Jacksonville has time on its side

News that the Port of Jacksonville, is taking a bit more time to expand makes plenty of sense to analysts.

According to Jock O’Connell, Beacon Economics’ International Trade Adviser, the nation’s supply chains are being reconfigured due to a dynamic shift in workforce populations.

“Most U.S. multinationals are moving from the west and southwest to the deep south and gulf regions,” he says. “And that means that the cargo flows are going to be directed to ports in the region with the best infrastructure and services.”

Container throughput and volume figures released late last year by the Jacksonville Port Authority support this contention. According to Chris Kauffmann, who served as the port’s interim executive director, the gateway moved a record number of containers in fiscal year 2010 — the second consecutive year of container growth for the seaport — and marked a decade of consistent growth in earnings.

“The momentum is building and we look for more positive news in the new fiscal year,” he says.

And now that the port has former Federal Maritime Commissioner (FMC) A. Paul Anderson leading the team, a focus on services should also be key. Prior to serving on the FMC, he was a senior fellow of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the U.S. House of Representatives.