WTDC Chairman Ralph L. Gazitua retires as MDPD Chaplain

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Congratulations to WTDC Chairman Ralph L. Gazitua on his retirement as Chaplain of the Miami Dade Police Department after 20 years of service. On December 16, Chaplain Gazitua celebrated his MDPD Chaplain retirement and the retirement of MDPD Chaplain Eddie Rivero at Sergio’s Doral. Mr. Gazitua’s fellow MDPD Chaplains and colleagues from the Department attended the breakfast including Assistant Director George Perez, Chief Gina Beato-Dominguez, Major Jose A. Fernandez, Major Melissa Barosela, and Executive Vice President of South Florida Police Benevolent Association (PBA) David Greenwell. The PBA presented Chaplain Gazitua with a plaque to commemorate his service.

As an ordained Deacon of the Catholic Church for 34 years, Chaplain Gazitua helped meet the spiritual and pastoral requests of MDPD employees and their families, providing counsel in their time of need.

In times of crisis, such as the collapse of the Champlain Towers in Surfside and the pedestrian bridge at FIU, Mr. Gazitua and the MDPD Chaplains led our community in prayer and provided spiritual guidance to first responders. His responsibilities as Chaplain included education and special programs, introducing MDPD’s human trafficking awareness initiative to the Archdiocese of Miami. As Goodwill Ambassadors of Miami-Dade County, he and the MDPD Chaplains were a social and cultural bridge between the Department and the public on Miami Beach Memorial Day Weekends and at other busy events.

Ralph, thank you for your 20 years of dedication and service as a MDPD Chaplain. Our community is better with people like you and the MDPD Chaplains giving their time and effort to help others. Your involvement with MDPD has become part of the company fabric of WTDC and we look forward to continuing to support law enforcement and its initiatives.

Ralph Gazitua WTDC Chaplain MDPD Retirement

Logistics firm WTDC hires seven FIU Business interns

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Read the original story at BizNews.fiu.edu

(l. to r.) Sean Gazitua, president and CEO of WTDC, with spring 2021 FIU interns Leahanna Sine (U.S.); Jibin Jinu, India; Calvin Mittra, Bangladesh; Julia Leitao, Brazil; Andressa Souza, Brazil; Isabella Palmese, Honduras; and Kristina Khudiakova, Russia.
When junior Kristina Khudiakova isn’t learning international business theory in class, she is putting it into practice as a digital marketing intern at WTDC, a global trade firm. Three days a week, Khudiakova heads into the office to create promotional videos and social media content. She films, edits and writes, working closely with employees and soaking up lessons covering all aspects of international business.

“I’m so grateful for this hands-on work opportunity where I can implement the concepts we study in the field I want to pursue,” said Khudiakova, president of FIU’s International Business Honor Society (IBHS). “They not only give me assignments, but we also talk a lot about other industries. I’m learning so much.”

Khudiakova is one of seven members of IBHS to be hired as a spring intern at WTDC, where FIU Alumni Association board of directors member Sean Gazitua (BBA ‘04) sits at the helm as president and CEO. It wasn’t Gazitua’s original plan to hire seven FIU interns, but he was so impressed by the crop of students he interviewed remotely last semester that he found a place at the company for each of their talents. The group also brings strong international experience to the business, hailing from Bangladesh, Brazil, Honduras, India and Russia as well as the U.S.

“The interns are amazing,” Gazitua said. “They bring a breath of fresh air. We’ve been doing this for a long time so we know what we are doing, but at the same time, technology is changing everything, so we want their opinions.”

Gazitua doesn’t have a preconceived list of internship slots to fill. Instead, he gauges student interest and comes up with individualized plans. When a current intern mentioned his interest in renewable energy, a lightbulb went off in Gazitua’s mind because he wants WTDC to become a green company. The intern is analyzing the company to find ways to reduce electricity consumption, as well as researching best practices employed by other companies.

The relationships that start as internships often evolve professionally. Gazitua has hired former interns into full-time jobs, and has used his connections around the world to help others find jobs in their home countries. He has found that international students often have language skills and a cultural understanding of markets WTDC works with as a global logistics provider.

David Wernick, teaching professor and faculty advisor IBHS, has helped connect FIU students with the company for years.

