CORNWALL — This once-shrinking municipality on the banks of the St. Lawrence seems to just keep growing and growing.

And in a display of what can only be called educational ingenuity, the local community college has proved that it’s working to meet the commercial needs of the town; in particular, the local transport industry.

Background: Once a thriving pulp-and-paper and textile-manufacturing center, Cornwall’s economy suffered a series of sucker punches over the past two decades.

But recently, it has shown signs of new life.

For one thing, 13 years ago, Walmart opened the biggest distribution center (DC) in Canada, hard by the 401. More than 1,000 people work there now.

That was followed by Target and Shoppers Drug Mart DCs, both of which helped to establish the municipality as a key logistics focus for the Montreal-Toronto corridor.

Want more proof? Just check with Seaway Express.

Started 20 years ago as a local hauler, Seaway made the most of Walmart’s draconian tight scheduling by providing a drop-off site adjacent to the giant warehouse. By delivering to Seaway, carriers could avoid the problems associated with scheduled drop-offs.

Last year, 2012, was a banner year for Seaway. They hired 10 new employees. They’re now up to 24 trucks. And 2013 will see even more expansion.

“The increase in distribution centers locating in Cornwall creates new opportunities for Seaway Express to assist vendors in local deliveries,” says Seaway General Manager Melanie Hamel. “We plan to keep pace with Cornwall’s growth.”

The most recent evidence that Cornwall’s becoming a logistics mecca comes from the local community college.

St. Lawrence College announced that it now accepting applications for a new one-year three-semester graduate program in Logistics, open to college and/or university graduates.

“The supply chain sector in Eastern Ontario is expanding and there is a growing need for knowledgeable and highly skilled individuals in logistics and supply chain management. This new graduate program was developed in direct response to the needs of the communities we support,” said Glenn Vollebregt, President and CEO of St. Lawrence College.

“The supply chain is one of the most essential sectors of the Canadian economy, involving about 767,000 workers from a range of occupations and industries,” said Kevin Maynard of the Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council.

“We are excited about the launch of this new program as it will ensure we will have a pool of well-trained employees for positions in our industry in the future.”