About Us
Turn-key Finance and Operations Partners for Industrial Rail Shippers and Site Developers
In response to the specific needs of industrial rail shippers and commercial developers, Sitelogx was formed to address private sector market requirements and solutions that differ from the unique public sector advisory practice and services historically provided by Strategic Rail Finance. The result, Sitelogx offers highly focused and verticall integrated high-impact solutions fo freiaght intensive industries.
Our team brings knowledge of multiple transportation modes—rail, trucking, barge, and maritime—to help businesses optimize their supply chains, select optimal project sites and then develop, operate, and maintain those rail facilities. We can assist with planning, procurement, management and operations. We will even purchase-leaseback-operate-maintain existing rail facilities.
Solutions
Sitelogx provides both industrial rail shippers and commercial developers with a comprehensive suite of services and solutions. Beginning with raw land and a partner railroad, we can help developers configure, permit, and execute a rail-served industrial park. For industrial rail shippers, we can provide financial solutions to move specialized rail infrastructure off the balance sheet while professionalizing its sustainment. Today’s shippers and industrial developers require innovative solutions that balance total costs with compromise to performance.
The Sitelogx team is composed of industry experts, possessing extensive experience in rail and cross modal operations, suppy chain optimization, finance and public-private advisory. The team’s successful execution of client projects is extensive, and those case-study briefings are linked directly to core capabilities of Sitelogx.
Solutions
For Rail Shippers
Purchase/Leaseback
Design/Build
Asset and Infrastructure Sustainment
Solutions
For Site Developers
Industrial Park Design and Configuration
Government and Community Engagement and Coordination
Rail partner selection
Most shippers need the big railroads more than the railroads need the shipper. This relationship is highlighted in Precision Scheduled Railroading which is, simultaneously, one of the most financially successful yet non-customer-centric business strategies in recent memory.
Shippers wonder: How can I do business with the railroads? Sitelogx has significant experience working with railroads of all sizes and is able to spot and resolve costly pain points, including demurrage and accessorial resulting from the impact of PSR along with the implementaion of innovative streamlined operating practices and procedures.
For Existing Rail Operations
- Navigating the world of precision scheduled railroading
- Revisting current practices and optimizing performance
For Proposed Rail Operations
- Selecting sites for optimized multimodal supply chain
- Financing and operating your customized rail requirements
Financing and Constructing your Rail Infrastructure Solution
Rail supply chains are vastly different from truck and marine supply chains due to the complex and specialized infrastructure a shipper must maintain “inside the gate.”
How much financial and human capital does your firm want to tie up in non-core operating assets?
If you want to save your capital—both financial and human—for core activities, Sitelogx has an asset-based solution.
What exactly is an asset-based solution?
For existing rail operations, we offer Purchase/Leaseback options to acquire your rail infrastructure and sustain it. Non-core assets are removed from your balance sheet and management of maintenance transfers to our expert team.
For new projects, we offer Design/Build/Operate programs that bring customized, comprehensive solutions —fronted with the expert guidance you need to create reliability — and keep the project financing off your balance sheet.
What we deliver:
- Our “hybrid triple-net” approach merges the financing and sustainment of your rail-based supply chain assets, relieving your staff of the management burden, leveling the sustainment costs, and maintaining the asset’s condition to a guaranteed state.
- Our fixed payment structure captures all rail-based infrastructure costs and helps you track your true rail-based spend as clearly as your trucking spend.
- We finance the infrastructure solution that’s tailored to your evolving needs
The advantages of our Asset-based solutions include
- Sourcing the most competitive cost of funds
- Accelerating return on capital employed by keeping the infrastructure off the balance sheet
- Professionalizing the sustainment of a highly specialized category of assets
What is “Hybrid Triple-Net”
- We treat a P/L solution similar to a lease on a commercial or industrial facility, where a lease is typically net of taxes, insurance, and maintenance (“triple net”)
- Planning maintenance of railroad track is a unique skill, and optimizing this investment often requires a smaller, sustained investment over many years. This is why Sitelogx addresses “sustainment” before “maintenance,” ensuring that asset investment and condition are optimized over the life of a shipper’s agreement
- Sitelogx plans and executes the sustainment program, funding it with a fixed-rate fee that is funded by the shipper alongside the fixed-rate structure of the P/L agreement—thus avoiding lumpy, out-sized maintenance expenses and smoothing the sustainment cash flow over many years
Developing an industrial park from scratch opens up opportunities that might not be found in a brownfield redevelopment project. In some cases, the land can have excellent access to a railroad line, and land values can carry an attractive premium if they are marketable as rail-served. Sometimes, whether brownfield or greenfield, existing rail infrastructure may streamline the access process.
