® MAKING THE CASE FOR Using the Port of Jacksonville to Lower Your Cost to Market Situated within a day’s drive of 70+ million consumers, America’s logistics center is a place where shippers of all sizes and across all industries come to lower their cost to market and grow their enterprises. PEERLESS CONTENT CREATION JACKSONVILLE PORT AUTHORITY MAKING THE CASE USING THE PORT OF JACKSONVILLE TO LOWER YOUR COST TO MARKET It’s a Fact: Jacksonville is the Logistics Center of America RIVE INTO JACKSONVILLE, FLA., and you’ll probably notice a roadside sign that Dstates, “America’s Logistics Center.” Aptly named, this Florida city is positioned at the nation’s center when it comes to moving shipments from Point A to Point B. “This isn’t just propaganda; it’s a fact,” says Scott Lane, CIO at Jacksonville-based Beaver Street Fisheries, a wholesaler of seafood and meat that sells to mass discounters, grocers, distributors, food service companies, and restaurant chains. “Look at where Jacksonville is on the map, and we’re sitting here between two Class I railroads, three major highway systems, and a port that carries over 1.3 million TEUs of cargo annually.” Peel back JAXPORT’s layers a little further and you’ll find a robust logistics infrastructure that spans all modes of transportation, ocean carriers of all sizes, and third-party logistics (3PL) companies. “When you factor in the many 3PLs that are based here in Jacksonville,” says Lane, “our logistics footprint is clearly expansive.” Wanted: The Right Logistics Hub Many factors are taking a toll on shippers’ bottom lines: international tariffs, global competition, rising freight rates, fluctuating transportation capacity, and the need to fulfill customers’ orders at lightning speed. With customs complexity, soaring real estate costs, and a push to keep costs in check compounding these issues, finding an efficient and affordable gateway is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. 2 • JAXPORT: Using the Port of Jacksonville to Lower Your Cost to Market • www.jaxport.com/cargo JACKSONVILLE PORT AUTHORITY MAKING THE CASE USING THE PORT OF JACKSONVILLE TO LOWER YOUR COST TO MARKET For shippers like Beaver Street Focused on balancing efficiency Lane, whose company averages Fisheries, Margo Garden Products, with speed-to-market, more about 2,500 containers of seafood AJC International, and Industry companies are turning to JAXPORT products annually. Previously using West, JAXPORT provides a as a viable hub. “Companies are the Port of Savannah, Ga., due to reliable, wide-reaching logistics dealing with U.S. consumer demand carrier choice, the company was infrastructure that helps these and that didn’t exist 10 years ago, paying high drayage rates for trips many others compete effectively when receiving an order in 5-7 days between Jacksonville (where the in the global marketplace. was the norm,” says Eccleston. company is based) and Savannah. “Customers today demand faster After switching to JAXPORT shipping times. Knowing this, more about six years ago, Beaver Street “This isn’t just firms are reevaluating their footprints Fisheries immediately began seeing propaganda; it’s a fact… in the market and their supply chains the benefits of that decision. When you factor in the as a whole.” “Not only is the drayage much many 3PLs that are For these shippers, JAXPORT less expensive, but we can now based here in serves as both a strong logistics turn several containers per day,” Jacksonville, our logistics foundation on its own, plus a highly- says Lane. “That saves us both footprint is clearly networked transportation hub that money and time, both of which are expansive.” gets products to their destinations critical ‘wins’ for our business.” quickly and efficiently. “We serve as — Scott Lane, a true partner in this process, both CIO, Beaver Street Fisheries internationally and domestically,” says “Geographic location, Eccleston. “As a port, our ultimate access to consumer “Geographic location, access goal is to help shippers get their markets, available to consumer markets, available goods to their customers fast.” container capacity, and container capacity, and highway highway infrastructure infrastructure all play into Connecting Critical Markets all play into JAXPORT’s JAXPORT’s strong logistics With more companies focused strong logistics mix.” mix,” says Aisha Eccleston, on optimizing their transportation the port’s director of national networks, JAXPORT boasts ample — Aisha Eccleston, container accounts. land-based infrastructure (e.g., Director of National Container Accounts, JAXPORT That “mix” has proven especially warehouses and DCs); more than vital for companies that must keep 100 trucking firms with Jacksonville up with the fast pace of e-commerce. operations; and 40 daily trains across In this Making the Case, we not With so many companies two different Class 1 rail lines (CSX only highlight JAXPORT’s core transforming their business models, and Norfolk Southern), regional rail strengths