A logistics-minded delegation from the Canadian province of Manitoba concluded a close look at Memphis on Thursday with vows to strengthen the central North American distribution pipeline they share in common

The day-and-a-half-long visit led by the province’s premier, Greg Selinger, came as part of a whirlwind North American fact-finding and relationship-building tour also featuring stops in Mexico, Texas and Illinois. The group of nearly 40 was to head to Joliet, Ill. today before returning to Winnipeg

Manitoba is due north of Memphis, and Canada is Memphis’s largest exporter. Officials both here and in Manitoba are attempting to capitalize on their location at the center of the continent and ability to ship by various methods — cargo, rail, road, air and water — as regions jockey for prominence in an increasingly global economy.

Efforts by Manitoba to become a major trade hub are concentrated on the development of Centrepoint, an intermodal hub in Winnipeg with strengths similar to Memphis. The initiative is less than two years old

“You’ve got the same mix and match in a very unique way,” Tom Schmitt, the Greater Memphis Chamber’s board chairman, told the group at an afternoon roundtable session at the Peabody Hotel.

The designation by experts of Memphis as America’s first true “aerotropolis” has led to a massive, sustained development push by city officials, community organizations and private industry leaders

“The beauty of being an aerotropolis… is (that) you can actually provide a sweet spot to businesses, regardless” of their distribution strategy, Schmitt said.

The Canadian delegation was welcomed on Wednesday evening at a reception held at the Hilton Memphis and hosted by the Chamber. Before Thursday’s roundtable, visitors observed FedEx’s early-morning “hub” operations and took a bus tour that featured the Canadian National Railway intermodal terminal and Memphis International Airport’s new control tower.

In remarks at the Peabody, officials cited the city’s wide-ranging Memphis Fast Forward blueprint and MemphisED development initiatives as having made a favorable impression.

By addressing economic development, education and quality-of-life issues through an interlaced approach, Memphis appears to be building “a community that people want to stay in,” said Donald Streuber, president of Bison Transport, among Manitoba’s leading truck lines. “We have witnessed that here.”

He added the “real essence of the community and community spirit” was especially evident in Memphis.

Officials said the meeting was also helpful for Memphis and Canadian officials to move past foggy, general notions of each others’ regions and identify common areas of concern.  Many Memphians professed to have never visited Manitoba, and the visit marked the first visit to Memphis for many in the Canadian group.

David T. Fung, chairman and CEO of ACDEG Group, a Canadian trading concern, appealed for Memphis officials to help promote border-security policies that avert delays and encourage vibrant trade.

Politically, he said, “the northern border (of the United States) is not the same as he southern border.”

Dexter Muller, the Chamber’s senior vice president for community development, told Fung his concern was especially well-timed because a policy huddle with elected leaders in Washington is scheduled for February.

“I think we just added another issue” to the agenda, he said.

More subtle common bonds exist between Memphis and Manitoba, noted Diane Gray, president and CEO of Centreport. New Boeing 777s ordered recently by FedEx contain parts manufactured in Manitoba, where the nation’s only such facility is located.

Dean Miller, chief supply line officer for Williams Sonoma — which uses Memphis for much of its North American distribution — agreed Manitoba’s efforts could yield further economic growth.

“When you have a city with multimodal access,” Miller said, “it tends to attract companies like ours.”