MIA – Modernization in Action

June 6, 2023 by Sean Powers

MIA – Modernization in Action

WTDC Newsletter – June 6, 2023

President’s Corner

With Memorial Weekend in the rearview and schools out for summer, finally we are now in the full swing of rainy season in South Florida. Furthermore, WTDC is built above dock height and not in a flood plain. Lastly, WTDC is not located near bodies of water that may swell with the storms.

Preparing our homes and businesses for tropical storms is a way of life here. Consequently over the years we have learned how we can better communicate with our customers and employees to ensure business continuity. As a result we look forward to any questions you may have.

Thank you to our colleagues and customers who reached out to wish me a Happy Birthday on Sunday!

Best Regards,
Sean Gazitua, President & CEO
Send a message to WTDC President and CEO Sean Gazitua

Hurricane Season

June 1st marked the official start to the 2023 hurricane season. Soon thereafter Tropical Storm Arlene popped up in the Gulf last weekend but fizzled soon thereafter.

WTDC follows the guidelines of Miami-Dade County Hurricane Preparedness as to when it will stay open or closed in the event of a storm emergency. Therefore, please find our updated 2023 WTDC Hurricane Preparation Guide here.

In the event of an impending storm, keep an eye out for WTDC emails and check out our Twitter @WTDC for the latest news.
WTDC Hurricane Preparedness

Executive Committee sworn in at Florida Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association General Membership Meeting FCBF GMM on May 25, 2023 at Miami International Airport MIA.

MIA – Modernization In Action

On Thursday, May 25th, WTDC attended the General Membership Meeting of the Florida Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association (FCBF) at Miami International Airport (MIA). For the first time, an all female executive board was sworn into office. Congratulations to the new team led by President Jenette Prince!

Before this, the keynote presentation from Emir Pineda, Director Marketing & Air Service Development, Miami-Dade Aviation Department, was very insightful. Mr. Pineda highlighted new airlines at MIA, marketing of the Modernization In Action campaign underway to fully rebuild and/or replace most of the 616 conveyances at MIA – 312 elevators, 206 escalators, and 98 moving walkways, construction of a new hotel and new concourses, and the VICC for air cargo.

Logistics Manager Ginger Diez and Sales and Marketing Manager Sean Powers attended from WTDC.

MIA: Modernization in Action

World Environment Day

June 5th was World Environment Day. United Nations organizers urge everyone to be more conscious of how they use and dispose of plastics. The theme this year is #BeatPlasticPollution.

Furthermore, PortMiami is making an environmental impact through shore power and electric rubber-tired gantry cranes (ERTGs). The shore power plan will enable cruise ships to turn off their engines when docked. This will greatly reduce their carbon footprint. Six new ERTGs have recently been added to South Florida Container Terminals for a total of twelve.

Finally, WTDC is taking steps to reduce its own carbon footprint. We recently upgraded our electric forklift fleet, replaced all lighting to LED, replaced old A/C units for newer efficient models, grew our recycling program, reduced paper printing for US Customs documentation, and work with our supply chain partners to minimize environmental impact while still providing timely and cost-effective service.
World Environment Day

Transloading or Crossdocking in Miami then door to door delivery in USA, Mexico, Canada.

Contact WTDC to transload cargo arriving at PortMiami or Port Everglades then truck to your final destination anywhere in the USA, Canada, or Mexico.

Immediate capacity available at

Port Miami (Miami,Florida)

Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

Palm Beach (Riviera Beach, Florida)
JAXPort (Jacksonville, Florida)
Canaveral (Cape Canaveral, Florida)
Tampa Bay, SeaPort Manatee, Port St. Pete (Greater Tampa, Florida)
NY/NJ ( Maher/PNCT/ Red Hook (Brooklyn/NJ), NYCT)
LA/LB
Oakland
Savannah
Charleston (Wando Welch)
SeaTac (Seattle/Tacoma, Terminal 18)
HOUSTON

WTDC can haul overweight containers, reefers, and standard containers.
(Drop & pick / Live loading/unloading / Transloading)

Annual AWI and IAADFS 2023 Summit conferences

April 21, 2023 by Sean Powers

WTDC Newsletter April 19, 2023

President’s Corner
Kentucky to remove barrel tax
7 cruise ports of Florida
2023 Summit of the Americas
AWI Annual Meeting
MSC World America

President’s Corner

Last week South Florida experienced historic rainfall. Our neighbors in Fort Lauderdale received over 20 inches of rain in a few hours, leading to the flooding of homes, businesses, and famously Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The flooding disrupted fuel availability in South Florida, and many of our clients have reached out in concern for our employees.

