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Breakbulk Americas Returns Live and In-Person to Houston

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Archives, Executive Education, Global Trade Daily

Breakbulk Americas Returns Live and In-Person to Houston

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Breakbulk Americas, the region’s largest trade event for the project cargo and breakbulk industry, will return to the George R. Brown Center in Houston, Sept. 28-30 this fall. Since the first Breakbulk Americas held more than 30 years ago, nothing stopped the show—not Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Harvey—until the COVID-19 pandemic when most offices closed, employees worked from home and travel was nearly non-existent. No large events were held in 2020, but 2021 presents a vastly different scene in the United States. Breakbulk Americas will be the first Breakbulk event to be held since the shutdown of March 2020.

Enthusiasm and interest in the show are running high. Breakbulk Americas will welcome back global sector leaders including DHL Global Forwarding, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, CMA CGM, Kuehne+Nagel, AAL Shipping, bremenports, Goldhofer Aktiengesellschaft, Liebherr and Bahri. New and notable to the show floor this year are Volvo Penta and Airbus, household names in the industrial manufacturing sector.

This September’s event is all about getting together as an industry after a long and unwelcome break. Fortunately, the vaccine rollout has been very efficient, and Americans are able to move around with a great deal of freedom, which bodes well for the event this fall. However, international travel remains uncertain. Breakbulk organizers are monitoring the global situation and will add remote coverage of the event if necessary for those unable to travel. We are working very closely with the City of Houston and the George R. Brown Convention Center to make sure that this is a safe experience for all.

Safe and secure

In a personal email to Breakbulk Americas organizers, Visit Houston, the city’s entity that governs events and tourism, has outlined its exceptional safety measures that will be in place for the event along with other improvements to support the region’s top event for the project cargo and breakbulk industry.

“Our city and team are vested in your success and are constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance your experience,” John Solis, Senior Vice President of Sales & Client Services at the GRB, said in a communiqué to Breakbulk. He said the convention center has made significant enhancements to its facility, including:

The George R. Brown Convention Center is the first facility in the world to deploy the Integrated Viral Protection (IVP) system. This is the world’s first biodefense filtration technology proven to eliminate SARS-CoV-2 (99.999%) and other airborne contaminants, and was recently awarded the 2020 Emerging Technology Award by The
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Solis said.

In addition, a new virtual studio inside the convention center will provide flexibility to maximize opportunities for hybrid experiences. This feature will allow Breakbulk to host remote expert speakers should that be necessary due to travel or budgetary considerations, along with its in-person industry panelists.

The new features complement Hyve’s (the Breakbulk event series parent company) own Safe & Secure program that is being applied to all Hyve events around the world, including Breakbulk Americas, Breakbulk Europe and Breakbulk Middle East.

Networking first

The Breakbulk team has conducted extensive customer research around expectations for Breakbulk Americas, and the message has been both unanimous and clear: after the event hiatus, networking is the most important feature of the event. Participants want to meet in person, catch up and explore new business opportunities. And Breakbulk Americas has an enhanced plan for that.

The traditional welcome reception held Tuesday evening at the GRB will embrace the spirit of Texas as thousands gather for the Reunion at the Breakbulk Saloon. Indeed, the entire exhibition floor will be decked out Western-style with “watering holes” (themed bars) throughout the halls. A dedicated shippers lounge will be a hub for EPCs, manufacturers, energy companies and other cargo owners to meet with one another and schedule meetings with exhibiting service providers.

Leading up to the reunion will be an Executive Summit for C-level exhibitors and shippers to tackle post-COVID recovery together, and on a lighter note, all attendees are invited to participate in the 2021 Maritime Workers Emergency Medical Fund Golf Tournament at the Hermann Park Golf Course in Houston.

The first full day of the exhibition and conference begins Wednesday morning, continuing through Thursday afternoon. On the main stage, industry leaders will present a wide range of insights on the evolving impact of COVID on business and projects, Biden’s infrastructure plan, U.S. offshore wind project opportunities, the carrier sector, Women in Breakbulk will tackle how male co-workers can be better allies, and the effects—both long term and short term—of the greening of the oil and gas supply chain. There will also be a gathering for Breakbulk Veterans, industry leaders from all sectors with 20 or more years of experience. In the lead-up to the event, our
news team will continue to cover these topics both on the website and throughout the pages of Breakbulk magazine.