“I know these interns are going to get an amazing hands-on experience and be treated exceptionally well,” Wernick said. “They learn valuable lessons on teamwork, communication, and execution from a company on the front lines of the global economy. And WTDC gets a steady stream of students who are energetic and eager to learn, so it’s a win-win!”

Logistics: WTDC’s diversification from core business delivers added benefits

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Read the original story at Travel Markets Insider

Miami’s family-owned Foreign Trade Zone company WTDC, which specializes in logistics for spirits for the duty free/travel retail and cruise industries, diversified its business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WTDC President & CEO Sean Gazitua tells TMI that this expansion away from its core duty free/travel retail business has strengthened his company and better positioned it for the future.
“The commodity that we handle is spirits for the duty free and travel retail industry and this virus shut it down. In April and May last year there were a hand- ful of spirits cases that left the warehouse. Typically there are tens of thousands of cases. So that was an eye-opener for us that it would be a good idea to diversify a little bit,” says Gazitua.

“Obviously our bread and butter is spirits for the travel retail industry and will continue to be in the future, but 2020 gave us an opportunity to look at our business and diversify.”

WTDC saw a way to both stay busy and contribute to the greater good by handling logistics for needed medical supplies. WTDC assisted companies with the hazardous transportation of hand sanitizer, foreign-to-foreign shipments of COVID-19 test kits, masks, medical equipment, and PPE imports.
“We were able to help companies and countries handle the supply chain management for medical supplies. That was pretty gratifying that we were doing something good during the pandemic and were able to handle business. Our normal pipeline of business froze because we had been focusing on spirits and cruise lines.”

Medical supplies were one of three key verticals WTDC focused on during the pandemic. The other two were the creation of WTDC Chile and logistics for renewable energy.

In October WTDC announced a strategic partnership with Empresas Per- rot Group Inc., a premier Trucking and Logistics Provider in Santiago, Chile to create seamless connectivity for customers across their complementary domestic and international logistics networks in the USA and Chile. WTDC and Empresas Perrot will be exclusive agents within each other’s countries as part of the agreement.

“The Gazituas are Chilenos. We’re from Chile. A partner contacted us to open up WTDC Chile. Empresas Perrot are one of the largest trucking companies in Chile and they wanted to expand internationally. Our family always wanted to open a busi- ness in Chile. Like us, they are a family business, and have been around for 80 years. We started speaking to each other via zoom and we just connected: their family values, our family values, their company culture, our company culture. It just aligned perfectly. As a result, we have really been growing that trade lane from Chile to the USA,” says Gazitua.

Renewable energy is the third vertical WTDC focused on in 2020.

“We identified renewable energy as a good business for the future. We are focusing on solar, hydro, and wind and are providing ocean freight, warehousing, and U.S. Customs brokerage.”

WTDC signed an agreement with ProChile and its partners to create seamless connectivity for customers across their complementary domestic and international logistics networks in the USA and Chile.
2021: Back to normal?
Even as WTDC has diversified this past year, travel retail/duty free spirits logistics will remain its core business, and Gazitua says there is reason for optimism.

“Now it is closer to normalcy. In 2021, business has begun bouncing back. In November and December last year higher volumes started leaving the warehouse and we saw a spike going up. We thought it was just for the holiday season,” he says.

“But in January, the numbers consistently stayed up and in February the numbers have remained consistent. Now that we are in March, the numbers leaving the warehouse have not gone down. It feels good to see these numbers of cases leaving the warehouse. I feel like we are trending in the right direction. There is some good news out there. There are orders. We are busy and we appreciate it.”

Prior to the pandemic, WTDC was experiencing a record year.
“2019 smashed every other year. January and February 2020 were incredible months. We expected 2020 to be stronger than 2019.”

Gazitua says his family company is prepared for a return to better times.
“We are speaking with companies that are interested in coming into the market. We have the know-how. We celebrated 44 years in business on March 8. We’ve been handling spirits for 15 years for this market. We know the processes specific to this commodity. This is what we know and we are good at it.

