Foreign Trade Zones
Foreign Trade Zone #176 is a federally authorized trade program administered by the Greater Rockford Airport Authority that helps manufacturers and distributors across 11 Northern Illinois counties defer, reduce, or eliminate import duties through FTZ site and subzone designation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersRockford, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Foreign Trade Zones does
Foreign Trade Zone #176 (FTZ #176) is a federally authorized trade facilitation program administered by the Greater Rockford Airport Authority (GRAA), a government entity formed in 1946. Established in 1991 when the National FTZ Board approved GRAA's application to become a grantee under the Foreign Trade Zones Act of 1934, the program was reorganized under the Alternative Site Framework in 2007 to serve a defined 11-county service area across Northern Illinois (Winnebago, Stephenson, Boone, McHenry, Ogle, DeKalb, Kane, Lee, Bureau, LaSalle, and Putnam Counties). As of 2025, FTZ #176 has 11 activated operators comprising enterprise manufacturers and distributors, including Rivian, UniCarriers/Mitsubishi Logisnext, Cellusuede, PCI Pharma Services, Coilcraft, Medela, Bergstrom, Brake Parts, Staal & Plast, Chicago Importing Company, and Capitol Warehousing.
The program's core offering is the designation of facilities as FTZ sites or subzones, which are legally considered outside of U.S. Customs territory. This enables operators to defer, reduce, or eliminate import duties through mechanisms including duty deferral until goods leave the zone, inverted tariff benefits (paying the finished product duty rate versus component rate when lower), duty exemption on re-exports, weekly entry consolidation to reduce merchandise processing fees, and zone-to-zone transfer without triggering duties. Supporting products include an Excel-based FTZ Benefits Calculator for prospective operator scenario planning and a third-party logistics FTZ warehouse service offered through Capitol Warehousing in Belvidere, IL, which enables companies without their own activated facilities to access FTZ benefits.
FTZ #176 generates revenue through grantee fees imposed by GRAA, structured as one-time application fees ($2,000-$3,000 depending on company size), activation fees ($2,000-$3,000), production authorization fees ($2,000-$3,000 when applicable), and recurring annual operating fees scaled by employer count ranging from $5,000 (1-50 employees) to $25,000 (1,501+ employees). The program is promoted and administered under contract by Zethmayr LLC, with Carrie Zethmayr serving as FTZ Administrator. Over the 2020-2025 period, FTZ #176 operators collectively achieved a 15% increase in employment and a 25% increase in the total value of shipments.
Foreign Trade Zones firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Foreign Trade Zones
- Legal name
- Greater Rockford Airport Authority (GRAA)
- Website
- https://ftzrockford.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Foreign Trade Zone #176 is a federally authorized trade program administered by the Greater Rockford Airport Authority that helps manufacturers and distributors across 11 Northern Illinois counties defer, reduce, or eliminate import duties through FTZ site and subzone designation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Foreign Trade Zones industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Foreign Trade Zone / Customs Trade Facilitation Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bonded Warehouses (Customs-Bonded Storage Facilities) (TLALAGAA)
Keywords
Where Foreign Trade Zones is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rockford
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Foreign Trade Zones business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Grantee Fees: FTZ #176 generates revenue through grantee fees imposed by the Greater Rockford Airport Authority. These include application fees, activation fees, production authorization fees, and annual operating fees based on employer count. No fees are imposed by U.S. Customs & Border Protection.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Application Fee - ASF-MBM Application for companies <300 employees |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Application Fee - ASF-MBM Application for companies >300 employees |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Activation Fee - companies <300 employees |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Activation Fee - companies >300 employees |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Production Authorization Fee - companies <300 employees |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Production Authorization Fee - companies >300 employees |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Fee - 1 to 50 employees |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Fee - 51 to 150 employees |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Fee - 151 to 500 employees |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Fee - 501 to 1500 employees |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Fee - 1,501+ employees |
| Other | Annual | FTZ Bond |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Foreign Trade Zones product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FTZ #176 is a U.S. Foreign Trade Zone program administered by the Greater Rockford Airport Authority that designates company facilities as FTZ sites or subzones within an 11-county service area in Northern Illinois. Operators can defer, reduce, or eliminate import duties, benefit from inverted tariff rates, consolidate weekly entries, and transfer merchandise in bond to other FTZs. Supporting offerings include a 3PL FTZ warehouse option via Capitol Warehousing and an Excel-based FTZ Benefits Calculator for savings estimation.
Product overview
FTZ #176 is a single, unified foreign trade zone program administered by the Greater Rockford Airport Authority, serving 11 counties in Northern Illinois. The core offering is the FTZ #176 Program, which provides companies with FTZ site or subzone designation to defer, reduce, or eliminate import duties. Supporting this core program are the FTZ Benefits Calculator (an Excel-based estimation tool for potential savings) and the 3PL FTZ Warehouse service (a third-party logistics option via Capitol Warehousing for companies that prefer not to operate their own FTZ).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FTZ #176 Program (Foreign Trade Zone Site/Subzone Designation)
- FTZ Benefits Calculator
Quantifiable outcome
- Duty deferral reduces cash flow impact - can reduce inventory carrying costs by up to 20-25%
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Foreign Trade Zones
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Foreign Trade Zones technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Foreign Trade Zones partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Zethmayr LLCcoreZethmayr LLC is contracted by the Greater Rockford Airport Authority to administer and promote FTZ #176. The partnership was formalized in September 2018. Zethmayr is a location strategy firm that helps companies establish cost-optimized operations in the United States through site selection and incentive negotiation services. Carrie Zethmayr serves as FTZ Administrator, guiding companies through the activation process and providing ongoing program administration.