Thankfully, WTDC and our employees have not been adversely affected by last week’s storm. WTDC sits in one of the highest elevations in Miami-Dade County and is not in a flood zone. Our loading dock and warehouse rest on a 4 foot high concrete foundation, which gives us and our clients additional peace of mind.

Wishing all of our friends affected by the flooding a speedy recovery.

Stay healthy,

Sean Gazitua, President & CEO

Kentucky to remove barrel tax

For more than 50 years, a tax has been assessed on every barrel of bourbon produced in Kentucky. With House Bill 5 (HB5) now passed by Kentucky legislature and signed into law by Kentucky Governor Beshear, the longstanding property tax based on the value of the spirits produced will now be phased out.

The Spirits Business – Kentucky bill to phase out Bourbon barrel tax

Spectrum News 1 – Kentucky bourbon-makers toast bill phasing out barrel tax

7 cruise ports of Florida

Florida is home to some of the busiest cruise ports in the world. There is one port of call, Key West, and six main ports : PortMiami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral, Port Tampa, Jaxport, and Port of Palm Beach.

This week at the 2023 IAADFS Summit of the Americas, our Duty-Free and Travel Retail clients commented on the return of cruise passenger volume as an indicator that their stock volumes will likely increase this year

Cruise Fever – Cruise Ports in Florida: Everything You Need to Know (7 Ports)

2023 Summit of the Americas

WTDC attended the 2023 Summit of the Americas in Palm Beach, Florida, this week.

WTDC President and CEO Sean Gazitua, Logistics Manager Ginger Diez, Transportation Manager Castell Chavez, and Sales and Marketing Manager Sean Powers met with supplier clients and with buyers to discuss WTDC’s transportation services.

Women in Travel Retail hosted a networking event during which Ms. Diez won a raffle for a FlyWithWine suitcase. She is pictured below with TMI Editor Lois Pasternak and FlyWithWine Director of Sales Marlene Hulten, who donated the raffle prize.

AWI Annual Meeting

Last week WTDC Chairman Ralph L. Gazitua and Logistics Manager Ginger Diez attended the 2023 Associated Warehouses Inc (AWI) Annual Meeting in St. Pete Beach, Florida, for 3 days of networking, education seminars, and alliance building.

MSC World America

MSC announced that their new mega-ship, the MSC World America, will be headed to Miami April 2025. This will be the company’s first North American Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) -powered ship.

Highlights of the MSC World America include 13 dining options throughout the cruise, as well as several pool areas (6 pools, 14 hot tubs).

The cruise ship will leave from MSC Cruise’s terminal in PortMiami, which will be the largest cruise terminal in North America once construction is complete.

Cruise Line – MSC Cruises Upcoming Ship MSC World America to Sail from Miami in 2025

Miami International Airport reports its busiest year

February 17, 2023 by Sean Powers

WTDC Newsletter – February 17, 2023

President’s Corner
MIA reports busiest year
Air Cargo – WTDC
WTDC Picnic
Valentines Day Lunch
FCBF Meeting

President’s Corner

As consumer spending changes from favoring durable goods to services, as reported in January, tourism and the accompanying travel retail sectors stand to benefit. Travel numbers are booming in North America and the Caribbean, as seen by record numbers at Miami International Airport (MIA) and Nassau Port. Our customers are increasing inventories in plans to stay ahead of this growth.

We are reinvesting in our technology, facilities, and employees in 2023. We have 29 wonderful tenants who lease office space at WTDC. A new perimeter fence and cosmetic upgrades will make the facility a safer and more appealing environment. A new yard mule, new servers, cameras, and warehousing technology will be implemented this quarter to improve the Operations. And most importantly, our employees will benefit from a new incentive program to be rolled out this month.

Stay healthy,

Sean Gazitua, President & CEO

MIA reports busiest year

Miami International Airport served a record 50.6 million passengers in 2022, surpassing Orlando International Airport (MCO) by 500,000 travelers, making MIA the busiest airport in Florida.
“In addition to MIA leading our community’s successful economic recovery from the pandemic, it is again leading the way for the state of Florida as well! Congratulations to the MIA team and partners on surpassing 50 million passengers for the first time in its history. Passenger growth represents tourism revenue, job creation, and expanded opportunities in Miami-Dade County – making all county residents proud,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

Air Cargo – WTDC

WTDC is a TSA licensed Independent Air Carrier (IAC) and is IATA approved to send cargo on passenger airplanes. From small shipments to oversized cargo, WTDC works with our customers to ensure on-time delivery in-full. Through our global agent network WCA, WTDC can provide worldwide door to door transportation services. Can we help you with an upcoming shipment? Contact WTDC Transportation Manager Castell Chavez for a quote.

