The geographical center of the continental United States is a lonely field near the small town of Lebanon, Kansas. By contrast, the shipping and distribution center of the United States these days seems to be Kentucky’s bustling Golden Triangle–Louisville, Lexington and northern Kentucky–the state’s largest metro areas, only 90 minutes apart and tied together by multiple, major interstates.

Who woulda thunk it?

Warehousing and shipping have become specialties in a state better known for Thoroughbred horses and bourbon, and Bluegrass Integrated Communications is right in the thick of it. Our headquarters and warehouse are 1.5 miles from Interstates 75/64 and about 70 miles from the international airports in Louisville and northern Kentucky. Our warehouse’s location ensures faster shipping.

Consider these facts about our region, from the Lane Report and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development:

-UPS’s major air freight hub, Worldport, is located at the Louisville International Airport. UPS is Kentucky’s largest private employer, and 23,000 of its 25,000 Kentucky employees are in Louisville.

-Since UPS located its air freight hub in Louisville, some 250 companies have moved to the region, influenced by the fact doing so was sure to speed up and streamline their shipping.

-DHL Express’s global hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in northern Kentucky is DHL’s largest North American facility.

-Logistics and distribution provides jobs for about 55,000 people in Kentucky.

-Chicago Consulting, a firm that designs supply chains, has said that for the past 20 years, the best place for a company that ships products around the country to build a warehouse is within 100 miles of Louisville.

-Interstates 64, 65 and 71 converge in Louisville. Interstates 64 and 75 converge in Lexington. Interstates 71, 74 and 75 converge in northern Kentucky. Louisville
and northern Kentucky are on the Ohio River.

-Ground transportation will speed up even more, thanks to the opening of a new bridge over the Ohio River in Louisville. The new bridge has six lanes for northbound traffic on I-65. A renovated bridge that used to handle north and southbound traffic is being converted to handle six lanes of southbound traffic.

-Another new bridge across the Ohio River, several miles east of Louisville, will open late this year and will be connected to bypasses that sweep around Louisville and southern Indiana.