and show why it truly and with more and more transactions Florida East Coast Railway, and is the logistics center of America, taking place online, customers want on-dock rail operations. Combined, but we also hear from numerous their stuff now. They won’t settle for these entities provide high levels of shippers and one 3PL that are less than that, which makes the right connectivity to and from numerous already reaping the rewards of logistics infrastructure that much southeastern consumer markets. doing business via this full-service, more important. No one knows this better than international trade seaport. JAXPORT: Using the Port of Jacksonville to Lower Your Cost to Market • www.jaxport.com/cargo • 3 JACKSONVILLE PORT AUTHORITY MAKING THE CASE USING THE PORT OF JACKSONVILLE TO LOWER YOUR COST TO MARKET Situated Right in the Heart of the South Atlantic FULL-SERVICE, INTERNATIONAL TRADE its growing southeastern operations, for example, it A SEAPORT situated at the crossroads of the worked with the port to find the space it needed. Sissy nation’s rail and highway network, JAXPORT is located McQuaig, Industry West’s COO, says the company in Northeast Florida, right in the heart of the South opened a 121,000-square-foot DC in Jacksonville Atlantic. The port owns, maintains, and markets three about a year ago. She says part of the decision to cargo terminals, two intermodal container transfer open the company’s largest DC to date was based on facilities, and a passenger cruise terminal along the St. the city’s commitment to area business and to making Johns River. infrastructure investments. Just a handful of JAXPORT’s strengths, these Situated about 30 minutes from the JAXPORT characteristics make the ocean port very desirable terminals, five minutes to I-10, and 10 minutes to for a wide range of companies, and for good reason. I-95, the new DC gives Industry West the global Whether it’s a home goods shipper that’s importing reach that it wanted. “It’s been pretty amazing,” products from overseas, a local company that ships says McQuaig. “As we continue to grow, we’ll use consumer goods to the Caribbean islands, or a 3PL our Jacksonville infrastructure to push products out that benefits greatly from having rail and intermodal to our geographically-dispersed customer base.” capacity right in its own backyard, the benefits of using McQuaig is equally as enthusiastic about JAXPORT, JAXPORT are extensive. which she says continues to grow, strengthen, and “In terms of key differentiators, Jacksonville has a expand every year. very strong transportation and logistics infrastructure “The city has made investments in the port, which that includes plenty of industrial space,” says Frank has done really well in continuing to grow and seize Camp, JAXPORT’s director of cargo sales. new opportunities,” says McQuaig. “When you use Home to 138 million square feet of warehousing and JAXPORT, you know that you’re getting a port that can industrial space, Northeast Florida also has another support your business for years to come.” 11 million square feet currently under construction or planned. “That well exceeds the total amount Saving Money and Headaches of warehousing and industrial space in places like Under pressure to operate faster than ever with Savannah and Charleston, S.C.,” says Camp. the same number (or fewer) of financial and When furniture shipper Industry West recently human resources, importers and exporters need needed additional warehouse space to accommodate transportation infrastructure that helps them meet 4 • JAXPORT: Using the Port of Jacksonville to Lower Your Cost to Market • www.jaxport.com/cargo JACKSONVILLE PORT AUTHORITY MAKING THE CASE USING THE PORT OF JACKSONVILLE TO LOWER YOUR COST TO MARKET those needs…and more. just one of many partners that make Industry West opened JAXPORT meets and exceeds the location such a great place to do a 121,000-square-foot these needs. Here’s the proof: business. This is a particularly important DC in Jacksonville about according to recent economic point in today’s uncertain trading a year ago. Part of the studies that examined the total environment, where new tariffs and landed costs of routing cargo from regulations can surface at any time. decision to open the China and Vietnam to markets in “We speak regularly with the company’s largest DC Central Florida (Orlando), JAXPORT CBP about trade issues and how to date was based on was the least cost port option by a those can potentially impact our the city’s commitment significant amount. customers,” Camp says. to area business and to “When shipping from Asia through making infrastructure JAXPORT to the densely populated Backhaul Opportunities Abound investments. Central Florida market, shippers According to Camp, JAXPORT could save up to 17% on total landed also maintains high volumes of cost,” Camp says. data that it uses to help shippers “The city has made optimize their own supply chains and investments in the port, transportation networks.