Sean Powers

PortMiami reports record cargo volumes

December 1, 2020 by Sean Powers

WTDC Newsletter – December 1, 2020

PortMiami set cargo volume records in October 2020
Moderna files for Emergency Use Authorization with FDA for COVID-19 vaccine
FMC will monitor top 3 shipping alliances monthly
Congratulating Empresas Perrot on their 80th Anniversary
President’s Corner: Giving Tuesday

President’s Corner

This Thanksgiving was like none other as many American families limited their holiday gatherings. Retailers rolled out online deals early this year to avoid crowding in stores but online shopping records still shattered on Black Friday and again this week on Cyber Monday. Adobe Analytics reported $10.8 billion in Cyber Monday shopping, an increase of over 15% from last year. Non-profits, schools, and faith based organizations hope that record spending continues today on Giving Tuesday. WTDC welcomes our colleagues to participate in any of our annual giving traditions. We are collecting new pajamas again for the children of His House, see article below, and each year WTDC sponsors Christmas gifts for children of the incarcerated through the Angel Tree Program. Last week, we shared a video of our WTDC employees and my son pitching in for our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. We hope the spirit of the holiday season encourages you to give back on Giving Tuesday. From our family to yours, we wish you a Happy Holidays!
-Sean Gazitua, President & CEO

Send an email to WTDC President & CEO Sean Gazitua

Please join us in our 6th Annual Pajama Drive for His House Children’s Home. Each year, WTDC collects new pajamas for the children of His House, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the lives of children and families. We are already halfway We are collecting Boys and Girls Youth Sizes S to XL, and Boys and Girls Adult Sizes X-Small to XL. Collecting until December 18, 2020. Add our address to your online shopping cart! You can mail or ship to: WTDC attention Ginger Diez/PJ Drive, 2801 NW 74th Ave, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33122. For additional information you can contact WTDC Logistics Manager Ginger Diez below.

Email for additional His House PJ Drive information

Congratulations to our Chilean logistics partner Empresas Perrot on celebrating 80 years in business! We send our warmest wishes to Owner and General Manager Carlos Mauricio Perrot and his team. To celebrate our partner, WTDC posted an Empresas Perrot 80^th Anniversary video created by our talented Intern Kristina Khudiakova, an International Business student at FIU. The video featured celebratory wishes and welcomed Empresas Perrot to the USA. It included cameos from the Mayor of Doral, PortMiami, City National Bank, ProChile, FEBICHAM, Chile-US Chamber, and the Gazitua family. You can see the video by clicking the image of Mr. Gazitua above. For more on WTDC and Empresas Perrot’s door to door logistics services between Chile and the USA, follow the link below.

WTDC: Door to door logistics service between Chile and USA

WTDC Holiday Hours

Christmas – Closed December 25 New Year’s – Closed January 1

October 2020 was the busiest month in cargo activity in PortMiami history. The Port processed 107,088 TEUs (20 foot container equivalent units) in October, a 1.5% increase from the 105,573 TEUs recorded in October 2019.

PortMiami Press Release: Mayor Daniella Levine Cava reports record cargo activity at PortMiami

Moderna files for Emergency Use Authorization with FDA for COVID-19 vaccine

On Monday, November 30, U.S. drug maker Moderna reported a 94.1% efficacy in its COVID-19 vaccine primary efficacy analysis of 30,000 participants, confirming initial results. The vaccine was 100% effective in preventing serious disease from the coronavirus. Moderna subsequently applied Monday to the U.S. FDA for Emergency Use Authorization as well to the European Medicines Agency for Conditional Marketing Authorization. Americans could begin receiving the vaccine injection as soon as December 21, 2020, if approved.

NY Times: Moderna applies for emergency FDA approval for its Coronavirus vaccine

Moderna Press Release – November 30, 2020

FMC will now monitor top 3 shipping alliances monthly

Last week the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) issued notice to the top three global carrier alliances – 2M. Ocean Alliance, and THE Alliance – that it will request trade data monthly that had previously been reported quarterly. The Commission’s Bureau of Trade Analysis requested the change based on recent fluctuations in the market and so that they can better . Shipper complaints of high Trans-Pacific rates, demurrage and detention surges, and lack of export container availability spurred the FMC to begin investigating ocean carriers operating in alliances in November 2020.

