Why the Great Lakes Location Lowers Shipping Costs

1. Market Proximity: Heart of North America's industrial/agricultural core; 100M+ consumers within 500 miles.
2. Waterway Network: Lakes → St. Lawrence Seaway → Atlantic; Chicago Sanitary Canal → Mississippi → Gulf. 2,300+ miles of navigable channels.
3. Deep-Water Ports: Duluth, Toledo, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Hamilton (ON) handle 1,000-ft lakers and ocean-going "salties."
4. Intermodal Hubs: Seamless rail (Class I lines), truck (Interstates), Great Lakes airports.
5. Economic Cluster: Manufacturing, steel, auto, grain, energy industries co-located—dense freight generation.

Water transport moves 1 ton 600+ miles per gallon of fuel—far cheaper than rail or truck.