soybeans have the highest potential for profitability among agricultural products that would come through the port.
The study also indicated the port could be able to move products via containers.
American Patriot Holdings, based in Miami, has talked with state and local leaders about using a Jefferson City port to ferry goods in containers on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to ports in Kansas City and Louisiana.
At Thursday's meeting, board members said they are continuing to work on plans to develop a port on their primary site which covers about 118 acres along the Missouri River, accessible from No More Victims Road. In 2020, the Legislature and Gov. Mike Parson approved a measure to allow transferring the state-owned land, just east of the Ike Skelton Training Facility, to the port authority for the potential development of a Missouri River port.