GLOBALX ADDS NEW FREIGHTER, WEEKLY MIAMI-CUBA FLIGHTS
Miami-based Global Crossings Airline Group received approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to lease another A321 “passenger to freighter” aircraft, bringing their fleet to six A321Fs this year. Delivery to Miami International Airport is expected in December. The airline also recently entered a long-term contract for nine weekly passenger flights to Havana and Santa Clara using their Airbus A320s and A321s with tour operator Cubamax Travel.
LONDON INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDER EXPANDS INTO MIAMI
Thought Machine, a cloud-based infrastructure provider based in London, plans to open new offices in Miami to reach Latin American markets. The company intends to hire 125 new employees over the next year to work at the offices. Last year, Thought Machine completed a Series D funding round, valuing the company at $2.7B.
BRIGHTLINE EXPANDS SHUTTLE SERVICE IN MIAMI
Brightline will now provide additional shuttle services with pick-up spots at three locations: Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and Miami International Airport. Brightline is a high-speed rail system connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, with plans to extend service to Orlando. Brightline was created by Wall Street investor Wes Edens, and until their deal ended in 2020, was to be branded Virgin Trains USA by British entrepreneur Richard Branson.
PORTMIAMI’S $1.2 BILLION IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
PortMiami has approximately $1.2 billion in ongoing construction projects and expansions coming within five years, officials announced. These projects include a three-berth mega-cruise terminal, a separate new cruise terminal, cargo terminal and berth improvement projects, shore power, improvements for new cargo gantry cranes, and the expansion of cargo facilities handling Florida East Coast Railway trains.
ACI WORLDWIDE BRINGS SERVICES TO HONDURAS
Miami-based software company ACI Worldwide has partnered with Honduras’ main infrastructure provider, RedAbierta, to introduce real-time payments in Honduras. ACI Worldwide is a global software company that provides electronic payment systems and services to 80 countries across multiple continents.
PORTMIAMI REFUELS LNG CARGO VESSEL FOR FIRST TIME
For the first time ever, PortMiami refueled a liquified natural gas (LNG) cargo vessel. The vessel, Seaboard Marine’s “Seaboard Blue,” was the world’s first cargo ship converted from conventional diesel to LNG. Seaboard Blue will be added to Seaboard Marine’s North Central America service and make PortMiami its home port.
SUPPLYCADDY SECURES SEED FUNDING
Global packaging manufacturer and supplier SupplyCaddy raised $3.2 million in seed funding led by Delray Beach-based CEAS Investments. In three years, the Miami-based company has produced over 200 million products made in the U.S., Mexico, and Turkey for clients around the world. The new funding will help the firm to expand resources and deliver new products.
CITADEL NAMES NEW SENIOR HIRES
The most successful hedge fund in the world in 2022, Miami-based Citadel began 2023 by expanding its foreign equities team in Lon- don and Hong Kong with five senior appointments. Julian Ulmer joined Citadel’s Hong Kong office in March as the head of Asia Equities Business Development alongside Keith Donan as a senior trader. The three new hires in London are Shang Liew and Cyrill Sourski as equity analysts and Josh Nathan as director of operations.
GLOBAL LISTINGS ACQUIRES THE WORLD PROPERTY JOURNAL
Miami-based real estate portal Global Listings has acquired international publication The World Property Journal to create the world’s top source for global property news. The World Property Journal will offer real estate news and market data on Miami properties in the Global Listings platform.
VOLARIS EL SALVADOR LAUNCHES NEW ROUTE TO MIAMI
Volaris El Salvador will begin operating a new route with three weekly round-trip flights from El Salvador (SAL) to Miami (MIA), utilizing Airbus A320 aircraft that seat 174 passengers. Volaris El Salvador is a subsidiary of Mexico-based low-cost carrier Volaris.
SOCIAL MOBILE RAISES $35M CREDIT FACILITY
South Florida-based tech company Social Mobile has raised a $35M credit facility from Citi to expand its operations locally and internationally. The company is headquartered in Hollywood in Broward County, where it is expanding into a new 20,000-square- foot design and engineering office. Social Mobile is also opening a new office in Hyderabad, India, adding to their main facilities in Miami and Shenzhen, China. Social Mobile designs turn-key software systems for clients to bring services and products to market.
SEATRADE CRUISE GLOBAL TO BE HELD IN MIAMI
Held last year in Fort Lauderdale, the world’s largest cruise trade show and conference, Seatrade Cruise Global, will return to the Miami Beach Convention Center on April 8-11, 2024. The event had previously been hosted in Miami for 32 years before moving to Broward County due to the convention center’s renovations.
OPPENHEIMER & CO. EXPANDS INTO MIAMI
Wealth management and investment bank Oppenheimer & Co. recently opened an office in Miami’s Coral Gables suburb, employing more than 30 financial advisors. Oppenheimer & Co. offers a variety of investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management services. The bank has continuously expanded its South Florida footprint since its first office opened in Miami more than 30 years ago.
MIA TO OPEN NEW VIP TERMINAL
The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners has approved Private Suite MIA’s plan to develop a VIP terminal lounge for commercial airline passengers. The VIP luxury suite will be located at the old Pan American Regional Headquarters at MIA and target wealthy passengers looking to avoid crowds at MIA’s main terminals. The county will receive a minimum of $16 million for the 20-year term of the deal.
MIAMI’S GLOBAL MEDICAL REACH
The Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, recently held its 4th Annual Global Summit on Hematologic Malignancies at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove. Led by Dr. Guenther Koehne, the Institute’s Deputy Director and Chief of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Hematologic Oncology, the two-day symposium attracted 30 of the world’s leading cancer experts, who shared updates on evolving immunologic and molecular-based therapies and the most recent advances in the treatment of blood cancers and stem-cell transplants.
HOME OF THE MIAMI HEAT NOW THE KASEYA CENTER
The Miami Heat basketball team announced that Kaseya, a global provider of IT and security management, will now have naming rights for the Downtown Miami arena where they play. The 17-year, $117 million deal with Miami-Dade County replaces FTX’s naming rights after the cryptocurrency bank’s collapse. Kaseya employs over 4,500 people, including more than 900 at its headquarters in Miami, which is spread across four buildings in the Brickell and downtown areas. The company is expected to make significant additional investments in Miami (see story pg. 26).
