PALMETTO, Florida – As new chief commercial officer of Port Manatee, Charles D. Tillotson looks to bolster diverse cargo growth at the global gateway of Southwest and Central Florida.
“Working with the Port Manatee team, my goal is to double the port’s volume of cargo activity over the coming 10 years,” Tillotson, who brings nearly four decades of maritime industry experience to the position, said today [Thursday, June 3]. “We are seeking to build upon Port Manatee’s current trend of record trade by advancing further diverse revenue streams.”
Tillotson most recently served as senior vice president of business development for Altamont, New York-based Carver Companies, which counts Port Manatee among its marine terminal operations. Prior positions included chief commercial officer of Jacksonville, Florida-headquartered Diversified Port Holdings; director of business development for Metro Ports; vice president of military business development for Ports America; and vice president of military sales and business development for Marine Terminals Corp.
A U.S. Navy veteran, Tillotson served 10 years of active and reserve duty prior to his discharge in 1992 with the rank of petty officer second class. His government service included as a marine cargo specialist for the U.S. Department of Navy in Concord, California, and as chief of breakbulk cargo at the U.S. Army base in Oakland, California.
Tillotson holds a master’s in business administration from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor’s in business management from St. Mary’s College of California. He is a graduate of the Army Management Staff College and earned global logistics specialist certification from the California Maritime Academy.
At Port Manatee, Tillotson is succeeding as chief commercial officer Matty Appice, who plans to retire June 30 following more than a decade as a Port Manatee executive.
Port Manatee’s executive director, Carlos Buqueras, said, “We express extraordinary gratitude to Matty and enthusiastically welcome Charles, looking to benefit from his long-trusted industry relations and exceptional combination of broad-ranging commercial and operational experience at ports along all U.S. coasts and beyond.”
Located “Where Tampa Bay Meets the Gulf of Mexico,” Port Manatee is a dynamic global trade hub, serving as the vibrant ships-to-shelves gateway for burgeoning Southwest and Central Florida markets. The closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the expanded Panama Canal, Port Manatee offers 10 deep-draft berths, proficiently fulfilling diverse demands of container, liquid and dry bulk, breakbulk, heavylift, project and general cargo customers. The self-sustaining port generates more than $3.9 billion in annual economic impacts while providing for more than 27,000 direct and indirect jobs – all without benefit of local property tax support.