The Maritime Executive: FMC Increases Reporting Requirements for Major Carrier Alliances

Container Management: Federal Maritime Commission escalates monitoring of global shipping alliances

Demand for cruise sailings, CAMACOL Doral panel

November 16, 2020 by Sean Powers

WTDC Newsletter – November 16, 2020

President’s Corner – CAMACOL Doral Logistics Panel, IBHS Scholarship
Volunteers sign up for Royal Caribbean’s return to cruising
Cruise ships sailing from Europe, Asia, and Australia in November and December 2020
WTDC Internship Program welcomes Fahad Almizaal, Barry University
FEBICHAM: The powerful new Federation of binational chambers in the US
Pajama Drive for His House Children’s Home

Last week on Thursday, November 12, I participated as a panelist on the CAMACOL Doral Industry Showcase: International Trade and Logistics Virtual Town Hall Meeting. The topic was “The Big Pivot: How COVID-19 has Impacted International Trade & Logistics.” The panel featured professionals from the public and private sectors, each of whom acknowledged challenges posed by the pandemic yet there was a collective optimism among the panelists. Gabriel Rodriguez, President of FCBF, highlighted that some logistics companies have been able to pivot their operations to handle PPE and will eventually play a role in the mass distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. WTDC was one of those companies that focused its efforts on medical supplies during the early days of the pandemic and continues efforts to serve those new clients. I also contributed that WTDC took early action to protect the welfare of its employees and tenants. I am encouraged by the recent updates on the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, which is testing in South Florida through a University of Miami Health System trial, and hope it can restore some balance to our economy and daily lives. In other recent news, WTDC awarded a $1000 scholarship to FIU IBHS student John Carlos Mouw for his winning essay. The scholarship will be used during the FIU IBHS service trip Bandhwari Women’s Project. -Sean Gazitua, President & CEO

Pictured clockwise from top left: Host Pete De La Torre, CEO CAMACOL Doral, and panelists Sean Gazitua, President & CEO of WTDC, Gabriel Rodriguez, President of FCBF, Joe Chi, President of CAMACOL, Jonathan Ward, Executive Director Miami-Dade County International Trade Consortium (ITC), and Manuel Pina, Economic Developer for City of Doral.

Volunteers sign up for Royal Caribbean’s return to cruising

Royal Caribbean already has over 100,000 eager volunteers who have shown an interest in short sailings should trial sailings be required by the CDC to demonstrate COVID-19 protective measures. Royal Caribbean would sail from Miami to Coco Cay, the company’s private island in the Bahamas, where they could create a bubble environment to better protect passengers and crew.

Cruise Industry News: Royal Caribbean Opens Website for Cruise Volunteers

Cruising Update

While cruising may not fully return to South Florida until 2021, cruise ships are now operating from Europe, Asia, and now Australia. Click below for the growing list of cruise ships in operation in November and December 2020.

Cruise Industry News: Cruise Ships Back in Service, November Update

Welcome to the team Fahad! Fahad Almizaal is a Barry University student and is an Intern for WTDC’s Sales and Marketing Department. Originally from Saudi Arabia and raised in Kuwait, he’s pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration majoring International Business. He graduates in December 2020. We look forward to working with you Fahad!

WTDC Internship Program

Please join us in our 5th Annual Pajama Drive for His House Children’s Home. Each year, WTDC collects new pajamas for the children of His House, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the lives of children and families. We are collecting Boys and Girls Youth Sizes S to XL, and Boys and Girls Adult Sizes X-Small to XL. Collecting until December 16, 2020. You can mail or ship to: WTDC attention Ginger Diez/PJ Drive, 2801 NW 74th Ave, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33122. For additional information you can contact WTDC Logistics Manager Ginger Diez below.

