Port Partner Spotlight: Southeast Toyota Distributors

3 MIN READ

Written by: Marcia Pledger

Southeast Toyota Distributors has operated at JAXPORT for more than 50 years, making it one of the port’s longest-running tenants and a driving force behind Jacksonville’s status as one of the nation’s busiest ports for automobile shipping.

The company, which is the world’s largest independent distributor of Toyota vehicles, will complete construction of a new 340,000-square-foot state-of-the-art auto processing facility at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal by the end of this summer. Southeast Toyota will relocate from its 50-acre facility at JAXPORT’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal—and a nearby 23-acre private site—to a single, consolidated 88-acre property on Blount Island.

The $145 million public-private partnership modernizes operations while adding expanded rail connections and truck loading capacity.

Eric Carter, Group Vice President of Operations at Southeast Toyota Distributors, oversees operations across five states and has been with the company for 23 years. Carter explained that the expansion is focused on increasing capabilities and closing existing service gaps, including plans to triple rail capacity.

“We are excited to be able to have a consistent flow of products without gaps,” he said. “Our secret sauce is our associates. I know a lot of people say that, but it’s true. Our associates help make us resilient.”

The new facility is being built to meet the company’s growing needs. Combining operations to create operational efficiencies and accommodate more vehicles. The new facility will also feature a new paint and body shop.

“Over recent years, we have had to transport vehicles to our Westlake facility from Talleyrand if any repair was needed,” said Carter. “Now, with the move to Blount Island, we will have an on-site paint and body shop, enabling us to get vehicles to our dealers even faster.”

Southeast Toyota Distributors’ Westlake Industrial Park property, located near JAXPORT, is home to its Accessory Development team, called Southeast Transportation Systems (STS), and its Parts Distribution Center. These are just a few of the key teams that will support operations at Blount Island.

The Accessory Development team will continue to design innovative products for skilled Blount Island installers to implement. In addition, the Parts Distribution Center will service the Blount Island facility with daily shipments of accessories and parts. Once the vehicles are ready for the road, the company’s experienced STS drivers will load a car hauler with new Toyotas and deliver them to one of 177 Toyota dealers in the Southeast.

Once the Blount Island processing facility is complete, the company will take advantage of the recent expansion of JAXPORT’s vehicle Berth 22, which can accommodate larger vehicle vessels than it could previously serve. A new auto berth is also under construction at Blount Island and will be completed in 2027. Improved vehicle-handling efficiencies at both berths will increase the number of vehicles processed in Jacksonville.

“We have a great relationship with JAXPORT. It truly is a partnership. It doesn’t feel transactional,” Carter said. “They know that if we are successful, so is JAXPORT.”