SEMO Industrial Park becomes first in Missouri to earn Platinum site designation
FOX23 News at 9 p.m
SCOTT CITY, Mo. (KBSI) — The SEMO Industrial Park in Scott City is now the first site in Missouri to earn a Platinum designation through the national REDI Sites program.
The 380-acre site received the designation following an independent review by the Site Selectors Guild. The program evaluates factors including utilities, infrastructure, environmental considerations, ownership and logistics.
Lucas Presson, director of business growth and innovation for SEMO REDI, said the designation gives Southeast Missouri another advantage when competing for new industrial projects.
“This gives us another kind of leg up as we’re talking to companies, as we’re talking to site selectors that says, okay, we’ve done the work on this,” Presson said. “This is the first platinum level site in the state of Missouri. It’s actually only the ninth platinum level site in the country that’s been done.”
About 360 acres remain available for development at the park.
Presson said the property is a greenfield site with infrastructure already in place, which allows prospective companies to evaluate the property without starting from scratch on many of the early site-preparation questions.
The park sits next to Interstate 55 and near the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport and Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority. It is being marketed for advanced manufacturing, distribution and other industrial projects.
Amazon became the first company to develop at the park when it opened a 61,000-square-foot last-mile delivery facility in 2025.
Presson said having Amazon already operating at the site helps show other prospective companies that the park can support development.
The industrial park had already earned Missouri Certified Site status before receiving the national Platinum designation.
SEMO REDI is also working on a virtual spec building concept for the property. Presson said the concept would allow prospective companies to see how a facility could fit on the site and better visualize a potential operation before construction begins.
Qualifying projects may also have access to economic development incentives, including a 15-year Chapter 100 property tax abatement structure established by Scott City and state programs such as Missouri Works and Missouri One Start.
Presson also credited developer and co-owner Gregg Erb for the private investment made in the property. Presson said Erb has been a major part of preparing the site for development and has continued investing in the property.
“Our goal from the beginning has been to create an industrial park where companies can move forward with confidence,” Erb said in a news release. “That means investing in infrastructure, completing due diligence and preparing the property before a company arrives.”
The Platinum designation will also place the park in a national database used by site selection professionals evaluating development-ready properties across the country.
