On what was once waste ground in the Town of Tonawanda, FedEx Trade Networks unveiled its new local office on Tuesday. While adding 100 jobs, the company consolidated a series of offices in Riverview Solar Technology Park.
For FedEx, this was a big deal with executives coming in from across the company including founder and CEO Fred Smith.
This isn't a warehouse complex like the one the company may build in Hamburg. Instead, it's for management of freight forwarding and Customs brokerage on a site along the border with Canada.
It's also a major addition to TM Montante's business park, planned to make maximum use of solar power and energy saving technology, shown by a giant wall of solar panels on the FedEx site.
"We've just adapted over time and kind of gone with the waves of commerce and today FedEx has a very broad portfolio of operations," said founder Fred Smith.
"FedEx Trade Networks is a very important part of those portfolio of services and that's why we're up here today, to show how important it is."
The solar panel will produce 150 kilowatts and is specially designed to let light through and into the windows of the building. There is also technology inside to use half the water an office building of this size usually would and lots of underground tech outside to limit runoff.
TM Montante plans more buildings in the complex, just off River Road.
