Business Leaders Vow to Make Miami Pharma Hub of the Americas

February 4, 2016
(Miami, FL – Feb. 4, 2016) – Business leaders and stakeholders vowed to grow the pharmaceuticals (pharma) industry, capitalizing on Miami International Airport’s recent pharma freight hub designation during a seminar held Feb. 3.
 
“We believe this designation will help further diversify Miami’s expanding economy,” The Beacon Council President & CEO Larry K. Williams said. “We see great growth potential bringing together the rich history and existing talent in Miami’s aviation, health care, life sciences, and trade & logistics industries to create a new niche area in pharma logistics.”
 
The seminar “The State of Pharma and its future for South Florida” hosted by MIA, the Health Technologies and Distribution Alliance (HTDA) and The Beacon Council provided presentations on MIA’s pharma hub designation, best practices for transporting sensitive pharma products, current and projected demand for bio-pharmaceuticals and the future impact on local business.
 
“This workshop was a great opportunity to educate the community about our booming pharmaceuticals freight business,” said Miami-Dade Aviation Director Emilio T. González. “As the busiest U.S. airport for international freight, perishable imports and temperature-controlled products, MIA has been at the epicenter of this developing trend and is poised for even more growth.”
 
The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) 2015 designation of MIA as the first pharma freight hub in the U.S. and the second in the world after Brussels Airport is expected to increase the activity of an already growing industry. Since 2010 the total value of pharma products transported through MIA increased by 79 percent since 2010 to $3.3 billion in 2014.
 
“There is great potential for South Florida to become a life sciences cluster,” Brink’s Global Services Director of Life Sciences and HTDA Chairman Leandro Moreira said. “In addition to warehousing, transportation capabilities and connectivity to countries where the demand for pharmaceutical products has been steadily increasing, South Florida houses credible and capable institutions such as the University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center, where research and development of new therapies is part of their main mission.”
 
Seminar presenters included representatives from: MIA, HTDA, IATA, American Airlines Cargo, Brinks Global Services, LAN Cargo, the University of Miami Health System, Cushman Wakefield and The Beacon Council. 
 
The Beacon Council thanks event sponsors: ComReal Commercial Real Estate Services, Miami Free Zone, Lemartec and Serendipity Labs. 
 
About The Beacon Council
The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County’s official economic development partnership, is a public-private organization celebrating its 30th anniversary. Since 1985, the nonprofit has assisted more than 980 businesses that have created more than 65,000 direct jobs and added more than $4 billion in new capital investments. The organization accomplishes this by marketing Miami-Dade as a world-class business location, growing local companies and shaping the local economy’s future. For more information, visit www.beaconcouncil.com
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Source: Old Beacon Site