The Jacksonville Port Authority announced Lisa Diaz has joined its marketing and trade development team as manager of Foreign Trade Zone and Customer Service.
Diaz will serve existing customers operating within JaxPort’s Foreign Trade Zone No. 64 and work to attract new businesses.
The U.S. Department of Commerce recently approved expanding the number of North Florida counties included in the zone to eight.
It comprises several locations within Duval County and has authorization to designate up to 2,000 acres for new sites within a broad service area including Nassau, Clay, Baker, Columbia and the recently added St. Johns, Putnam and Bradford counties.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection supervises operations of the zone program for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
A Foreign Trade Zone is a secured site within the United States, but technically considered outside of jurisdiction of U.S. Customs. The JPA summarizes that by streamlining customs clearance, foreign trade zones help importers, exporters and manufacturers operate more efficiently.
The JPA said businesses can efficiently manage cash flow and save a significant amount of money on international cargo shipments or manufacturing and distribution operations by using the zone.
Most recently, Diaz served as director of corporate communications for Corporate Traffic Logistics, a Jacksonville-based international third-party logistics provider.
Diaz previously managed client relations for the The Grimes Companies, a customs-bonded third party logistics warehouse, where she served as the direct contact for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.