“Our competition are these huge multi-national corporations. If you need to have a decision done, you have to talk to your supervisor, the manager, the director, all the way up the ladder. Here if you want to get something done you speak to me and we can get it done right there. We move quickly. I think that is one of the reasons we were able to survive the pandemic. Because we saw this business potentially slowing down and pivoted and started handling medical supplies and renewal energy. But we are here and we are open for business.”
WTDC Health & Wellness Program
WTDC began its health and wellness program in 2017 with the goal of encouraging all its employees to adopt a healthy lifestyle, which promotes improved mental and physical wellness. During the pandemic, WTDC has expanded this program.

“We can make sure our employee morale is high. We’ve implemented a health and well- ness program, with a multi-purpose health and wellness room. We zoom in there, and when we are not using it for zoom it is used for yoga room. We also have a masseuse come every Wednesday to give massages in our special massage room. We even have a prayer/meditation room. We really believe in having a sound mind, sound body, especially in a year like last year. We want to make sure that WTDC is a safe place for our employees. That’s part of being a family business,” says Gazitua.

WTDC: adapting for today, preparing for tomorrow

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WTDC, Miami’s family-owned Foreign Trade Zone company that specializes in logistics for spirits for the duty free/travel retail and cruise industries, has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with a three phase plan designed to keep its employees safe and the supply chain uninterrupted.

WTDC is categorized by Florida and Miami-Dade County as an essential company and has remained open during this crisis, but it is not business as usual, Sean P. Gazitúa, WTDC President & CEO, tells TMI.

“Miami is the cruise capital of the world so that is a big part of our business. But right now with the pandemic and the cruises not cruising we had to change gears. No shipments are leaving the facility that are related to the duty free and travel retail industry, with the exception of one every two weeks,” says Gazitúa.

“The commodities that are moving now are the commodities related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily we are part of a worldwide agent network so we were able to move shipments globally for those products.”

Phase 1

Gazitúa tells TMI that it was imperative that WTDC’s 30 employees remain safe while working.

“Phase 1 is making sure we are all safe. We wanted to make sure that we took care of our employees and we have a safe environment. Most employees are working from home, but we have two people in the office as well as the entire warehouse staff. We purchased hospital grade cleaning supplies for WTDC as well as hospital masks for WTDC warehouse personnel, plus anti-bacterial solution for WTDC. We have a cleaning crew come every single morning to clean the common areas.

“We also purchased laptops for the Brokerage, Customer Service and Transportation Departments to work remotely from home. WTDC IT installed software, firewalls and antivirus on laptops.”

Phase 2

As the day to day business for the Cruise, Duty Free, Travel Retail, and Export markets has stopped, WTDC Management implemented a number of projects for different departments.

These projects include performing physical inventory on accounts; maintenance on equipment and racks; cleaning and organizing the warehouse; performing Warehouse Management System Maintenance; auditing previous US Customs documentation; and updating Foreign Trade Zone Annual Report data.

“We want to make sure that we are better than before. We are investing because we feel that it is important,” says Gazitúa.

Phase 3

As part of WTDC’s plan for its employees to stay busy and improve during this crisis, the company has begun WTDC Continuous Education.

“We have created a mission statement, syllabus and content in which our managers will be the ‘teachers.’ Our team will meet virtually at 10 am and 2 pm to learn about various aspects of Logistics. For example, Week 1 will be Transportation, Week 2 US Customs Brokerage, Week 3 Customer Service, etc. Transportation will include Airway Bill, Bill of Lading, difference between House and Master, Shipping Terms, etc.

“The managers are being refreshed on things and the employees love it. It is interactive and good for cross training. Also, at 12 pm daily we are going to have a company-wide virtual Stretch / Yoga class. We believe it is important to keep your mind and body active during these times.”

Another key part of Phase 3 is the diversification of WTDC’s sales.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand globally for various commodities (hand sanitizers, masks, gloves, ventilators, etc…). WTDC is currently working with suppliers and consignees in managing the supply chain for these products.

“Specific to the spirits industry, many of our clients are now making hand sanitizer. These distillers are not familiar with managing logistics for hazardous materials cargo. WTDC is now coordinating the ground and ocean freight, plus receiving the invent-tory for many of these distillers to be distributed either within the U.S. or for Export,” says Gazitúa.

changing the outlook

WTDC has had to reinvent itself during this COVID-19 crisis, says Gazitúa.