Email for additional His House PJ Drive information

The Federation of Binational Chambers of Commerce, FEBICHAM, is a multinational non-profit organization made up of 10 Binational Chambers of Commerce in the United States. This is represented by Argentina, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Uruguay, Honduras, Colombia, Camacol, Costa Rica and Ecuador FEBICHAM stands out for being an expert and influential entity that seeks to facilitate the realization of business opportunities in a context beyond the merely binational scope of each Chamber, providing added value to the Binational Chambers it represents and their communities. The organization is recognized as the meeting point that facilitates the meeting between the Binational Chambers in the US, in which it manages to enhance its strengths and find new opportunities for all its members. In addition to using its convening power to support each of its chambers, FEBICHAM promotes, through febicham.org and the FEBICHAM News newsletter, the dissemination of activities and events, in order to specify and generate multinational business opportunities of the member Chambers of Commerce. The Federation hopes to be a facilitator in the commercial relationship between the Binational Chambers of the United States, and to generate concrete business links, through the growing network of contacts of its directors and institutions, which provides access to relevant and updated information.

FEBICHAM: Binational Chambers of Commerce

WTDC and Empresas Perrot launch Chile-US service

November 4, 2020 by Sean Powers

WTDC News – November 4, 2020

President’s Corner – Gazitua family legacy
No Sail Order lifted by CDC
WTDC and Empresas Perrot offer Chile-US service
Mark your calendars – WTDC President & CEO Sean Gazitua joins logistics panel

My brother Luis Andre and I joined my cousins Carlos and Luis Gazitua on the October 23rd edition of Cafecito Chat with Saif Ishoof, FIU Vice President of Engagement. Special thanks to all our professional colleagues who tuned in to watch us survive a comical round of rapid-fire questions before we settled into our discussion on the Gazitua family’s commitment to service and leadership in our community. Part of the discussion focused on family legacy and it was such a pleasure to hear the stories of my grandparents Mercedes and LR Gazitua who built a logistics enterprise from humble beginnings. We all shared how we take great pride in that legacy and the way they treated their family, friends, and employees. Each of us in the discussion described how the pandemic has affected our businesses and our employees. We’ve all taken steps to protect and serve our employees during these unprecedented times and the good name of our grandparents inspires us to continue treating others like family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to our neighbors in Central America’s Caribbean coast affected by Hurricane Eta this week. Stay safe, Sean Gazitua WTDC President & CEO Image caption, clockwise from top-left: Sean Gazitua, WTDC President & CEO, Saif Ishoof, FIU Vice President of Engagement, Luis Andre Gazitua, Esq., Gazitua Letelier, PA, Principal, Luis Gazitua, JAG Insurance Principal, and Carlos Gazitua, President & CEO of Sergio’s Family Restaurants.

Send an email to WTDC President & CEO Sean Gazitua

WTDC, a Foreign Trade Zone and Freight Forwarder in Miami, Florida, USA, and Empresas Perrot Group Inc., a premier Trucking and Logistics Provider in Santiago, Chile, went “live” this week with their offering of door to door logistics services between the U.S. and Chile including customs documentation, transport via road, air, and ocean, and customs documentation. The two companies will improve the customer experience with a focus on technology and concierge customer service. Do you have U.S. to Chile or Chile to U.S. logistics business that you would like WTDC to review for efficiency and cost-savings? Email us here.

WTDC Holiday Hours

Thanksgiving – Closed November 26 & 27 Christmas – Closed December 25 New Year’s – Closed January 1

On October 30th, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order and did not extend the No Sail Order that has sidelined cruise ships since March 2020. While this order does translate to an instant return to cruising, it does set up the phased parameters for sailings that are safe for passengers and crew with significant emphasis on public health and safety.

CDC: Cruise Ship Guidance

On Friday, October 30, WTDC employees and tenants participated in our annual Halloween festivities by dressing up as “Pandemic Heroes” and decorating office doors.

Mark your calendars – WTDC President & CEO Sean Gazitua joins logistics panel

We welcome you to join WTDC President & CEO Sean Gazitua on Thursday, November 12, at 11 a.m. for a logistics town hall meeting. See below from the organizers: As part of CAMACOL’s International Trade outreach efforts, CAMACOL Doral and the City of Doral will host a Virtual Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, November 12, 11 a.m.-12 noon. Our topic will be “International Trade & Logistics After COVID”. Doral is the heart of Miami Dade County’s International Trade Sector and home to about approximately 4000 International Trade related companies. We believe it’s important to provide insights the state of this sector including new and innovative business models that have been created as a result of the pandemic.” WTDC will share the login link on its social media channels when available. You can email us here for a reminder.

Meet CAMACOL Doral