PORT EVERGLADES
Steve Cernak, chief executive and port director

FTZ No. 25
Big Ship Ready: Target 2020-2022
Rail: Florida East Coast Railway
Highways: I-595, I-95, I-75, Florida Turnpike
Days to Brazil: 7-8
Top Exports: General Cargo, Grocery Products, Fabrics
Cargo Types: Containers, Dry Bulk, Break Bulk

What infrastructure additions has the port made to support shippers over the past two years?
The Eller Drive Overpass that leads in and out of the port is finished and because of it there is now only one traffic light between us and Los Angeles. A truck could literally go through that traffic light, get on Interstate 595 and, if they had a large enough gas tank and a large enough bottle by their side, be able to drive to L.A. without ever stopping again.

What’s your most under-appreciated asset?
We exceeded one million TEUs last year, the only port in Florida with a million TEUs, yet we’re not recognized for our containerized cargo operation.

What exciting developments are on the horizon?
Everything coming together in a positive direction. Cruise business is growing as is cargo and petroleum, which is a sign of the economy rebounding and we’re situated to take advantage since 70 percent of the U.S. population is within four days of us.

JAXPORT
Brian Taylor, CEO

FTZ No. 64
Big Ship Ready: Target of 2016
Rail: CSX, NS, Florida East Coast Railway
Highways: I-10, I-95, I-295
Days to Puerto Rico: 2 days
Top Exports: Autos, General Cargo, Grocery Products
Cargo Types: Containers, Ro/Ro, Break Bulk

What infrastructure additions has the port made to support shippers over the past two years?
We’ve moved ahead with the development of our intermodal container transfer facilit, a $30 million project that will be completed in December. This will offer our customers the ability to get their boxes directly from the maritime terminal to the rail facility on dedicated trains that will be moving to intermodal destinations beyond Jacksonville.

What do you have in place to get trucks in and out fast?
Our tenants operate facilities here and each has their own unique gate, so we don’t have every customer coming into our facility through one dedicated gate facility. They pass through our prescreening gate to make sure that everybody accessing the secure area of our port has the proper credentials.

What’s your elevator pitch?
You could reach 60 million consumers within one day’s truck drive of the Port of Jacksonville. The connectivity in the modes of transportation come together in this port. It’s the ease of operation, diversity of assets and our ability to offer flexible solutions for a variety of different customers.

GEORGIA PORTS AUTHORITY
Edward Fulford, manager of Communications

FTZ No. 104
Big Ship Ready: Target of 2018
Rail: CSX, NS
Highways: I-95, I-16
Days to China: 25-36
Top Exports: Containers (Savannah), Bulk (Brunswick)
Cargo Types: Containers, Bulk

What infrastructure additions has the port made to support shippers over the past two years?
Construction has begun on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a contract to dredge the outer harbor to 49 feet at low tide. A subsequent contract will deepen the inner harbor to 47 feet at low tide.

What do you have in place to get trucks in and out fast?
An Automated Terminal Asset Management System [that] requires motor carriers to validate their move prior to arriving at the facility. Optical Character Recognition cameras read numbers on container boxes, and RFID readers ID over-the-road trucks equipped with Radio Frequency Identification tags. Data from these components populate gate process forms, which record gate transactions.

What exciting developments are on the horizon?
The GPA will soon start construction on Gate 8, a new multi-lane truck gate which will help Garden City Terminal avoid congestion while completing 9,000 truck moves per day. The Port of Savannah will add another four ship-to-shore cranes to our current fleet of 22 in 2016.

THE PORT OF CHICAGO
FTZ No. 22
Rail: CN, NS, Chicago Rail Link, Chicago Short Line, Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad
Highways: I-90, U.S. 20, U.S. 41
Top Exports: Steel/Scrap, Grain, Liquid Bulk
Cargo Types: Steel, Dry Bulk, Liquid Bulk

PORT OF DULUTH-SUPERIOR, MINNESOTA
FTZ No. 51
Big Ship Ready: No
Rail: BNSF, CN, CP, UP
Highways: I-35, I-53
Days to Europe: 15
Top Exports: Iron Ore, Low-Sulfur Western Coal, Grain
Cargo Types: Break Bulk, Dry Bulk

PORT OF PHILADELPHIA
FTZ No. 35
Big Ship Ready: No
Rail: CSX, NS
Highways: I-76, I-95
Top Exports: Military Cargoes, Overdimensional/Heavylift, Vehicles
Cargo Types: Containers, Break Bulk, Ro/Ro