While serving current industry professionals is critical to our mission, Breakbulk is also committed to fueling the next generation of transport and logistics professionals, and 2021 presents an unprecedented need to attract young people to the industry. On Thursday, Jerry Nagel Education Day, a half-day program to introduce students to the industry followed by guided tours of the exhibition floor led by the Exporters Competitive Maritime Council, will be held. With strong ties to Texas universities and beyond, Breakbulk typically hosts around 200 students and their instructors at this introduction to the industry and to its leaders. This program is free to educators and students.

Registration is now open with early bird pricing through July 31, 2021.

_______________________________________________________________

Useful links
Registration: https://xpressreg.net/register/BATC0921

Hotel Accommodations: https://americas.breakbulk.com/Page/book-your-hotel

Safe & Secure at Breakbulk Americas: https://americas.breakbulk.com/Page/safe-secure

Program Agenda: https://americas.breakbulk.com/business-programme

Floor Plan: http://americas.breakbulk.com/page/floor-plan

To inquire about exhibiting, visit https://americas.breakbulk.com/Book-a-Stand

Press contact:
Leslie Meredith
Director Marketing & Media
Breakbulk Events & Media, Hyve plc
E: Leslie.Meredith@breakbulk.com
T: +1 801 201 5971

distribution
Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, Warehousing

20 COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IDEAL FOR WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION CENTERS

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Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the nation into a series of lockdowns, warehouses large and small were sprouting all over the U.S. Once the pandemic hit, and lockdowns forced much of the nation to remain at home, e-commerce spiked like never before, and that’s been driving up the demand for even more distribution facilities.

Since the lockdowns began, Amazon has hired 175,000 new employees and beefed up its distribution network across the country, according to the Houston Business Journal. In April 2020, the Dallas Morning News reported that the distribution sector was seeing record business because of the pandemic.

“We have already seen that warehouse operations are proving to be more essential than ever,” Michael Caffey, president of the analyst firm CBRE’s South-Central Division and Latin America, told the paper. “The long-term effects of COVID-19 may boost industrial demand as retailers work to ensure they have adequate inventory levels to meet consumer demand. … In addition, COVID-19 and its associated quarantines are creating new online consumers, which will further increase e-commerce’s share of total retail sales.”

While new and larger warehouses are going up all over the U.S., here are 20 communities where demand seems especially high.

Chicago, Illinois

The market for warehouses and distribution in Chicago has been massive for years—fed by e-commerce and cold-storage, according to a 2019 post on the Chicago real estate news website The Real Deal. Even legalized recreational marijuana is expected to help fuel the warehouse expansion. And it was recently ranked very high in a 2018 CBRE analysis of future warehouse development. “In the smaller cities you see more fluctuations, but Chicago is one of the largest markets in the country and is just really sustainable,” CBRE Senior Vice President Whit Heitman told the Chicago Business Journal at the time.

Riverside, California

The growth of e-commerce has been driving warehouse construction in California’s Inland Empire for at least the past five years, and there’s no end in sight, according to a January 2020 article in the Riverside Press Enterprise. In fact, the region accounted for 21 of the largest lease deals in the nation in 2019—17.5 million square feet of warehouses and distribution centers. Of particular note was that a full million of that square footage belonged to Nordstrom’s new Riverside warehouse. The reasons for the high demand include proximity to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and a huge workforce that includes 141,000 logistics-related workers in Riverside and nearby San Bernardino Counties.

Houston, Texas

A steadily increasing population has led the Greater Houston Partnership to call that city and its surrounding metropolitan area a “global logistics and distribution hub,” according to a June 2020 Houston Business Journal story, and it’s easy to see why. The retail giant Amazon already operates a 1-million-square foot fulfillment center there, another 855,000-square-foot center, a few smaller facilities, and in June committed to building another fulfillment center that will encompass nearly a million square feet. In 2017, the Houston Chronicle reported that there was more than 6 million square feet in the city dedicated to warehousing and distribution—a 60 percent increase over the previous two years.

