Raul [pronounced rah-ooul] Alfonso is the director of Latin American marketing and trade development at JaxPort.
HOW LONG HAS HE HELD THE JOB?
“Fifteen months. I started July of last year, so I am new to the City.”
BEFORE JACKSONVILLE?
“The Bahamas. I grew up in Miami, but in 1998 I went to work with Hutchison Port Holdings, the biggest terminal operator in the world. They were building a hub in Freeport. I was their director of marketing and trade development there for four-and-a- half years.”
WHAT DOES HIS JOB INVOLVE?
“In Latin America, we have several managers and directors. We each have commodity or regional responsibilities. I have colleagues that take care of the ro-ro [roll-on, roll-off], meaning the vehicles, and that type of business. Others take care of the break-bulk cargo, which is the lumber, steel and paper that comes in. Another person takes care of the distribution centers. I intertwine with them in each of their efforts. My responsibility is to direct what we’re doing in Latin America.”
HOW MUCH HINGES ON RELATIONSHIP BUILDING?
“A large portion of our time is spent maintaining accounts, listening to customers’ problems and fears and paying attention to what’s happening with the competition.”
WHERE’S THE HOT SPOT?
“Puerto Rico is our principal market. There are 14 ports in Florida and we all compete for trade. We are the No. 1 port in the U.S for Puerto Rico trade. We handle 71 percent of the U.S. to Puerto Rico trade.”
WHO RANKS SECOND?
“South America. We divide it into East and West Coast South American services. On the East Coast, where you have Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Uruguay, we have two weekly services with 10 shipping lines. It has been growing at a steady pace. Brazil is the biggest. On the West Coast of South America we have Ecuador, Chile, Peru and part of Colombia. We have one weekly service that is new this year. It’s grown 27-28 percent in just 12 months.”
WHAT SORT OF GOODS
ARE IMPORTED?
“Wine, lumber, shrimp, asparagus, fruit and other perishables, textiles.”
CHOPPY WATERS
“The tax incentives in Puerto Rico are changing. There is a fear that in 2006, if the U.S. government doesn’t level the playing field for Puerto Rico, it will affect the island’s economy, investment there and trade to Jacksonville. We are trying to prevent that. Puerto Rico is 30 percent of our overall trade.”
WHAT AREA IS JAXPORT PUSHING?
“In the Caribbean, we are really focusing on the Dominican Republic. With the D.R. trade, a lot of it is textile business where raw materials are shipped to the island for manufacture and the garments are returned for sale. It’s a two-way trade. And most of it [raw materials] is generated from the Southeast region of the U.S. By rail or truck, it passes Jacksonville on its way to South Florida. We’re working with a new liner service, Frontier, that just started this year to take advantage of the savings in transportation costs.”
BORN
Cuba. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese. “I left [Cuba] when I was 11-years-old with my parents and we lived in Madrid, Spain. In the mid-1970s, we came to Miami. That’s where I grew up and went to school.”
EDUCATION
Alfonso earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Florida International University.
WHERE DID HE LEARN THE TRADE?
“My background includes working on cargo ships, cruise ships, container terminals and warehouses. I was with the Port of Miami in the 1980s. I worked in their intermodal division and became department manager. Then I became their assistant director of marketing for South America. I’ve been in this industry for 20 years and worked three years in air freight at Miami International Airport.”
WHY SWITCH FROM AIR TO SEA?
“I wanted to be a pilot. My eyesight did not help, so my dream of flying was shattered. Circumstance took me from the airport to the seaport. I’m just happy to be able to be in the same field for so many years.”
MI FAMILIA
Alfonso and Thays, his Brazilian-born wife, reside in Baymeadows with their baby girl, Nicole. Alfonso is already teaching her Spanish and Portuguese. When he’s not working or spending time with his family, Alfonso prefers to golf or fish.
WHAT DOES HE BRING TO THE JOB?
“My experience. Number two, knowing three languages. I can communicate throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and Brazil. Does it help to be Hispanic? Absolutely. I foresee a great future for more Hispanic people in our city as we become more international.”
— by Monica Tsai