(Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) – JZ Expedited Cos. plans to develop 45 acres of property it operates near the shores of the St. Johns River, giving it more outdoor storage space and potentially providing as much as 1 million square feet of warehouse space, all of which could be operated as a Foreign Trade Zone.
Development on the 45-acre property has yet to begin. JZ CEO Robert Fox said he anticipates that will take place in the next four to six months.
“We continued to experience growth every year,” Fox said. “We specialize in heavy-lift cargo and outdoor storage for FTZ [Foreign Trade Zone] cargo. With the deepening of the harbor in the St. Johns River, there are a lot of opportunities to get freight that is coming into Savannah to come into Jacksonville, if we can offer alternatives for customers and manufacturers.”
The third phase of St. Johns River dredging is expected to be completed by the middle of 2022.
However, 2020 was evidence that plans can change instantly. Fox noted that the pandemic led some retailers to keep cargo that was not selling at the rate expected in storage in Foreign Trade Zones.
Foreign Trade Zones offer benefits in dealing with tariffs and other duties levied on goods coming into the country.
The expansion, Fox said, will lead to one of the largest Foreign Trade Zones that is not on property owned by the Port of Jacksonville.
“This gives us the ability to suit for customers, (whether) a large manufacturer or distribution company. …We have it all on property and can support it with our trucking operation and logistics operation.
Fox founded JZ in 2009 at his kitchen table. Currently, it employs 40 people and operates a fleet of more than 30 truck drivers.
The company has three buildings totaling 350,000 square feet and 16 acres of space in Imeson International Industrial Park as well as four acres elsewhere.
The property for the expansion is owned, according to Duval County records, by CG 7600 LP, a limited partnership that is under the umbrella of Houston-based Garver Real Estate.
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