Detroit, Michigan

Even in the midst of a pandemic, people need to eat, which is why Lineage Logistics’ cold storage warehouse in Novi, just outside Detroit, announced that it was hiring 2,000 workers in March, as practically everyone else went into lockdown. According to a March 16 post on Crain’s Detroit Business news site, the labor increase is due to Lineage’s retail customers seeing a “20 percent to 50 percent increase” in sales as restaurants closed and grocery stores hurried to pick up the massive new demand. Growth in warehouse and distribution in Detroit has been steadily rising for the past five years, with Amazon opening a massive new fulfillment center in nearby Romulus in 2018.

Richmond, Virginia

In 2018, the firm CBRE declared that Richmond’s industrial warehouse market was in the midst of a “golden age,” according to an article that year in Virginia Business. Proximity to the Port of Richmond, a large population and growth in the e-commerce sector have led to growth that really began back in 2012, when Amazon opened a large distribution facility in the city. Since then, the size of the new warehouses began increasing along with their quantity—these days, the demand is for warehouses from 200,000- to 1 million square feet, according to Virginia Business.

Middlesex County, New Jersey

While the entire state of New Jersey has experienced considerable warehouse development (its location between Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., makes it an ideal distribution hub), Middlesex County is a powerhouse on its own. In fact, in 2017 WHYY reported that the area—which is just off the Jersey Turnpike—is “internationally known as a prime location for warehouses.” In 2019 alone, Wayfair executed a 950,000-square-foot lease there, while Crate & Barrel opted for an 870,000-square-foot operation, according to an October 2019 post on ReBusiness Online. In early 2020, MyCentralJersey reported that the Rockefeller Group proposed redeveloping an old Union Carbide factory in the county into a 420,000-square-foot warehouse.

Atlanta, Georgia

Considering that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest airport in the world, and the city has been a logistical hub since before the Civil War, it’s no wonder that Atlanta holds so many warehouses. In fact, the city caters to a variety of business, education and government distribution networks and facilities, according to the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. And many of the facilities already built and under construction in Atlanta are both large and high-tech—able to accommodate both large fleets of vehicles as well as robots and drones. In just one quarter of 2018, more than 16 million square feet of warehouse space was under construction, according to an Atlanta Business Chronicle story that year.

Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas

Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, warehouse operations are expanding in North Texas. In mid-April 2020, the Dallas Morning News reported that nearly 24 million square feet of warehouse space was under construction in the region. What’s more, the newspaper reported that warehouse demand there has run in the 20 million square feet range for the past four years. And with e-commerce making huge gains during the pandemic, industry analysts are predicting the demand won’t lessen anytime soon. “Increasing demand for goods bought online, especially food, will fuel the need for distribution facilities at a pace much higher than in the current cycle,” Michael Caffey, president of CBRE’s South-Central division and Latin America, said in the Morning News article.

Columbia, South Carolina

The Midlands region of South Carolina has long been home to giant distribution centers belonging to a range of companies, including Target, Home Depot and Amazon, the growth of which is closely linked to the rise of e-commerce. In fact, warehouse facilities make up the largest portion of the Midlands industrial real estate market (more than 44 million square feet), according to a July 2019 article in Columbia Regional Business Report. A late 2019 report from Colliers International found that the region would continue to grow due to “convenient logistic systems, a vibrant business climate, positive capital investment and low unemployment rates.”

Fernley, Nevada

For the past few years, Fernley has developed itself as Northern Nevada’s logistics hub. “It is particularly well-situated for linkages between rail, trucking and warehousing operations,” Robert Hooper, Northern Nevada Development Authority president and CEO, told KTVN News in June 2018. As Hooper said that, the powersports company Polaris was starting construction on a 475,000-square-foot distribution center in the town of about 21,000 people that’s about a half hour east of Reno. Since then, even larger facilities have been envisioned for Fernley, including an 815,000-square-foot warehouse that will be part of the new—and sprawling—Victory Logistics District, according to an April 2020 report in The Nevada Appeal. The new facilities, developers say, will include 40-foot clear heights, which will allow tenants to store more palletized products.

