Port Authority chair hopes to hammer out new contract for executive director by February

Carlos Buqueras, the executive director of Port Manatee since 2011, wouldn’t say whether there is any truth to suggestions that other ports have been trying to lure him away.

“No comment,” Buqueras said with a smile Thursday when asked that question after the Port Authority meeting. “But I guess that might be a comment unto itself.”

Vanessa Baugh, chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority, said she has been having preliminary conversations with Buqueras about a contract extension before it expires in May.

Baugh said she is confident she would be able to negotiate a new contract with him and bring it back to the authority no later than February.

Jennifer R. Cowan, Port Authority attorney, presented a summary of Buqueras’ performance evaluation and said authority members had rated him “outstanding” in all eight areas scored, ranging from leadership and decision making to planning and business development.

Buqueras, whose base salary is $214,926, reported in November that the port’s operating revenues were up 9 percent to $13 million and that tonnage increased 13 percent to 7.8 million tons in the last fiscal year.

Port Manatee recruited Buqueras from Port Everglades in 2011. He had been director of business development there since 1993 and had a stellar record of increasing container cargo.

When Buqueras was first hired at Port Manatee, the executive director’s post paid between $150,000 and $190,000 a year.

Some port authority members had suggested looking at offering a bonus to Buqueras as an incentive, but Baugh said state statutes prohibit that.

“We need to do a comparison to what other folks are paid. We need to be competitive,” Port Authority member Betsy Benac said.

One advantage that Port Manatee has is that it has more potential for growth than neighboring ports. And because the port does not receive ad valorem taxes, it is run strictly as a business, Baugh said.

“Our issues have been business driven. Carlos and I have talked about things 10 to 15 years out,” Baugh said.

Buqueras declined to take credit for the business turnaround at Port Manatee.

“This review is the reflection of the team we have at the port. We have put together a loyal, fantastic staff,” he said.

One of the themes of Thursday’s meeting was the expansion of international business.

Chris Sheils, senior chartering manager for G2 Ocean, said his company is a joint venture of Gearbulk and Grieg-Star, both based in Bergen, Norway.

The company operates 130 vessels and 27 trade routes with 330 employees, he said.

G2 Ocean has been strongly growing its business at Port Manatee since 2015 and projects a 78 percent increase in volume for 2018. Half of its tonnage is forestry products, and the next largest segment, 16 percent, is in steel, he said.

Port Manatee is cost competitive and convenient for trucking, Sheils said in explaining business growth there.

Buqueras talked about the port’s role as a business hub and how it brings international exposure to Manatee County.

Ken Okaniwa, a Japanese diplomat and consul general in Miami, recently visited Port Manatee.

“The purpose of my visit is to learn more about this area and to promote business ties with Japan,” Okaniwa said during a luncheon last week at the port.

Japan is the No. 2 source of imports into Florida, ranking only behind China.

Port Manatee’s foreign trade zone supports the Japanese company ASO LLC, a producer of first aid products in Sarasota, Buqueras said.

In other business Thursday, Baugh was elected to a second consecutive one-year term as chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority, the governing board of Port Manatee.

This story was originally published December 21, 2017 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Port Authority chair hopes to hammer out new contract for executive director by February."