WTDC Picnic

On Saturday, February 11th, WTDC staff and their families gathered at Matheson Hammock Park for our annual company picnic. Beautiful weather only added to a day of food, drinks, games and relaxing in our boho lounge overlooking the park. A dominoes tournament, tug of war, and cornhole brought out everyone’s competitive spirit. Thank you to WTDC Transportation Manager Castell Chavez and her events committee for organizing the event!

Valentines Day Lunch

On Tuesday, February 14th, WTDC celebrated Valentine’s Day with lunch at our favorite sushi spot Miyako Japanese Restaurant. Happy belated Valentine’s Day!

FCBF Meeting

On February 15th, WTDC Logistics Manager Ginger Diez and Sales and Marketing Manager Sean Powers attended the Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association (FCBF) meeting on the topic of Broker Regulation Modernization.
Speakers Lenny Feldman of Sandler, Travis, & Rosenberg, P.A and Sharon Garcia of Crowley Logistics detailed changes to the broker regulations with case studies.

WTDC wins two awards from The Moodie Davitt Report

October 19, 2021 by Sean Powers

WTDC Newsletter – October 19, 2021

President’s Corner
WTDC wins two Travel Retail Superstar awards from Moodie Davitt
WTDC wears pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
FIU Surfside Memorial – WTDC Chairman and Deacon Ralph L. Gazitua leads prayer
237,000 passengers sailed on Carnival Cruise Line since restart
Congestion troubles reach Port of Savannah
Florida Ports Council promotes Florida ports as congestion cure

President’s Corner

Last week we were thrilled to learn WTDC was honored with two awards for our logistics services in the duty free and travel retail industry (article below). We share these awards with our customers who have worked with us over the years to hone our skills and services. As a family owned and operated company we are humbled and grateful for the continued opportunity to service the top performers in the duty free and travel retail industry Congratulations to our Customer Service and Operations staff for their award winning performance. Way to go Team WTDC!

Stay healthy,Sean Gazitua, President & CEO

The Travel Retail Superstars Awards – WTDC wins 2 awards

Send an email to WTDC President and CEO Sean Gazitua

On October 15, WTDC received two Travel Retail Superstars Awards from duty free and travel retail publisher The Moodie Davitt Report. Team WTDC won the Star Team Americas: Logistics/ Warehouse Award and WTDC President & CEO Sean Gazitua won the Humanity, Leadership, & Inspiration Award.The 2021 Travel Retail Superstars Awards were the first edition of an annual awards for travel retail employees across airport, airline, downtown store and cruise sectors.

The Moodie Davitt Report: Breaking News: “A celebration of the human spirit” —The Travel Retail Superstars Awards Winners revealed

237,000 passengers sailed Carnival Cruise Line since restart

Since its sailing restart in July 2021 Carnival Cruise Line has welcomed 237,000 guests from US homeports. Half the Carnival fleet is now in service and they plan to have all ships in service by Spring 2022.

CruiseHive: 237,000 Carnival Cruise Line Guests Have Sailed Since Resuming Operations

Breast Cancer Awareness Mont
WTDC wears Pink for October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and WTDC wore pink to show our support. Miami Cancer Institute has a wealth of educational resources available and we welcome you to visit their website for more information.

FIU Surfside Memorial

On October 13, the FIU community gathered to remember the 98 lives that were lost during the Surfside condominium collapse on June 24, 2021. FIU President Dr. Mark B. Rosenberg invited WTDC Chairman and Deacon Ralph L. Gazitua to lead the prayer for the lives that were lost, all families affected by this tragedy, and the first responders who assisted in the rescue and recovery.WTDC Chairman Ralph L. Gazitua leads the prayer at FIU Surfside Memorial on October 13, 2021.

Vessels backed up outside Savannah port

The Port of Savannah had 25 container vessels docked off its shores last week waiting for offload, the latest logistical backlog as US ports scramble to process thousands of containers.

NewsNation: Supply chain crunch also having an impact on Savannah, Georgia, port

Florida Ports Council promotes Florida ports as solution to congestion crisis

The Florida Ports Council is weighing in on the congestion that has plagued west coast ports for weeks and is now building in Savannah. PortMiami is big ship ready and does not have a container backlog, an ideal destination for bookings that will be offloaded in time for Christmas.“Florida is where your success comes in, and our seaports are the solution to ensure the cargo shipping logjam doesn’t become the grinch that stole Christmas,” said Michael Rubin, President and CEO,
Florida Ports Council.“Florida is open for business, and we are the solution to help resolve the global supply chain crisis,” Rubin added. “Instead of waiting off the coast of California, cargo vessels can offload and move their product to Florida and other discretionary markets in the same time it takes to find space in an increasingly congested California.”

Florida Ports Council: Florida’s Answer to the Global Supply Chain Crisis: SAVE TIME & MONEY BY CALLING ON FLORIDA SEAPORTS