Trailer Bridge Executives Receive Notable Maritime Industry Certifications
31 May 2023
Trailer Bridge’s Vice President of the Caribbean Jacob Wegrzyn and Director of Ports Edgar Perez both recently earned the Maritime Port Executive (MPE) certificate from the International Association of Maritime and Port Executives (IAMPE).
Jacob Wegrzyn graduated February of this year in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Edgar Perez followed graduating in May in Norfolk, Virginia.
Both Jacob and Edgar are veterans of the maritime industry and have careers spanning decades in logistics. But as any professional knows, you are never done learning and the pursuit of this certification for these two embodies Trailer Bridge’s core value to Pursue Growth and Learning.
A Port Industry Standard
The IAMPE is an organization founded to establish high quality standards for the maritime industry through job development, certifications, and networking among port professionals in North America. The organization’s MPE program has been refined over two decades and is considered to be the industry standard for training port professionals to succeed in the business.
Completing the MPE certification includes a multi-day seminar where professionals learn about ports as part of an overall ecosystem that must exist in harmony with the industry as a whole, local communities, and government agencies.
“The course goes into extreme detail regarding maximizing the benefits and opportunities that exist at a port,” said Jacob Wegrzyn. “Whether this be bringing in additional customers, different kinds of freight or cargo, keeping up to date with regulations and staying in compliance as well as also thinking about your neighbors. Keeping happy and well-informed neighbors goes a long way in running a healthy and productive business.”
The program also included case studies that educated participants on topics like pricing, tariffs and documentation, media relations, and more. At the completion of the program, students had to successfully demonstrate their mastery of their knowledge with a port planning exercise.
The Lasting Impact on Trailer Bridge
As Trailer Bridge continues to grow with divisions covering all modes of transportation, the core of its business is the ocean service to and from the Caribbean. Our leaders in this division must keep their finger on the pulse of the industry and our port operations both in Jacksonville, FL and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The completion of this certification for the two is just one way the company continues to do that.
When asked how earning the MPE certification impacted him, Edgar Perez was enthusiastic about bringing his knowledge back to the team at Trailer Bridge.
“This helped me greatly broaden my knowledge of the industry for the benefit of our company. Becoming a member of the IAMPE also gives me access to a network of colleagues, resources and information that are invaluable in helping me optimize our operations here in Jacksonville, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. I’m looking forward to sharing this knowledge with my teams and help them to ‘Make it Happen’ for our internal and external clients.”
A Focus on Training & Development at Trailer Bridge
This type of learning is just one of the ways Trailer Bridge is investing in training and development for its employees. In 2022, the company formed a team in-house that focuses on teaching and inspiring employees to take the next steps to grow personally and professionally, TB Foundations.
The team creates original content around the company’s service offerings and technology as well as soft skills needed to succeed in the workplace. Shortly after an employee’s first day on the job, they are enrolled in a learning path created specifically for their role. This path is curated with their success in mind and has proven to help new members get plugged into the role at a faster rate. In one employee’s case, she was able to book her first load within days of starting rather than weeks.
“We place great importance on providing development paths for our teams at Trailer Bridge. It’s always rewarding to see our people progress in their careers and attain valuable certifications, such as those recently earned by Jacob and Edgar,” said Indie B. Bollman, Chief People Officer. “We actively hire talented people looking to grow and investing in them is a critical part of our company’s overall success strategy – their growth equates to company growth and always in that order.”
As the transportation and logistics industry continues to evolve, at Trailer Bridge we are committed to providing the support and learning opportunities to help our people ‘Make It Happen.’ We look forward to seeing the positive impact that the MPE Certification has for both Jacob and Edgar in their leadership roles as well as the growth of the port operations at Trailer Bridge.