Portland, Oregon

While the growth in e-commerce has been responsible for massive new warehouses throughout the country, in Portland online retail is spurring growth in small warehouse construction. According to a March 2019 Oregon Business article, many smaller retailers who sell their products online are needing warehouse space to avoid the storage fees companies such as Amazon charge. In fact, many of these smaller retailers are looking to self-storage facilities for their needs, Oregon Business reports. In 2018, the real estate market analysis firm Yardi Matrix reported that Portland had one of the highest rates of self-storage facility development in America.

Phoenix, Arizona

Few cities in the U.S. are better equipped for warehouses and distribution than Phoenix. The biggest reason is undoubtedly the geography—Phoenix is relatively close to a variety of major cities throughout the Southwest, connected by a variety of major freeways. The hot and dry climate is also a contributing factor. According to a 2018 Colliers International Industrial Market Report, 7 million of the 7.8 million square feet of new industrial space in Phoenix that year was dedicated to warehousing and distribution. There are currently half a dozen major warehouses and distribution facilities planned for Phoenix and the surrounding area, according to an October 2019 report by the AZ Big Media publishing company.

York County, Pennsylvania

Central Pennsylvania is critical for warehouses and distributors, and York County is right in the thick of it. There are dozens of centers located there, mostly along the I-83 corridor between Harrisburg and Baltimore, and they are key to distribution for many East Coast cities, according to a March 2020 York Dispatch story. And the growth is continuing: Kinsley Properties—which already owns several warehouses in the county—has plans to build a new 175,000-square-foot warehouse along the corridor this year.

Birmingham, Alabama

Because the city sits at the juncture of four major interstates and is served by six rail lines, Birmingham is a natural distribution point. In October 2019, the Birmingham Business Journal reported that Amazon was preparing to build a nearly 100,000-square-foot warehouse in that city, which industry analysts said would help the e-commerce giant more toward same-day delivery. The Business Journal revealed that the warehouse would be up and running by the end of 2020. This facility followed an even larger one—an 825,000 square footer—that the company built in 2018 in Bessemer, which is just minutes away from Birmingham.

Miami, Florida

Warehouse demand—fueled largely by e-commerce—has been steadily rising in South Florida for the past few years. This isn’t surprising given the area’s close proximity to Central and South America and the Caribbean. And development is continuing into 2020. In fact, more than 3 million square feet of spec warehouse space is expected to come online this year, the Miami Herald reported in January. Four months later, The Real Deal South Florida Real Estate News reported that leases around Miami Airport were increasing in the logistics and transportation sectors—specifically in the 10,000-square-foot to 150,000-square-foot range.

Baltimore, Maryland

E-commerce has been expanding warehousing and distribution in Baltimore for the better part of a decade. In 2014, Amazon opened a massive 1-million-square-foot warehouse at an old General Motors plant in the city. A spokesperson for the online retailing giant told the Baltimore Sun at the time that the company chose the city because it put them closer to their customer base. (As the paper reported, the closest Amazon warehouse to Baltimore was 70 miles away at the time.) Since then, demand has only gone up; in fact, this past April, Amazon announced they would develop another 1-million-square-foot warehouse in Baltimore.

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville’s strategic location for shippers is unparalleled—Music City USA is served by three interstates, a navigable river and multiple rail lines. Since 2012, 3 million square feet of warehouse space has gone up in Nashville, according to a January 2020 article in The Tennessean. In late June 2020, Amazon—which is already building a massive office complex in Nashville—announced that it would also construct a 200,000-square-foot warehouse there, too. Like Portland, Oregon, Nashville is also seeing tremendous growth in the self-storage sector.

Cleveland, Ohio

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, growth in demand generated by e-commerce was far outstripping the supply of warehouses in Cleveland. And it’s not just Amazon, either: “A lot of companies are growing their delivery business, expanding their need for warehouse space,” News 5 in Cleveland reported in late February. Of course, Amazon is there, too, and the company announced in early July that it had leased a 434,000-square-foot warehouse in Cleveland to use as a new distribution facility, Cleveland.com reported. Around the same time, Amazon also announced plans to start using two other smaller warehouses in the Cleveland area.

Denver, Colorado

Warehouse and distribution have been growing in the greater Denver area for nearly 20 years, the Denver Post reported in February. And while Amazon already operates four large centers there, growth is also coming from FedEx, Walmart, Tempur-Pedic and even industrial hemp, the Post noted. In early 2019, GE Appliances cited Denver’s rapidly rising population growth as reason for it to open a new high-tech Denver Area Distribution Center, complete with RFID-tracking and parking for 100 trailers. The new facility would allow the company “to deliver products in three days or fewer to 90 percent of U.S. homes,” Mark Shirkness, vice president of Distribution for GE Appliances, said at the time.

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, the UPS Worldport hub just south of the airport and the city’s general centralized location are big reasons why warehouse development has been growing in Louisville for the past few years. This has all contributed to a “red hot” industrial market there, the Louisville Future email newsletter reported in 2018. “The strength of the Louisville industrial market has been going on for several years, as its position as a central transportation hub, especially including UPS Worldport, and development of large industrial parks have invited large warehousing facilities—and, especially, e-commerce fulfillment,” Louisville Future stated. That there was 3.5 million square feet of new industrial market construction in Louisville in just the first six months of 2018 would seem to say “red hot” is an understatement.

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Archives, Best Cities, Global Trade Daily

America’s Best Cities: Houston Tops Global Trade’s Seventh Annual Roundup

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For Global Trade’s seventh annual list of America’s Best Cities, we have crunched the numbers from various public and private sources regarding ports, education, utilities, NAFTA access, export assistance, intermodal access, skilled workforce, transportation, workforce development programs and quality of life.

We ranked the 10 best cities for each related category, awarding points that ultimately put Houston, Texas, over the top as America’s Best City.

Houston is used to topping such lists, as we note with its separate No. 1 ranking on the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration’s 2018 goods export data for the nation’s 392 Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

Incidentally, that government data showed U.S. metro areas exported a significant $1.5 trillion in merchandise across the world in 2018, a $110.3 billion (or 8.1 percent) increase from the year before. Of the 259 metropolitan areas that reported positive export growth, 94 reached record levels.

“The Trump Administration is committed to addressing trade imbalances, breaking down trade barriers, and providing U.S. companies with new reach in foreign markets,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Gilbert Kaplan. “With this increase in exports over the last year and the continued work of the Commercial Service, it is a fruitful time for American businesses.”

Charts throughout this section show the top cities and their rankings overall and in key areas, while honorably mentioned are the top 10 cities to watch, any of which could be on the way to leading a future Global Trade list of America’s Best Cities. But first, here are the top 20 cities, with their rankings, overall scores and some details about what made them leaders.

1. Houston

Overall score: 44

Top category: Education and Colleges (No. 1)

The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area also topped the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration’s 2018 goods export data for the nation’s 392 Metropolitan Statistical Areas. That Texas metropolitan area had $120.7 billion in goods exports while also showing the highest annual dollar growth in exports, expanding $25 billion from 2017 to ’18.

2. Minneapolis

Overall score: 38

Top category: Skilled/Educated Workforce (No. 4)

Eight miles west of Minneapolis is Minnetonka, which is home to a key player in the region’s beefy export data. Cargill Inc. reported global beef sales helped lead the nation’s largest privately held company to a $915 million profit for the quarter ended Aug. 31. Minnesotans can moo about state exports rising 10 percent to a record $23 billion in 2018, outpacing the nation’s 8 percent jump.

3. Chicago

Overall score: 37

Top category: Transportation Infrastructure (No. 5)

Trading defines Chicago’s importance as a major international city, with two of the biggest commodity exchanges based there. With exports of $47.3 billion, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin) Metropolitan Statistical Area was fifth the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration’s 2018 goods export data for the nation’s 392 MSAs.

4. New York

Overall score: 32

Top category: Capable, Connected and Logistically Viable Ports (No. 1)

“If you want to start a business, create a new product or have a big idea, New York City is the place to be,” then-mayor Michael Bloomberg said in 2012. That remains true today of the world’s epicenter of finance, communication and culture. The New York-Newark-Jersey City (New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania) Metropolitan Statistical Area came in second in the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration’s 2018 goods export data for the nation’s 392 MSAs, with exports of $97.7 billion.

