Student Member Spotlight: Get to know Ian Alphonse

Where are you from/hometown? I’m originally from a small island in the Caribbean called St. Lucia.

How long have you lived in Jacksonville? 10 years.

Briefly explain your job and major responsibilities: I’m a transportation coordinator which includes; searching and tracking of containers, communicating with the customers and carriers for picking up and delivery of containers.

How long have you worked at your current job? Started 12/16/19.

Any prior employment you’d like to share? Retired Military (Navy) after 20 years of honorable service. If you went to college, where did you go and what was your major/minor/degree? I’m presently at Keiser University. Major in Business Administration - Transportation and Logistics.

How long have you been a member of the Propeller Club? 1.5 years Why did you join the club? To network and to meet new and cool friends. I like social gatherings and great networking opportunities.

What is your favorite Propeller Club event? Love them all.

Family/Significant Other/Pets? Wife- Ivy, kids- Jordan, Jaden, Ivianna and Ivan.

What is your proudest moment/achievement? Having my wife and kids and being a Navy Chief (E-7)

What is something unique about you that you’d like to share…hobby/hidden talent/award? Spending time with my family, gym rat, DJ, and love vacationing.

Student Club: UNF Coggin at the IANA Expo

University of North Florida Coggin College of Business had a team of three students recently compete in the Intermodal Association of North America’s Intermodal EXPO 2019 Student Case Competition in Long Beach, California.

About a month before the competition, groups were given a set of data related to intermodal transport over the last 20 years. They were asked to simply assess the data and prepare a presentation discussing the factors that contributed to the fluctuations in the given areas of intermodal transport (long-haul trucking, international intermodal, domestic intermodal).

Teams were asked to create a PowerPoint and present in front of a panel of judges for ten minutes. After all eight schools presented, the top three schools moved on to a second-round where they were shown a new set of data and forced to analyze it and answer questions on the fly. Coggin was one of these top three schools.

In addition to competing in the Case Competition, UNF's team members and five additional students attended the Expo. They attended learning sessions and were able to network with transportation and logistics professionals from around the country. Students from every university represented were also treated to a boat tour of the Port of Long Beach and the Port of LA.

Please join us in congratulating UNF on this accomplishment!

Student Member Spotlight: Courtney Ardizzoni

Get to know University of North Florida's Student Port Club President Courtney Ardizzoni in this month's member spotlight.

Anticipated Graduation Year: Spring 2021

Where are you from/hometown? Jacksonville, Florida

If you currently work in the T&L industry, briefly explain your role: I am focused on my studies right now, but I am looking at getting an internship in the Spring of 2020

Any prior employment you’d like to share? I currently work on campus as a Learning Community Assistant where I help freshmen with their transition to college and strive to create a strong community within Honors.  I also volunteer as the president of the Transportation & Logistics Society.

What is your major/minor/degree? I am Double Majoring in Transportation & Logistics and Business Management. Doubly Minoring in International Business and Leadership.  My degree is a Bachelor of Business Administration.                                                               

Why did you choose this industry to pursue a career? I love the idea of working in fixing processes and cutting waste.  My goal is to earn a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering.  I currently would like to stay in Jacksonville to work in Operations Management.

How long have you been a member of the Student Port? I have been a member since fall 2018.

Why did you join the club? I joined after talking to Lynn Brown about the opportunities given through the program, and I love the networking opportunities found through it.

What is your favorite Propeller Club – Port of Jacksonville event? I participated in the Big Sea Day at JAXPORT and loved seeing how the port worked.

Family/Significant Other/Pets? My parents live in Yulee, Florida, so they’re only a short distance away.  I also have one younger brother who just graduated High School and is pursuing a degree in Accounting.

What is your proudest moment/achievement? My proudest moment was in High School when I earned my Stars and Stripes Award through the American Heritage Girls.  This is equivalent to an Eagle Scout Award in Boy Scouts.  My project was to renovate a building and put in a new installation of bookcases, in which we also asked for book donations to dedicate a library in a rural area without on nearby.  This project took almost 9 months to complete and cost over $3,000 in total.  Once it was completed, I felt so accomplished.

What is something unique about you that you’d like to share…hobby/hidden talent/award? I studied abroad this summer through UNF in two countries.  I spent 3 months abroad primarily in Italy and France, and took both Transportation & Logistics and Management classes. While also learning about the culture and the people in the area.  This trip was truly life changing and has instilled a level of confidence I had not previously possessed.

Propeller Club Endowed Scholarship for UNF T&L Students

The Propeller Club - Port of Jacksonville President Ed Coppedge and Vice President Lindsey Brock attended the 2019 UNF T&L Spring Luncheon to present the student port with a $5,000 donation in support of the group's scholarship fund. 

Propeller Club UNF Student Port Member of the Year Announced

The Propeller Club UNF Student Port Member of the Year award was presented to Jorge Gutierrez at the UNF Transportation and Logistics Flagship Program Spring Awards Luncheon on April 26, 2019.Jorge is a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico and moved to Florida in 1999. He has been active in the UNF Student Port since 2017, starting out on the Task Force and then taking on more responsibility as social director and assistant director. Jorge was responsible for procurement of food for all club events, meetings, and board meetings.Since January 2016, Jorge has attended 10 facility tours, which is a Flagship student record, and he is one of the rare students that has attended Big Sea Day twice! He loves to see the action at JAXPORT. Jorge went to Verona, Italy during the summer of 2018 for the Coggin College study abroad in logistics and international business and received the SAILS scholarship to help fund his trip. Jorge made the most of his time in Italy and demonstrated a level of maturity that trip leaders always welcome when students are traveling abroad.