Ralph Gazit™a and partners have turned white elephant Miami Free Zone into fast-growing international hub
Miami's role as an international center for trade and commerce is being given a boost these days with major efforts undertaken by a local entrepreneur wooing Chinese to do business here and with plans for a new facility in West Miami-Dade County.
He is Ralph Gazit™a, president of the Miami Free Zone, the only privately held foreign trade zone in the US, and global logistics company WTDC, which in a joint venture acquired the zone from the Codina Group and Prudential Real Estate Investors this year for a reported $45 million.
Since then, occupancy at the 850,000-square-foot facility has risen to higher than 90%. Now, Mr. Gazit™a, 58, an ordained Catholic deacon who serves as chaplain to inmates in prison, plans to clone the Free Zone and create a mixed-use international center as part of the master plan for the City of Doral, where the zone is located. Meanwhile, he has persuaded executives from the Tianjin Economic Development Area in China to visit here in March.
Mr. Gazit™a was interviewed at his paperless office at the Miami Free Zone by Miami Today international editor Michael Hayes.
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