C. Reiss Move to Superior Port, Allows for Larger Ships & More Cargo

SUPERIOR, Wis. — A long-standing Duluth company moved over the waters to Superior in hopes to grow their bulk cargo commodities and expend their business.

For the last few weeks, C. Reiss has been operating out of their new facility on Winter Street.

It took nearly $23 million for the company to make this move. Federal funds covered roughly $10 million of the costs, the state pitched in $3 million of the costs, with the rest of the funds coming from C. Reiss and other grants.

The company said that the new port is able to almost double their output versus their previous location. An increase that will benefit both Superior and Duluth, as well as those receiving these bulk imports.

“It’s not only good for Superior, but it’s also good for the Twin Ports,” said Jason Serck, the Planning, Economic Development Department & Port Director for City of Superior. “When we are able to retain a very large client, it just benefits us. It’s a property tax, it’s retaining employees, it’s making things more efficient for the company so that they are able to stay here.”

Each year the company brings in 1.5-2 million tons of bulk cargo through the great lakes from their 5 active ports. Through their Superior Port, C. Reiss moves 500,000-600,000 tons of bulk coal, limestone, and salt into the Twin Ports.

The company said their new terminal in Superior will allow for much bigger ships to come through the harbor.

“The Superior dock is bigger, which have allowed us to put more rail tracks on the dock. The depth of the slope is greater, so we can get more materials on vessels then we were getting in Duluth,” said Keith Haselhoff, the CEO of C. Reiss. “So it just helped us give them a logistic cost reduction by handing it in the Superior docks verses the Duluth docks.”

C. Reiss will continue ownership of their Duluth terminal. The CEO of C. Reiss said that they are open for new partners to work with at their former Duluth terminal.