Port Everglades Hires New Business Development Director

Port Everglades has announced the appointment of Jim Pyburn to the position of director of its business development division. The 36-year industry veteran comes to the state’s leading container port from Port Tampa Bay where he was the director of marketing and business development for Latin America.

“Jim has all the great qualities we were looking for to lead our business development team – outstanding leadership skills, knowledge of international trade and multi-lingual communication,” said Port Everglades chief executive and port director Steven Cernak.

Pyburn began his career in the international trade and transportation industry back in 1977 with U.S. Lines, where he held positions of increasing responsibility in the company’s Houston, Chicago and New York offices. For a three-year period, he was a partner in a freight forwarding/customhouse brokerage company in Houston. After selling his company, Pyburn eventually made his way to South Florida to work for Tropical Shipping, Tec Marine Lines and Emery Worldwide.

Pyburn earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the College of Science and Mathematics at the University of Houston and speaks fluent Spanish.

The Port Everglades business development division is responsible for developing marketing and sales strategies to draw additional cruise business and containerized, dry and break bulk cargo volumes to Port Everglades. Staff provides customer service to the cruise and cargo shipping communities and markets Foreign-Trade Zone No. 25 and other port facilities to the maritime community. The port's corporate and community relations section is also part of the business development division under Pyburn’s leadership.