“We were able to act and move quickly and we are learning as we are going. Nobody knows exactly how long this is going to last. We were lucky that we got a heads-up from our Asian and Italian agents in January about how serious the virus was. We are part of the supply chain so we realized that this was eventually going to come our way. That is when we started researching products and buying cleaning supplies, gloves, and masks. We were proactive.

“It has been rewarding moving these COVID-19 products that are going to help people.

“Right now we are working on moving two 747 charter aircrafts from Shanghai to Chicago for COVID-19 supplies just for the state of Illinois. We are moving product to the Bahamas and Latin America. There is a lot going on that is definitely new to us. We did our research and we adapted and moved forward.

“Our bread and butter is spirits. We will still stay focused on the duty free/travel retail industries, but we have possibly opened a new vertical with these medical supplies. We have moved medical supplies before just not at the volume we are moving at right now.”

Gazitúa tells TMI that WTDC’s actions during this pandemic are setting the company up for success post-crisis: “We’ve been through hurricanes and 9/11 in the past. Obviously this is different from both of them, but this will just make us stronger.

“We are taking care of our employees and customers. Once this pandemic finishes we are going to be better and stronger than when we came into it.”

Michael Pasternak

TMI Article: WTDC evolves to serve Duty Free & Travel Retail from its FTZ

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WTDC evolves to better serve Free Trade Zone inventory management Lois Pasternak March 16, 2018, WTDC, a Foreign Trade Zone and Logistics company specializing in inventory management for the duty-free and travel retail industry, now oversees FTZ inventory management for some of the largest portfolios in the Spirits industry. When WTDC president and CEO Sean P. Gazitua first visited the IAADFS Duty-Free show in 2013, he was focused on meeting with his existing customers to review their Operations. “It seemed that everywhere we went, our current customers were introducing us to other suppliers,” Gazitua said. “Almost all of them were having the same logistics obstacles that we were resolving on a day to day basis.” The company began restructuring to better suit its spirits customers and their client base. WTDC developed spirits-specific standard procedures while considering distinct requirements for each customer. Technology and personnel would become the focus of WTDC’s culture shift. Understanding the buying cycles of the duty-free market and their need to consolidate orders was also critical. WTDC became a duty-free marketplace of sorts, a location where buyers could purchase from multiple suppliers and consolidate under one roof. From COLA waivers and spirits samples to navigating intricate customs regulations for each country, it has been the challenges of its customers that have now become opportunities for the company. WTDC has evolved to provide complete global logistics solutions, elevating itself from a bonded warehouse to include Foreign Trade Zone, Air and Ocean Transportation, and Customs Brokerage services. A temperature control area was also built within the warehouse so customers could warehouse their liqueurs, cognacs, and champagnes alongside their other spirits inventory. Gazitua maintains a longstanding relationship with the developers of its warehouse management system. With his assistance, they built out new platforms and inventory control tools to manage spirits in a Foreign Trade Zone environment. Numerous EDI integrations added to his growing knowledge of systems and the importance of automated processes to facilitate orders and documentation. WTDC also invested in new servers, closed Wi-Fi networks, RFID scan guns, cloud server backups, and firewall technology. As WTDC maintains a robust Internship program with local universities, there were willing and able educated personnel ready to tackle new challenges. Among the processes introduced for the spirits market were KPIs and cargo verification, many of which were completed by the student Interns. Many of these interns that began with the company learning the ins and outs of cargo verification have now become valuable assets as part-time and later full-time employees. The company recently expanded its customer service department and continues to make efforts to streamline all logistics processes for its customers. “Last March we kicked off our 40th year in business and we’ve significantly grown our spirits customer base this year,” WTDC president and CEO Sean P. Gazitua said. “We are excited about what the future holds for our company.”

FTZ Event & Miami Today Article

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Miami Today published an article on Tuesday’s GMCC Foreign Trade forum. The keynote speaker, Marshall V. Miller, detailed the strategic advantantages of Foreign Trade Zones and which industries have historically benefited from using them.

Kevin Lynskey from PortMiami made the announcement that WTDC will be the first Usage Driven site approved under the Alternative Site Framework for their FTZ 281. WTDC will be FTZ 281-4.

You can see pictures of the event on our Facebook page by clicking herefb.me/2jr3q7Rpt 

We look forward to keeping you updated as this opportunity develops.