A competitive land basis price is a key measure of value, and adding rail to an industrial park demands finesse to capture extra value without losing it to extra costs. Sitelogx provides the critical expertise.
Investment Partnerships
- Sitelogx finds the right mix of partners —railroads, non-rail operating partners, community development partners, and so forth – who are willing to invest. We work with your goals and interests—timing, investments, community engagement, and ultimately exit strategies.
Coordinating With Connecting Railroads
- Whether your land is adjacent to a big or small railroad, we speak their language. Many good opportunities have only one connecting railroad, and some have multiple—in either case we know how to outline opportunities to the serving railroads.
- We understand the physical limitations of connecting to a railroad and planning future operations, and we mitigate costs by managing build-out standards and phasing.
- Sometimes connecting railroads see value in offering incentives to shippers—when that’s the case, we help shape those packages.
Properties, Road, and Rail Access
- The physical limits of railroads influence the layout of a rail-served park. Maybe a giant loop of track for unit trains isn’t the right answer. Maybe changing the orientation of lots increases rail-servable land sales. And some ideas just aren’t practical for a rail operator. We find the balance.
- Every acre needs to be assigned to a lot, and every lot needs an owner when development is finished. We account for rail operations, general site needs, road access—everything required to develop the park while controlling land basis costs.
Rail Operating Partners Within the Park
- Sometimes the connecting railroad wants to operate within a new development, and sometimes it doesn’t. And it will always have an opinion about whether your site should have a short line or simply an industrial switching operator. We navigate the concerns and competitively source you the best operating partner—who will often become an investment partner.
Economic Development and Public Incentives
- Rail-served parks often attract manufacturers with higher-density employment than basic truck-served warehouses, and communities value those jobs. We negotiate incentive packages with economic development agencies whenever possible to enhance the value of a park.
- The added infrastructure costs of rail service can sometimes be abated by well-structured tax-increment finance districts, and we can collaborate with taxing authorities to set those up whenever feasible.
REPRESENTATIVE TRANSACTIONS
Completed by Sitelogx Principals
Rail Asset Valuation for Port Expansion Project
John Elliott/ Taylor Rich
Developed operations-based asset valuation and substitution strategy for rail facilities acquired to facilitate a port expansion project in New London, Connecticut.
Rail and Terminal Asset Leasing & Financing
John Elliott
Led asset leasing, pooled equipment refinancing, and corporate recapitalization for the New Orleans transloading and warehouse business.
Camp Howze Industrial Rail Park Development
John Elliott / Taylor Rich
Codeveloper of a 380-acre industrial rail park, including $12M in turnkey rail assets and $26M in tax-increment funded infrastructure development.
Southeastern US Site Selection Advisory
Taylor Rich / David Steffens
Rail-served site selection, operational evaluations and alternative analysis relating to new biomass processing, shipping, and export.
Project Flagship Site Selection Advisory
John Elliott / Frank Onimus / Carl Belke
Developed a $775M integrated turnkey rail, road, and port terminal asset development package, with leaseback to a global petrochemical company.
Industrial Rail Park and Transload Planning
John Elliott / David Steffens
Led freight data analysis, infrastructure assessment, and site planning for redevelopment of rail, road, and waterfront assets of a former coal power plant and industrial brownfields.
Industrial Park Rail Investment Advisory
John Elliott
Advised the City of Rochelle on its city-owned industrial rail asset reinvestment strategy, tariff analysis, operation valuation, and concession strategy.
Benefit Cost Analysis and Strategic Advisory
John Elliott / Frank Onimus
Delivered a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis, developed financial models, and developed organizational strategy for the Wilmington Rail Realignment project.
Inland Intermodal Service Business Planning
John Elliott / Taylor Rich / Frank Onimus
Market assessment, shipping line engagement, financial modeling for new intermodal service planning with a Class I railroad. Alternative site selection analysis for a new near-dock intermodal rail terminal.
Let’s Build Something
wmaus@sitelogx.com
230 S. Broad Street, 17th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 701-0060