February 22, 2023 - Leadership Tampa Class of 2023 (best…class… EVER) kicked off their Transportation Day at the world famous Tampa International Airport on Wednesday February 22nd. The Airport proved to be a fantastic host, as we were situated in one of the airport’s beautiful main concourse areas and enjoyed what every LT class craves at 7:30am in the morning… COFFEE!
Our first speaker was Ben Robins (LT ’21) who is currently serving as the airport's Vice President of Maintenance. This ended up being a great discussion as the group offered such strong questions that Ben asked Jon Vaden (LT ’23 and the airport’s Director of Marketing) and Vik Bhide (LT ’23 and the City of Tampa’s Director of Mobility) to assist him with some of them regarding the airport’s branding and overall transportation challenges. This was a neat moment that really showcased the impressive makeup of our class this year. To watch both Jon and Vic’s oozing enthusiasm for their craft brought a smile to many of our faces and was a highlight of the morning.
After Ben’s presentation, we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the airport’s main concourse as well as it’s baggage operations network. Cesar, an airport “Guest Experience Host” was my group’s guide for the tour and was an excellent and well-rounded speaker who gave us some fun facts about the airport many of us did not know. For example, did you realize that you can get a “terminal shuttle pass” from the guest experience center on the main concourse that allows you to travel to any of the terminals no matter where your flight departs from? That’s right, folks… craving a Columbia Cuban sandwich but you are flying out of Terminal E? No matter! Give yourself some extra time to re-enter security and that Cuban sandwich is yours.
We also were able to see some beautiful art that is available to the airport’s visitors. Most people are well aware of the famous new flamingo sculpture, but the group also learned a secret about the magnificent sea turtle display (pictured below). The small sea turtle hatchlings carefully suspended above the adult sea turtle is representative of how many of those hatchlings usually do not survive before adulthood. On average, just one out of every thousand sea turtle hatchlings survive until adulthood. What a stark and beautiful way to display the harsh reality of nature. This left an impact on a lot of us that heard Cesar’s explanation.
Our next stop on the tour was the airport’s baggage operations center, where we walked amongst the miles of conveyor belts and learned about the center’s configuration and operations history. After 9/11, airport operations nationwide changed overnight, with the new requirement being that every single bag must be thoroughly checked and scanned. Just 10 years later in 2011, TIA became the nation’s first multi-user baggage system in the nation with its massive baggage system overhaul.
After a delicious lunch provided by TIA, we heard from Dr. Yu Zhang on her efforts to expand awareness and readiness of Advanced Air Mobility in the Tampa Bay region. We watched an impressive video about self-flying aircrafts able to transport passengers between “vertiports”, which Dr. Zhang was optimistic about becoming a reality within as little as 3-5 years. There are ongoing working groups that are currently tackling the logistical and operational challenges this new technology presents so that it can be realistically implemented for the benefit of the Tampa Bay community. When asked about the end user price tag, Dr. Zhang likened one trip fee to a typical fare on Uber Black, pointing to this technology’s theoretical ability to offer affordable private air travel between fairly short distances across Tampa Bay and its surrounding counties, and not just to the super wealthy.
The next stop for LT ’23 was the Yacht StarShip, where we heard from Bill Kuzmick (LT ’21), President of The Victory Ship; Charles Klug, Principal Counsel for Port Tampa Bay; Troy Manthey (LT ’03), CEO Yacht StarShip and Pirate Water Taxi; and finally Capt. Jere White, OSG Retired. We learned a wealth of knowledge regarding the history behind the Yacht StarShip as well as its numerous new projects such as the new high-speed Bay Rocket which debuted this year. We then switched gears and heard about the history of the Port Tampa Bay, the largest full-service port in Florida. The port serves as central Florida’s largest hub for gas, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol, and lube oil. It is also one of the world’s leading fertilizer export ports, in addition to serving as a hub for citrus, steel, and finally, the cruise ship business.
The Yacht StarShip transported us to the port’s on-dock cold storage facility, where we were led by Jose Santana, Director of Operations for Port Logistics Refrigerated Services (PLRS). Jose made sure we saw every cold nook and cranny of the site, and hilariously encouraged questions on the coldest stops along the way. The group took a hive mentality and saved the best questions for when we were back outside in the warmth!
We boarded the StarShip Yacht one more time and, after an interactive tour and Q&A session with Cpt White, began our unofficial debrief a bit early amidst what turned out to be a beautiful early evening trip back to Sparkman Wharf. We celebrated some great class news amongst three of our members and enjoyed a reception on the lower deck thanks to Yacht StarShip. This was one of the more memorable afternoons given the beautiful scenery in what capped a fun and exciting session day. We left the dock in great spirits and with our eyes towards our next adventure on March 8th.