5. Seattle

Overall score: 29

Top category: Transportation Infrastructure (No. 4)

About 70 percent of the Port of Seattle’s containerized cargo originates in, or is destined for, regions of the country outside the Pacific Northwest, making Seattle a trade gateway of regional, national and international significance. That’s partly due to being closer to Asia and Alaska than any other major U.S. seaport and also to two major U.S. railroads being within two miles of container terminals, and two major interstate highways just minutes from all terminals. With exports of $59.7 billion, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue MSA came in fourth in the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration’s 2018 goods export data rankings.

6. Los Angeles

Overall score: 27

Top category: Transportation Infrastructure (No. 3)

Home to Hollywood, Los Angeles means showbiz, with movie studios, TV stations, and more. Its West Coast location also makes it a key hub for trade with Asia. With exports of $64.8 billion, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Metropolitan Statistical Area was third in the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration’s 2018 goods export data for the nation’s 392 MSAs.

7. San Francisco

Overall score: 25

Top category: Education and Colleges (No. 7)

San Francisco has a long history as an international gateway and is one of the major global business centers in the U.S.; its home to international companies such as Kikkomann (Japan), GCL Solar (China), Aegon (Netherlands), Deutsche Bank (Germany) and Globant (Argentina). ‘Frisco has also gained an international reputation as a center for innovation and entrepreneurship, with many global brands having been founded there, including GAP, Levi Strauss, URS Corp., Gensler, Salesforce and Twitter.

8. Atlanta

Overall score: 20

Top categories: Transportation Infrastructure and Intermodal Access (No. 2)

“Hot-lanta” was the 16th largest exporter in the U.S. in 2016, with a 7 percent increase over the previous year leading to $20.5 billion in the total Atlanta goods export value. What’s more, that represented a whopping 80 percent jump in export growth from 2006.

9. New Orleans

Overall score: 19

Top category: Capable, Connected and Logistically Viable Ports (No. 9)

Ports situated along the Mississippi River—from Baton Rouge to Myrtle Grove—are close enough together (some are even adjacent) to act as one large port complex often referred to the New Orleans Port Region. The region brings together all modes of transportation (ocean, barge, rail and truck) to link ports 228 miles upriver from the Gulf of Mexico with the gulf, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean and Panama Canal. The Port of South Louisiana moves more tonnage than any other North American port.

10. Austin

Overall score: 17

Top category: Skilled/Educated Workforce (No. 8)

You likely know that Austin is the state capital of Texas, home to the University of Texas flagship campus and the site of a thriving art, film, music and cultural scene. What you may not know is, with a population of more than 945,000 people, the Austin-Round Rock area is the 28th largest exporter in the U.S., exporting about $10.1 billion in goods and services annually.

11. Boston

Overall score: 15

Top category: Skilled/Educated Workforce (No. 5)

With M.I.T. and Harvard’s intellectual capital and strong financial markets, Boston possesses a wealth of infrastructure to accommodate global traders. The transportation infrastructure alone, which hubs six New England states, includes a deepwater port, three interstates, Amtrak and Conrail railroads and busy Logan Airport.

12. Omaha and Savannah

Overall score: 14 each

Top Omaha category: Developed Workforce/Development Programs (No. 4)

Top Savannah category: Intermodal Access (No. 6)

Greater Omaha is growing places. Over the past 10 years, exports in that region of Nebraska have increased by $1.9 billion, growing an average of 0.9 percent each year. Despite Savannah’s East Coast location, the historic Georgia city’s top trade lane for both export and import cargo is northeast Asia.

13. Denver

Overall score: 13

Top categories: Skilled/Educated Workforce and  Developed Workforce/Development Programs (No. 1)

Colorado exports increased 3.3 percent in 2018 to $8.32 billion, up from $8.06 billion in 2017. Being strategically located between Canada and Mexico allows metropolitan Denver to capitalize on NAFTA opportunities. That explains why Canada, with $1.4 billion in 2018 export value, and Mexico, which was just behind at $1.3 billion, are Colorado’s largest trading partners.