- Greater Rockford Airport Authority (GRAA)coreThe Greater Rockford Airport Authority is the grantee of FTZ #176, authorized by the U.S. Department of Commerce to allow companies to establish FTZs in its designated 11-county region. Formed in 1946, GRAA is one of the oldest airport authorities in the United States. The Authority oversees the Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) and administers FTZ #176 under the Alternative Site Framework (ASF), allowing FTZ #176 to serve an 11-county service area in Northern Illinois since 2007.
- National Association of Foreign Trade Zones (NAFTZ)minorFTZ #176 is a member of NAFTZ, a professional development organization offering continuing education opportunities for FTZ members. FTZ #176 regularly attends the fall conference and stays connected with other members to share best practices.
- Capitol WarehousingcoreCapitol Warehousing is a 3PL provider offering FTZ warehouse services at their Belvidere, IL facility (2091 Tripp Rd). As the first of its kind in the region to offer FTZ as a warehousing service, Capitol Warehousing enables companies of all sizes to access FTZ benefits without activating their own facilities. Services include FTZ import tariff deferral, warehousing, transloading, and fulfillment. Part of the Valley Express Family of Companies with facilities in Wisconsin and Illinois.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Foreign Trade Zones competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Site Selection Group: Corporate site selection and incentive negotiation consultancy comparable to Zethmayr LLC (FTZ #176's contracted administrator). Both firms help companies optimize U.S. operating locations using FTZ and other incentive programs, making Site Selection Group a functional peer in the consulting layer.
- National Association of Foreign Trade Zones (NAFTZ): Industry association that supports U.S. FTZ grantees and operators, of which FTZ #176 is a member. Thematically adjacent — both serve the same constituency of FTZ operators and grantees — and a relevant ecosystem partner.
Direct peers
- Foreign Trade Zone #22 (Chicago): Operated by the Illinois International Port District, FTZ #22 is the largest competing FTZ serving the broader Chicago/Northern Illinois region. Directly comparable in regulatory offering (customs-bonded storage, duty deferral) and partially overlapping service area, making it the principal alternative for manufacturers in the FTZ #176 territory.
- Foreign Trade Zone #271 (Moline): Quad Cities region FTZ administered by an airport authority, structurally similar to FTZ #176's GRAA-administered model. Comparable regulatory offering and similar mid-scale operator base make it a direct regional peer.
- Capitol Warehousing Corporation: 3PL operator offering FTZ warehousing at Belvidere, IL — also FTZ #176's distribution channel partner. Comparable in the FTZ service delivery layer and illustrates the 3PL-FTZ model that competes with traditional operator activation.
- Foreign Trade Zone #41 (Beloit): A nearby FTZ serving the Beloit, WI / Southern Wisconsin region with the same federal Foreign Trade Zone framework and grantee-administered operator model. Geographic adjacency creates cross-border competition for manufacturers in the FTZ #176 service area's northern counties.
- Foreign Trade Zone #114 (Peoria): Illinois-based FTZ administered by an EDC, offering the same grantee-driven duty deferral and inverted-tariff benefits as FTZ #176. Comparable in scale and operating model, and a viable alternative for central Illinois manufacturers.
Broad incumbents
- Port of Los Angeles FTZ #50: Largest U.S. FTZ by operator count and shipment volume, operated by a major port authority. Overlapping regulatory and trade-facilitation mandate but at a vastly larger scale and a coastal gateway, providing a useful benchmark for program economics.
- Port Houston FTZ #84: Large Gulf Coast FTZ operated by Port Houston. Same federal Foreign Trade Zone framework and similar grantee-operated model, but at materially greater scale — useful comparable for understanding what an optimized, high-traffic FTZ program can achieve.
- DHL Supply Chain: Global 3PL that operates FTZ-designated warehousing facilities across the U.S. Comparable in providing outsourced FTZ access to mid-market shippers — directly competitive with the Capitol Warehousing model that FTZ #176 has built.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Foreign Trade Zones financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Foreign Trade Zones leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Foreign Trade Zones funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Foreign Trade Zones M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Foreign Trade Zones
What does Foreign Trade Zones do?
FTZ #176 is a U.S. Foreign Trade Zone program administered by the Greater Rockford Airport Authority that designates company facilities as FTZ sites or subzones within an 11-county service area in Northern Illinois. Operators can defer, reduce, or eliminate import duties, benefit from inverted tariff rates, consolidate weekly entries, and transfer merchandise in bond to other FTZs. Supporting offerings include a 3PL FTZ warehouse option via Capitol Warehousing and an Excel-based FTZ Benefits Calculator for savings estimation.
Is Foreign Trade Zones a public or private company?
Foreign Trade Zones is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Foreign Trade Zones founded?
Foreign Trade Zones was founded in 1991. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Foreign Trade Zones based?
Foreign Trade Zones is headquartered in Rockford, United States, in the North America region.
How does Foreign Trade Zones make money?
One revenue line is on record: grantee Fees.
Who are Foreign Trade Zones's main competitors?
Others on record are Site Selection Group and National Association of Foreign Trade Zones (NAFTZ). Direct peers are Foreign Trade Zone #22 (Chicago), Foreign Trade Zone #271 (Moline), Capitol Warehousing Corporation, Foreign Trade Zone #41 (Beloit) and Foreign Trade Zone #114 (Peoria). Broad incumbents are Port of Los Angeles FTZ #50, Port Houston FTZ #84 and DHL Supply Chain.
Does Foreign Trade Zones have an API?
No public API is recorded for Foreign Trade Zones.
What industry is Foreign Trade Zones in?
Foreign Trade Zones's product category is Foreign Trade Zone / Customs Trade Facilitation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLALAGAA, Bonded Warehouses (Customs-Bonded Storage Facilities).