Water Donation for His House Children’s Home

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WTDC Newsletter

 

August 28, 2023

President’s Corner

The Florida Gulf Coast is preparing for Tropical Storm Idalia that may become a Hurricane when it makes landfall. Please be advised that even though this storm may affect Florida, WTDC is far from the projected impact. Like every hurricane season, we will prepare and keep an eye on the tropics. Hoping our friends on the West Coast of Florida are not greatly impacted.
Best Regards,
Sean Gazitua, President & CEO
Send a message to WTDC President and CEO Sean Gazitua

Water Donation for His House

His House Children’s Home is fully stocked with water in preparation for hurricane season! WTDC donated over 2600 gallons of bottled water and a water filtration system. Thank you to our employees, families, customers, and vendors for truly making an impact with your donations. Way to go Ginger Diez, WTDC Logistics Manager, on organizing this water drive!
Adrienne Cerra Simeon, His House Children’s Home Development and Marketing Manager, pictured below with Sean Gazitua, WTDC President and CEO, and Ginger Diez, WTDC Logistics Manager. Contact Adrienne for more ways to support His House, such as their Imagine Gala on October 7th at the JW Marriott Marquis in Miami.

South Florida Cruise Industry on the rise

The Cruise industry is back and better than ever as passenger demand is higher than it was prior to the COVID-19 shutdown. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings reported record revenues of 2.2 billion in the second quarter, up 33% over the same period in 2019.
South Florida ports have felt the resurgence as Port Everglades’ number of passengers has increased 77% since 2022. PortMiami has already reached $100 million in cruise passenger revenue for the year.
Due to the high demand, Port Everglades is in the process of renovating a dedicated Disney Cruise terminal set to finish before the Winter Cruise season.

MIA on pace for record passengers in 2023

26.2 million passengers passed through Miami International Airport in the first 6 months of 2023, a 2.6% increase from the same period in 2022.
“On the heels of last year’s full recovery from the pandemic downturn,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava observed, “MIA continues to lead the way for our local tourism industry and the nation in terms of passenger growth and economic impact.”

 

 

Miami-Dade County to invest millions into PortMiami

Miami-Dade County is selling $499.2 million worth of bonds to support new projects and infrastructure changes at PortMiami. An expansion for Royal Caribbean will be funded by the County, which will include redeveloping cruise terminal G for parking improvements and a new building.

 

 

WTDC’s 10th Anniversary as a Foreign Trade Zone

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WTDC Newsletter – December 16, 2022

  • President’s Corner
  • ProChile visits WTDC
  • The last 747
  • WTDC’s 10th Anniversary as a Foreign Trade Zone
  • Sound Meditation
  • Fire Drill with MDPD
  • Azamara Onward makes first call to PortMiami

 

President’s Corner

As I look back on 2022, I am so grateful for our customers. Through service to our customers, employees, and community we’ve had opportunities to progress as a company.

In 2023 we look forward to implementing our EDI bridge developed over the past year. We upgraded our forklift fleet, trailer spotter, and made a number of improvements to our facility. Next year we will continue to reinvest in ourselves, building our team and upgrading security for our technology and facility.

This year we expanded our Health and Wellness initiatives with more mindfulness sessions and workouts, full health insurance coverage, healthy lunches for all employees, and improved our on-site workout room. We countered the rise in gas prices with a fuel allowance and put incentive programs in place for all employees.

WTDC celebrated our 45th anniversary in March and that enthusiasm has held strong in all aspects of the business. I am most proud of the way our employees have taken ownership of our community initiatives over the past year. We look forward to working with our customers to better their WTDC experience in 2023.

Wishing you a Happy Holidays!

Stay healthy,

Sean Gazitua, President & CEO

 

ProChile visits WTDC

On December 7, WTDC welcomed ProChile Trade Commissioner Claudia Ferrer and Trade Manager Jaime Silva to our offices. In cooperation with Empresas Perrot, our Chilean logistics partner, WTDC is committed to providing logistics solutions to support the mission of ProChile: growing exports from Chile.

 

The last 747

After 54 years of production, the Boeing 747 has been discontinued. The jet modernized air travel and allowed comfort on long trips. While new 747’s are not being made, existing jets will still be used for both cargo and passenger flights.

