Shipping Picks Up

Consider Gary McKinley another gauge of the strength of the economic recovery.

The president of Craters & Freighters in Cape Coral says he has seen a 25% annual increase in business in the last two years and sees no sign of a letup in 2012.

McKinley operates the specialty shipping company's territory from Palmetto to Marco Island. Initially, McKinley focused on shipping art and estates, but in recent years has seen an opportunity to help industrial customers with their exports.

In particular, McKinley has seen a substantial increase in specialty manufacturers exporting their goods overseas, such as computers and large equipment. “They're very bullish and aggressive,” he says. “There's demand for their products.”

A favorable exchange rate and relatively strong growth in emerging markets are benefitting manufacturers of specialty goods, resulting in shipping growth for McKinley. “It tells us things are getting better,” he says.

McKinley has found customers through the Southwest Regional Manufacturers Association, an industry group on the Gulf Coast. McKinley says he helps those manufacturers who don't have their own shipping departments.

In addition, Europeans are shopping here and sending back goods by the container load. McKinley says he's shipping one container a week to Europe. In one instance, he knows some Europeans who purchased real estate in Australia and shipped furniture there from Southwest Florida.

In another instance, a German customer hired McKinley to ship a container full of lawnmowers, wood decking, red wagons and a 1957 Chevy hot-rod pickup truck. Another European customer shipped two $3,000 barbecue grills. “We do all his paperwork,” says McKinley.

McKinley has also noticed a substantial decline in the number of shipments by Southwest Florida residents who decided to leave because of the recession. “People were leaving in droves four years ago,” he says. “The good news is that has changed.”

Besides word-of-mouth, McKinley says he's had success finding new customers by advertising on Google AdWords. “We have 800 customers and it's repeat business,” he says. “The Internet has been huge for us.” But McKinley hasn't stopped using more traditional sources of advertising. About 10% of calls come from the Yellow Pages, he says.

McKinley, 70, is one of those who chose to move to the Gulf Coast after retiring the first time six years ago. His expertise was in horticulture, turning around struggling nurseries. “I wanted another challenge in another industry,” McKinley says.

McKinley used to vacation on Sanibel and Captiva islands near Fort Myers, so he acquired the franchise rights for the region from Craters & Freighters. He operates from an 8,000-square-foot warehouse in Cape Coral with two trucks that travel up and down Interstate 75 from Palmetto to Marco Island.