14. Jacksonville and Milwaukee

Overall score: 12 each

Top Jacksonville category: Capable, Connected and Logistically Viable Ports (No. 5)

Top Milwaukee category: Export Assistance (No. 2)

JAXPORT, as the cool kids call the Port of Jacksonville, annually ranks with nearby Brunswick, Georgia, and Baltimore as being among the top three U.S. ports in roll-on, roll-off vehicle shipments. High and heavy shipments are also growing at JAXPORT. With more than 2 million people and 50,000 businesses, the seven-county Milwaukee Region, which is centrally located on the Great Lakes, has a reputation for innovation, quality, ease and choice. In 2018, Wisconsin goods exports were $22.7 billion, an increase of 10 percent ($2.1 billion) from its export level in 2008.

15. Boise

Overall score: 11

Top category: Best City to Live in (No. 4)

Given Idaho’s population of 1.754 million people, its total $4 billion in 2018 exports translates to roughly $2,300 for each Gem State resident. Most of that export activity is centered in Boise, which is experiencing a boom due to its affordability and quality of life.

16. Charleston, Detroit, Washington, D.C.

Overall score: 10 each

Top Charleston category: Capable, Connected and Logistically Viable Ports (No. 4)

Top Detroit category: NAFTA Access (No. 10)

Top Washington, D.C., category: Education and Colleges (No. 4)

Ranking as the country’s fastest-growing mid-sized metro for aircraft manufacturing, Charleston is flying high in the aerospace sector. Already home to aerospace leaders like Boeing and SKF Aero Bearing, Charleston in June was revealed to be French aerospace supplier AHG Fasteners-USA’s U.S. operations hub. AHG is the sixth company to locate in the historic South Carolina region as part of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance and the South Carolina Department of Commerce’s Landing Pad program, which assists global companies entering the U.S. market.

The hub for America’s automotive industry—thanks to three major automobile businesses with headquarters within principal city Detroit’s metropolitan area—Michigan shipped $57.9 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2018. That made Michigan America’s seventh-biggest exporting state behind Texas, California, New York, Washington, Louisiana and Illinois. Washington, D.C., was the top-ranked city on the 2019 Global Talent Competitiveness Index, followed by Copenhagen, Oslo, Vienna and Zurich.

The GTCI report, which includes a special focus on the encouraging, nurturing and developing of entrepreneurial talent, attributed the strong performance of the nation’s capital to its steady economy, dynamic population, outstanding infrastructure and connectivity, highly-skilled workforce and world-class education.

Archives, Global Trade Daily, Trucking

Trucking Training & Safety Evaluated Following Multi-Fatality Crash

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A devastating crash involving 28 cars and a long-haul truck driver has left the trucking industry re-evaluating safety protocol involving trucker training and vehicle inspections.

The accident – which occurred in April in Lakewood, Colorado, turned deadly when a driver for Castellano 03 Trucking LLC of Houston stated to police the breaks of the truck failed on a downhill grade. The driver – who has a clean driving record, was charged with three dozen felony counts and could face prison time.1 According to records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 30 violations were reported out of 19 inspections spanning two years – some of which were directly related to brakes.2

“Exactly what happened and how remains a matter for the courts to determine,” said John Kearney, CEO of Advanced Training Systems, a leading designer and manufacturer of virtual simulators for truck driver training. “This tragic incident makes clear the importance of stringent enforcement of truck safety regulations and the best possible training for operators.”

“Trucking is thus a linchpin of the economy,” Kearney said. “It is also an industry under intense pressure to manage explosive growth within tight financial margins.”


With trucking moving a reported 70 percent of total freight in the U.S. by American trucking associations, 3 trucking companies are undoubtedly feeling the pressure to provide training while meeting market demands. Additionally, it’s reported the industry is in need of 50,000 more full-time drivers.4 The challenge is recruiting, training, and deploying drivers quickly and safely.

The real question asks if simulator training is the next best step in addressing the challenges and extreme pressures present within the industry. Simulator training provides room for learning without incurring damages and risking lives on the road.

