Millions of dollars worth of things like iron ore, coal and grain are shipped in and out of the port of Toledo on freighters every year. And while 2009 was a down year, the numbers are heading back up. Joe Cappel, director of cargo development, says, "The port is up about 20 percent from this time last year and it's mainly due to the increases in the export of coal and inbound iron ore, and those are leading indicators the economy is turning around."
The amount of international cargo coming to Toledo was way down last year. That has since changed and that means more jobs. Often times they are brining in overseas cargo and them loading grain for export; more ships mean more trucks and rail activity at the port and more longshoremen moving material within the port.
Paul Toth of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority says, "We've gone from a weak dollar to a strong dollar and back to weaker so we see our export business balance out on our import business. This year the import side was stronger but the way we're set up bodes well for Toledo. We have a nice balance of import/export."
There have also been new construction jobs at the port. "All summer long we've been preparing the infrastructure, the roads, and the railways and acquiring new handling equipment which will allow us to operate more efficiently. So all those projects generate significant jobs and economic impact."
The port is getting ready to go through an economic impact study that will spell out just how many jobs are connected to the port and how much of an economic impact the port has on the community. The last study put the numbers at about a thousand jobs with several hundred million in economic impact. Port leaders think those numbers were conservative. The new numbers are expected next summer.
And there's also good news when it comes to cargo moving through Toledo Express. That number is up about 5 percent when compared with the same time last year. There are weekly cargo flights from Toledo to Dubai and Sydney, Australia, as well as dozens of domestic cargo flights every day.