 

WTDC’s 10th Anniversary as a Foreign Trade Zone

On December 12th, WTDC celebrated its 10th anniversary as a Foreign Trade Zone. WTDC was the first operating FTZ in PortMiami’s FTZ 281. Thank you to our grantee PortMiami, our customers, and our employees for helping our vision become a reality.

 

Sound Meditation

On Friday, December 9th, Andrea De La Madriz led a sound meditation session at WTDC. As part of our Health and Wellness Initiative, WTDC encourages our employees to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

 

Fire Drill with MDPD

On Monday, December 12, WTDC held a fire drill with the help of the Neighborhood Resource Unit of Miami-Dade Police Department. Thank you to our staff and tenants for your cooperation!

 

Azamara Onward makes first call to PortMiami

Azamara’s newest ship the Azamara Onward arrived to PortMiami to a welcoming party of Miami-Dade County officials this week. The cruise will have a short run from Miami before moving to Europe in the Spring.

Sean Gazitua appointed to Arsht Board

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WTDC Newsletter – December 5, 2022

  • President’s Corner
  • Sean Gazitua appointed to Arsht Center Board of Directors
  • PortMiami Welcomes its Largest Container Ship to Date
  • Royal Caribbean Reaches Biggest Deal Ever with PortMiami
  • Lotus House Food Drive Success
  • Pajama Drive for His House
  • Angel Tree Project
  • WTDC Thanksgiving Potluck
  • LEAF Emmaus Food Drive

President’s Corner

I’m honored to now be appointed to the Adrienne Arsht Center Trust (AACT) Board of Directors, recently confirmed by our Miami-Dade County Commissioners and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

Community is one of the four pillars of WTDC. With this new platform, I hope to further uplift our local community through the arts. For more information, look to the article below.

Stay healthy,

Sean Gazitua, President & CEO

 

Sean Gazitua appointed to Arsht Center Board of Directors

WTDC President and CEO Sean Gazitua and 5 other nominees were appointed to the Adrienne Arsht Center Trust (AACT) Board of Directors during the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners meeting held November 1st, 2022.

Arsht Center is the preeminent hub for arts in Miami-Dade County, with a mission to engage and connect people from every corner of our community through artistic excellence and inspiring educational experiences. The board supports the Arsht Center through supervision, recruitment, and advocacy.

 

PortMiami Welcomes its Largest Container Ship to Date

On November 17th, the CMA CGM Osiris arrived to PortMiami. It is the largest container ship to dock at PortMiami and has a maximum capacity of 15,536 TEU.

 

Royal Caribbean Reaches Biggest Deal Ever with PortMiami

On November 15th, Royal Caribbean and PortMiami reached an agreement that will generate 2.8 billion dollars for the local economy over 50 year deal. The deal includes construction of a new Terminal G for the exclusive use of Royal Caribbean Group brand, construction of another future shared terminal with MSC, a lease extension to 2017 for Royal Caribbean Group’s headquarters at PortMiami, and approval for renovation of their headquarters. The accord estimates 12,000 new jobs will be created as a result.

 

Lotus House Food Drive Success

WTDC’s 4th Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive was a major success! We delivered a trunk full of food for Lotus House Shelter.

Lotus House is a leader in addressing the special needs of homeless women, youth, and children with innovative, holistic, evidence based solutions to break the cycle of childhood abuse, domestic violence, and homelessness.

Thank you to everyone who donated!

 

Pajama Drive for His House

Join WTDC in donating new pajamas for the children of His House Children’s Home in our 8th Annual Pajama Drive. Donations can be dropped off or addressed to WTDC. Thank you for your years of support!

Can’t make it to WTDC? Contact WTDC Logistics Manager Ginger Diez for more ways to donate.

 

Angel Tree Project

Every Christmas season, WTDC participates in the Angel Tree Project from Prison Fellowship. This year, WTDC sponsored Christmas gifts for 10 children of incarcerated parents. The project aims to strengthen relationships between incarcerated parents and their children.

 

WTDC Thanksgiving Potluck

On November 16th, WTDC held a Thanksgiving potluck for staff after work. Thank you everyone for bringing such amazing dishes!

 

LEAF Emmaus Food Drive

On Thursday, November 17th, WTDC Logistics Manager Ginger Diez and Transportation Manager Castell Chavez joined WTDC Chairman Ralph L. Gazitua and Law Enforcement and Firefighters (LEAF) Emmaus members to distribute Thanksgiving meals door to door to needy families in Homestead.