Issue link: https://jocdigital.uberflip.com/i/1467574
30 The Journal of Commerce | May 23 2022 www.joc.com PHILADELPHA TRADE & LOGISTICS our knowledge base, and our significant investment in IT, to help data move as fast as the fruit." Processing forms, collecting data, moving data into formats required by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and transferring it to CBP and others is a vital link in the chain that facilitates the movement of cargo. "Produce is high-value, time-sensitive cargo. We do what is needed to get it there yesterday. We fly under the radar to a certain degree. Our role isn't to be in the news. We do our job and do it well," Antonucci said. 721 Logistics, through its J&K Fresh division, aims to be the best brokers and import facilitator for fresh fruit and perishables, by far, bar none, according to Antonucci. "We've tried to create a company that is good for the port, a good corporate citizen, a good environment for employees where they can grow personally and professionally," he said. "At the end of the day, this is a people business." 721 tries not to lose sight of the fact that customers and staff should always come first. 721 Logistics is a family-run broker- forwarder. That is unusual in this decade of mega-corporations, and Antonucci stresses the advantage this provides: "We like to say we are large enough to serve you and small enough to care." Future growth for the company is forthcoming, he said. With the channel deepening of the Delaware River almost complete, significant investment in container- handling infrastructure, new ocean services beginning to call, and great potential for more global carriers with service to and from Southeast Asia, PhilaPort container volumes are poised to skyrocket. "We can go after durable goods that currently go to Los Angeles, New York, or Savannah. This will put Philadelphia on the map," he said. The global supply chain crisis of the last few years sent shippers scrambling for a back door into the United States to avoid backlogs and bottlenecks. "Philadelphia became an alternative. We stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park and handled unprecedented volume. All the stakeholders stepped up — truckers, terminal operators, customs brokers, warehousing, CBP, government agencies, and others. It was a total port effort," Antonucci said. That very effective collaboration, in the eyes of many of the companies who make up the Philadelphia gateway, showed the world that this is a port community worth a second look, a logistics hub to be considered. The pandemic and e-commerce and other trade- growth triggers have taught cargo owners that they shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket, Antonucci said. Sean Mahoney, PhilaPort's director of marketing, summed up the region's rich potential: "We have tremendous capacity. We are not even scratching the surface of what we can do." Cargo owners are considering Philadelphia for its expanding roster of carriers, for its attentive terminal operators and warehousing and brokers and forwarders, for its lack of congestion, and for its proximity to inland distribution centers. A gateway with easy access to major US highways, located within a two-day drive of the majority of the Canadian and US population, and with three Class I railroads is a remarkable alternative. email: lori.musser@att.net HOLT LOGISTICS CORP. is a family- owned, single-source service provider of commercial, accounting, marketing, and technology services to marine terminal operators, warehouses, and logistics companies. The Holt Family tradition in the transportation industry began in Philadelphia, born from the drive and ambition of Leo Holt, who began modestly with the purchase of a single truck in 1926. Together with his two sons, Tom and Leo, they made their foray into the world of truck transportation. Today, Tom Holt's sons and grandsons build on his legacy of innovation and old-fashioned hard work in the transportation world. Our mission is simple and complex at the same time: One Call, One Provider. In 2022, Holt Logistics Corp., through its independently managed affiliate companies, offers end-to-end port, warehouse, truck brokerage, and logistics solutions for importers and exporters. The portfolio of facilities includes the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, the Gloucester Marine Terminal, Broadway Pier 5 Marine Terminal, the Paulsboro Marine Terminal, and Pier 122 (all operated by independently managed affiliates of Holt Logistics Corp.). Located in the Port of Philadelphia, these terminals have direct access to distribution routes that span across North America and into Canada and offer direct unloading of freight from all vessel types to warehouse, rail, or truck. In a variety of cargo segments, these facilities are renowned for their highly productive and safe operations. Our vertically integrated supply chains solutions are designed to streamline and simplify our customers' supply chains. Likewise, all these operations are supported by state-of-the-art technological and system development. We specialize in connecting distributors' operating systems to measurable business data. Designed by our dedicated staff of programmers, the terminal operations and warehouse management systems were designed to deliver direct insight into our customers' supply chain logistics. As we look to the future, we are focused every day on continued commercial development and facility customization. We collaborate with customers to acquire and develop properties and facilities that provide future opportunity for the growth and development of the port areas and the capacity to serve generations of family- sustaining jobs for the next 100 years. n Be part of the family SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT