| WTDC Newsletter – September 16, 2020 – PortMiami and Cruise leaders urge CDC not to extend No Sail Order – Live Like Bella and Childhood Cancer Awareness – ProChile Trade Commissioner visits WTDC – Welcome WTDC Intern Kristina Khudiadova – MIA receives accreditation for COVID-19 measures  President’s Corner It was an honor to host Raymond Rodriguez-Torres, Chairman of the Board for Live Like Bella Childhood Cancer Foundation, at WTDC this week. He is pictured above (center) with my father Ralph L. Gazitua, WTDC Chairman (left), and I (right). September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and WTDC presented a silver sponsorship to Mr. Rodriguez-Torres for Live Like Bella’s Get Active for Kids with Cancer virtual event on September 26th, 2020. We welcome you to learn more about Live Like Bella’s role to keep childhood cancer in the spotlight through advocacy, legislation, research, assistance to families affected by childhood cancer. In other news, WTDC continues to do its part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by sanitizing our workplace, requiring social distancing and the wearing of masks, and encouraging our employees to live healthy lifestyles while minimizing their exposure. WTDC is a Florida Drug Free Workplace and I’m proud to share that our staff passed their random quarterly drug testing last week. WTDC’s C-TPAT Security Profile was approved last week in accordance with the new requirements and we welcome C-TPAT partners to link with us in the portal. If you have any questions about WTDC, or an idea for our newsletter, I welcome you to email me here. – Sean P. Gazitua, WTDC President & CEO   ProChile visits WTDC Last week Sean P. Gazitua, WTDC President & CEO (center right), and Ralph L. Gazitua, WTDC Chairman, welcomed Germán Rocca, Trade Commissioner at ProChile USA South East Office (center left), and Jaime Silva Jr., Trade Manager at ProChile (right), to a meeting at WTDC. ProChile assists small and medium-size enterprises in their trade expansion efforts by leveraging trade agreements, fostering public-private partnerships, and helping position Chile in the international marketplace. Stay tuned for updates to this meeting! And we can’t mention Chile this week without wishing our Chilean customers and colleagues a Feliz Fiestas Patrias, as they celebrate Chilean Independence Day on Friday, September 18th! Cruise and PortMiami leaders urge CDC not to exetend No Sail Order The September 10th meeting of the Miami-Dade County Tourism and the Ports Committee evolved into a joint push by cruise officials and Miami-Dade officials to request that the CDC not extend the No Sail Order that is in place until September 30th. Cruise leaders participating in the virtual meeting included Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, Arnold Donald, President and CEO of the Carnival Corporation, Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, and Richard Sasso, Chairman of MSC Cruises in North America. “We’ve got to get to work,” Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line said. “Enough is enough. It’s been more than six months. We’ve learned a lot.” Miami Herald: ‘Enough is enough’: Commissioners and cruise execs urge CDC to let cruising resume Cruise Hive: Cruise Line CEO Says “The Cruise Industry is Close to Devastation” in Miami-Dade Meeting  Welcoming our new social media Intern from FIU Welcome to the team Kristina! Kristina Khudiakova is a Florida International University (FIU) student and is an Intern for WTDC’s Sales and Marketing Department specializing in social media. Originally from Arkhangelsk, Russia, she is pursuing a major in International Business at FIU and is President of the International Business Honors Society (IBHS). MIA receives Airport Health Accreditation for its measures to prevent COVID-19 Miami International Airport (MIA) celebrated its 92nd anniversary this week and is also celebrating news that it received Airport Health Accreditation from Airports Council International (ACI) for its best practices and key measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. MIA is the first airport in Florida and only the 3rd airport in North America to receive the accreditation. Click the story from MIA below for more information. MIA is first airport in Florida, second in U.S. to receive health accreditation from ACI World |
Archives for September 2020
Sean Gazitua featured in Miami Today, PortMiami cruise projects receive bonds, MIA prepares for safe return to more passenger traffic
 President’s Corner Last week I was honored to be included in The Achiever section by Miami Today, a hallmark for business, civic, and government leadership in South Florida. I would like to thank all those from our business and logistics community who responded so generously and reaffirm my commitment to creating more opportunities for young professionals in logistics. I will use any platform afforded by this opportunity to beat the drum that Miami has the infrastructure and talent to shine as an international hub for trade, commerce, and logistics. Miami Today, The Achiever: Sean Gazitua: Focused on expanding family founded foreign trade zone  Photo credit: Cruise Industry News PortMiami to receive $335 million in bonds for cruise projects On August 31st, Miami-Dade County commissioners approved $335 million in bonds for terminal projects at PortMiami. In a time when port revenues have stalled due to a no-sail order in effect until October 31, the bond approvals show Miami’s long-term commitment to the cruise industry. Funds are earmarked for infrastructure projects and the port’s portion of revenue generating capital projects with Carnival Corporation, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line – Bahamas, Terminal Link Miami, and Virgin Cruise Intermediate Limited. Seatrade Cruise News: PortMiami terminals get $335m boost from Miami-Dade bonds Cruise Industry News: No Slowing Down Cruise Projects at PortMiami Miami International Airport takes measures for safe return to increased passenger travel Miami International Airport (MIA) welcomed back four international airline partners during the month of August: Air Europa, Swiss International Air Lines, Volaris, and Virgin Atlantic. In a video posted this week, Aviation Director and CEO Lester Sola highlighted the safety measures taken at MIA to prepare for increased airline passenger traffic including redesigning TSA checkpoints for social distancing and increasing janitorial staff. MIA – Fly Safe, Fly Smart  Boat and Vehicle Transloads Last week WTDC loaded this boat on behalf of one of our freight forwarder clients. This boat on trailer was 39 feet long, 12 feet high, and was just under 12 feet wide. Due to the height of the boat it was loaded directly at the port. WTDC has the capabilities to transload boats, vehicles, machinery, and heavy equipment in its FTZ yard. A crane can be used to lift out of gauge (OOG) pieces at WTDC for flatbed, flat rack, and open top container loadings and unloadings. |