New Representative Announced for this Key Area

Moacyr Pedro of São Paulo, Brazil, has joined the Port Houston team to lead business development efforts in Central and South America. He replaces veteran representative Arturo Gamez, who is retiring after 31 years with Port Houston. Pedro has more than 13 years of experience in shipping and procurement. In this role, he will secure new international port trade opportunities and develop sales projects for Port Houston. 

Pedro’s hiring highlights the importance of the region for Port Houston. With nine regularly scheduled container services to and from Central and South America, the region accounts for 20 percent of Port Houston’s container trade. The Port’s total trade with Central and South America grew 7 percent in 2019, with exports increasing by 11 percent. Port Houston also has a vital, longstanding relationship with the Panama Canal Authority, as the Panama Canal provides a key gateway for trade to the U.S. Gulf Coast. 

“I hope to help take the Port Houston team to new heights in my area and provide value to this tremendous organization,” said Pedro. Pedro will be based out of São Paulo, Brazil.

Pedro succeeds long-time Port Houston representative Arturo Gamez. During his tenure, Arturo was a key contributor to establishing Port Houston as a port of choice throughout Central and South America. Through his numerous contacts in the maritime sector, membership in several chambers, export groups and trade associations, as well as business relationships with exporters and importers, he has been influential in increasing Port Houston's market share for the region. Trade between Latin America and the Houston-Galveston Customs District is now 4.6 times larger than it was in 1989 and has increased by 362 percent since that time. Gamez also was the first Port Houston employee to be based overseas. 

“My most cherished achievement is to have given Houston a presence in Central and South America and to have secured Port Houston as a well-known name with that important region of the world,” said Gamez. 

“More than three decades with Port Houston is quite an accomplishment,” said John Moseley, chief commercial officer for Port Houston. “We appreciate Arturo’s commitment and contributions to our organization and wish him the best with his retirement. At the same time, we are excited to have Moacyr join our team, bringing his diverse expertise in all segments of the business. Latin America is an important region for our port, and we look forward to him building on Arturo’s work and continuing to grow our presence in that region of the world.”