“It’s a key component of training, but not the only component,”  Kearney said. “Classroom instruction still is essential, along with behind-the-wheel training with an experienced operator in a real truck. This is exactly the mix of mandatory training modalities used by the airline industry, which also should be mandatory in the trucking industry. As delivery schedules shorten, highway congestion and the demand for highly skilled truck operators will only increase. It’s to everyone’s benefit to make sure those drivers have had the best training possible.”

This report was provided by Advanced Training Systems LLC and includes the following references:

1 Helsel, Phil, “Truck driver in fiery Colorado crash charged with 40 counts, may face decades in prison,” NBC, May 3, 2019.

2 Miller, Blair, “Company that I-70 crash driver works for has past federal violations for brakes, English proficiency,” The Denver Channel, April 29, 2019.

3 “Reports, Trends & Statistics,” American Trucking Associations, 2019.

4 “Pressure’s on the Trucking Sector,” Insurance Journal, November 15, 2018.


Archives, Global Trade Daily, News

Air Partner Announces Houston Location

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Following the most recent opening of its Los Angeles office, global aviation group Air Partner confirmed the opening of its newest headquarters in Houston, Texas this week. The new Woodlands office supports the company’s vision to continue efforts in expansion to better serve its clients in various regions.

“We are excited to open an office in Houston as we expand our reach and services across the U.S., providing local Air Partner representation to both established and new customers,” said David McCown, president of Air Partner U.S. “Houston is one of the fastest-growing major cities in the United States and is a hotbed of economic activity.  We see massive potential for growth in the region.”

In addition to extending reach for customers, the Houston office is in favorable proximity to the major oil and gas hub in the region, creating opportunities for Air Partner to extend its freight and corporate jet shuttle programs. With the Port of Houston currently serving as a top foreign trade zone, the company’s strategic location for the new office will also provides ample opportunities for the expansion of large freight and cargo operations.

The London-based company offers services including air charter,cargo services, private air travel solutions, specialist travel management, emergency planning, aircraft remarketing and aviation safety consultancy and training, including air traffic control and wildlife management

Air Partner currently has U.S. office locations in Fort Lauderdale, New York City and Washington, D.C. and shows no plans of slowing down expansion efforts in key regions.

Archives, Global Trade Daily, News

New Interjet Service Links Houston and Monterrey, Mexico

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Houston, TX – Interjet has officially began flight operations linking George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas with Monterrey International Airport in Monterrey, Mexico.

The airline will now offer passengers a choice between two daily flights Monday through Friday and one daily flight on Saturdays and Sundays.

Depending upon demand, the airline will feature service aboard its 150-seat A-320 and its 93-seat Superjet 100 aircraft, with passengers departing from Terminal D at the airport’s Mickey Leland International Terminal.

Interjet’s daily service will include service twice a day Monday through Friday, and once a day on Saturday and Sunday.

The arrival of Interjet is the latest example of an unprecedented level of growth for international air travel in Houston.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport is currently on pace to see more than 10 million international passengers in 2014, a number never  reached in the facility’s 45 year history.

10/23/2014

Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, News, Ocean Ports

Houston Handles Record Steel Shipments

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Houston, TX – The Port of Houston handled more steel shipments in July than in any month since 2008 as 844,000 tons of the product were handled at the port, according to Executive Director Roger Guenther.

Addressing the most recent meeting of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority (PHA), Guenther also noted that the port had achieved a record with operating revenues in July 2014 of more than $24 million.

Steel and bulk cargo grew by “a solid 5 percent” in July, he said, adding that more than 22 million tons of cargo moved across PHA docks during the first seven months of the year.

Container volume was relatively flat compared to last year, but recorded a four percent increase in the number of loaded boxes year to date.

This was offset, Guenther said, “by a reduced number of empty containers being imported through PHA terminals due to an increase in loaded imports.”

Combining the strength in revenues and controlled spending, PHA has generated more than $65 million in operating cash flow for the year, a growth of 5 percent, he reported.

Following the first two quarters of 2014, the PHA said that it’s prepared a “re-forecast budget” for the remainder of the year, reflecting a $5.8 million increase in annual operating revenue, a decrease of $2.1 million in annual operating expense.

“This revenue generated will be reinvested in the infrastructure assets needed to increase capacity and provide for increased economic activity and job growth for the region,” said Guenther.

09/11/2014