Ballard Pacific Chooses Savannah for East Coast Distribution

Ballard Pacific Resources, the primary distributor of Hyper Bicycles, has chosen the Port of Savannah as its gateway to the U.S. Southeast.

“Better global connections, near-port distribution centers and reduced inland transit costs are important factors bringing new business to Georgia,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz. “The Port of Savannah is strategically located to reach 44 percent of the U.S. population or 138 million consumers.”

Ballard Pacific’s Savannah operation will serve major retail markets across the Southeast.

“Shorter transit times and lower costs through the Port of Savannah mean that we can better support our existing business, while extending our reach to new customers,” said Clay Goldsmid, president of Hyper Bicycles, Inc. “These factors made Savannah the obvious choice for our new East Coast operation.”

Goldsmid said the quality of Savannah’s private third-party logistics market was another deciding factor. The Port of Savannah forms a distribution center hub, with more than 4 million square feet of local warehouse space available, with an occupancy rate greater than 88 percent. There are 102 distribution centers across Georgia that are 500,000 square feet or larger.

Hyper has selected Matson Logistics to assist in managing its expanded transportation and distribution network. Matson is a leading provider of multimodal transportation, warehousing, and distribution services throughout North America.

“Matson will be a valued partner in our continued growth,” Goldsmid said.

A former BMX pro, Goldsmid established Hyper Bicycles in 1990, initially producing high-end BMX Racing frames and components.  While Hyper has maintained its position as a leader in BMX, the company has branched out into the mass market and into specialty sporting goods, offering BMX, mountain bikes and other products to a broad audience of consumers. The company maintains a design team on the East Coast, a marketing arm in California and a high-tech logistics operation in Missouri.