Port Manatee Workshop Highlights Ideas For Growth

MANATEE--A workshop at Port Manatee Intermodal Center Wednesday featured presentations by speakers with expertise on port administration, marketing and growth opportunities.

The workshop was set up by Port Authority Chairman Larry Bustle and Port Director David McDonald to brief port board members and county officials on the basic elements of what shipping lines, potential clients and other business partners look for in a service oriented port. Topics covered included container port attributes, what clients need from a port and establishing public/private partnerships.

Maritime Consultant Peter Keller spoke first providing an overview of containerization and port structure. Doug  Marchand who managed the Georgia Ports Authority and is a current advisor to Port Manatee, presented an overview of Georgia’s ports and the economic engines driving Georgia’s future and how those techniques could be applied to Port Manatee.

Bealls Divisional V.P. of Transportation Rich Higgins spoke about what a port client, BCO (Beneficial Cargo Owner), needs and wants from a port. Mr. Higgins listed several  attributes a port must have stressing strong communication from a knowledgeable and visible sales team and flexibility as vital.

Madeleine Paquin, President of Logistec who manages the cargo handling operations at Port Manatee, gave an extensive presentation on success factors in port operations. Highlighted in her presentation were the strengths and weaknesses of Port Manatee. Ms. Paquin pointed out the port’s strengths as having an existing customer base with respect to general cargo and bulk, flexible and low cost services, customer oriented with current clients Del Monte, Gearbulk and Martin Marietta, lots of land, rail service, easily accessible intermodal road connections and financing success with public funding.

Areas the port could improve on according to Ms. Paquin include no base container carrier yet ("however Sea Bridge is a start"), primarily an import environment, financially constrained, and a heavy governance model. Ms. Paquin emphasized the port needs to focus on developing more export business.

Concluding her presentation, Ms. Paquin told Wednesday’s workshop attendees that the port has already done a lot to be in a position of success. However, there is much more that needs to be done including creating a formula that encourages more capital investment and focusing marketing and sales based on carrier choices.

The workshop agenda including speaker bios is available by clicking here.