Spotlighting Tulsa Ports of Catoosa and Inola

The Northeast Oklahoma Automotive Corridor consists of 11 mega-sites across the region.

All of our mega-sites offer:

• Available land ready for development
• Central locations with quick access to ice-free ports, Class I railroads, major highways, and interstates
• Strong workforce of more than one million highly-skilled future employees.

Tulsa Port of Catoosa

The Tulsa Port of Catoosa is one of the largest inland river ports in the United States, with 71 companies employing over 2,000 Oklahomans. With its greenfield, shovel-ready sites ranging from 5 acres to 60 acres, Catoosa is available for industrial, manufacturing, and transportation development.

Tulsa Port of Inola

The Tulsa Port of Inola is a 2,500-acre rail-served inland port/industrial park.. Although Inola’s first tenant, Sofidel America, occupies 1.8 million square feet of manufacturing and distribution space, Inola has contiguous sites ranging from 40 – 1,500 acres available for industrial, manufacturing and transportation development. 

Talking Tulsa Ports with Andrew Ralston

Andrew Ralston oversees economic development for the Tulsa Ports. When asked about his role in the company, he said, “I primarily work on a combination of industrial and transportation-related recruitment and expansion projects as well as business and infrastructure development related to barge and rail trans-loading and transportation.” We took a moment to discuss Tulsa Ports’ two locations. 

Why target the automotive industry for the Tulsa Ports?

Our two separate inland ports/industrial parks are targeting industries, both directly related and tangential to the automotive and aerospace industries. 

How are the Tulsa Ports locations positioned to support  the automotive industry?

Our two sites have been intentionally planned for different components of the industrial supply chain related to the automotive industry. Tulsa Port of Catoosa is planned for smaller suppliers that need access to rail, barge, and steel processors. We also have begun conceptual design for a unit train capable intermodal facility on our southern acreage to help ship finished products and components. Tulsa Port of Inola is planned for large OEM, battery, and tier-1 suppliers that need more acreage and the flexibility of developing a dedicated manufacturing campus with direct rail service.

How did Lyseon North America Inc. (LNAI) come to the Tulsa Port of Catoosa?

Lyseon was a project brought to the Tulsa Region by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Between a prime existing facility, the access to multi-modal freight options, proximity to their customers, and access to skilled Oklahomans, Tulsa Port of Catoosa was their ideal location. Lyseon plans to begin production in January 2022.

In what capacity will Lyseon serve as a supplier to Tulsa’s Navistar Bus?

Lyseon is supplying stamped steel components to Navistar for its CE Series electric bus. Lyseon is also manufacturing stamped metal battery cases for other electric vehicle suppliers.

What benefits can come from locating  at either port as it relates to the automotive corridor?

Tulsa Port of Catoosa and Tulsa Port of Inola are unique in their highly versatile access to freight transportation modes, as well as their location inside the Tulsa MSA to access the population of over one million people for a skilled workforce. These attributes, combined with other strengths such as the large, contiguous acreage at Tulsa Port of Inola make our organization a great partner for large-scale automotive projects. 

Is there anything you’d like to add, or you want to mention that wasn’t addressed?

Tulsa Ports has been developing publicly-owned industrial property to encourage private investment and job creation for over 50 years. We have the ability to develop all the necessary infrastructure for companies to build and grow in one of our locations. We also support our tenants with ongoing services including workforce development, infrastructure upgrades, security, and transportation services.

For Sale/Lease

Tulsa Port of Catoosa currently has land for lease:

• Industrial park - $5,500 per acre, per year
• Terminal area - $7,500 per acre, per year

Tulsa Port of Inola has land for sale or lease. Send inquiries for either port to andrew@tulsaports.com or call (918) 202-7718