EP #226: Dante Versaci on the Secret World of Customs Brokerage with Versaci Group International
Mar 29, 2024
Jeremy Wolf
Ever wondered about the journey your imported coffee or smartphone takes before landing in your hands? Look no further as I, Jeremy Wolf, unravel the mysteries of customs brokerage with Dante Versaci from Versaci Group International. In an enlightening chat on the Good Neighbor Podcast, Dante, a maestro of navigating the labyrinth of governmental red tape, reveals how his team ensures that goods seamlessly make their way from border to the consumer, highlighting the unsung yet pivotal role of customs brokerage in international trade.
Join us as Dante shares his compelling metamorphosis from a gas station attendant to a customs clearance connoisseur, founding a thriving business against all odds. Tales of historical customs houses transforming from the financial veins of a budding nation to sophisticated hubs of trade regulation are intertwined with Dante's personal narrative, exemplifying the relentless American entrepreneurial spirit. If your curiosity is piqued by the confluence of commerce, government, and inspiring success stories, this conversation is tailored just for you.
Ever wondered about the journey your imported coffee or smartphone takes before landing in your hands? Look no further as I, Jeremy Wolf, unravel the mysteries of customs brokerage with Dante Versaci from Versaci Group International. In an enlightening chat on the Good Neighbor Podcast, Dante, a maestro of navigating the labyrinth of governmental red tape, reveals how his team ensures that goods seamlessly make their way from border to the consumer, highlighting the unsung yet pivotal role of customs brokerage in international trade.
Join us as Dante shares his compelling metamorphosis from a gas station attendant to a customs clearance connoisseur, founding a thriving business against all odds. Tales of historical customs houses transforming from the financial veins of a budding nation to sophisticated hubs of trade regulation are intertwined with Dante's personal narrative, exemplifying the relentless American entrepreneurial spirit. If your curiosity is piqued by the confluence of commerce, government, and inspiring success stories, this conversation is tailored just for you.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Jeremy Wolf.
Speaker 2:
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, jeremy Wolf. Our guest today is Dante. Versace, versace II no relation to the Versace. We'll talk about that briefly. Dante is with the Versace Group International, incorporated right here in lovely Cooper City. So, dante, thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 3:
My pleasure.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, Thanks to our listeners for tuning in so Dante, I'm curious tell everyone a little bit about what you guys do at Versace Group.
Speaker 3:
In a nutshell, everything that's imported into the United States has to be cleared through various government agencies. The first standout one is Customs and Border Protection Department of Homeland Security. So we're like the middleman that's hired by the importer in the United States to handle all the paperwork and clearance of the goods so that they can take possession and then put them out to market.
Speaker 2:
Interesting, so learn something new every day. I had no idea that that field even existed, but now that I'm thinking about it it does make perfect sense, because if you're a business owner, especially a larger business, and you're dealing with a lot of imports and exports, you're going to have somebody that specializes in that bureaucracy and dealing with that. So how did you get into this business? Tell us a little bit about your story and how you ended up here.
Speaker 3:
Well, just by happen chance, I was in my senior year at the University of Miami, business major with sets towards marketing, and I was doing the normal interviewing with you know, on campus with different businesses to get employed, and I was. I grew up in Hialeah, so I was working at a gas station in Miami Springs and one of the regular clients was a business called at that time John Knowles and Sons, custom House Brokers, and they were looking for a messenger and I wanted to get out of the grease business, you know, and keep my hands clean. So I said, sure, I mean, I had no idea what it was and I said, oh, custom house broker, they must build homes or something and I'll be delivering, you know blueprints and plans like that. Lo and behold, on my first day on the job I was over at the tarmac at then Eastern Airlines and National Airlines, in an office with customs inspectors being taught how to clear packages coming into the United States.
Speaker 3:
I always loved the airport and fascinated with, you know, planes and everything. So I just stayed working there and graduated from college. They in turn trained me. I became an entry rider and just moved up the ladder In 1982, I sat for my license, because to be a customs broker is much like a CPA, et cetera, that you have to be licensed by the federal government, and I passed it on my second attempt and just started working in the industry and gradually moved up the ladder, worked for multinationals and then finally, about 2007, 2008, I hung my own shingle and started my own company.
Speaker 2:
Very cool. What an interesting story, right. Talk about how things tend to work out. So I'm curious the business that recruited you to do this job essentially Custom Homes. What was with the name? Why was it called Custom Homes, if it was?
Speaker 3:
going on there. Every port in the United States has a customs building. You know of all the ports. You know of all the ports. Miami it used to be downtown on the Miami River was where the Customs House was In the original days. People would you know. The ship would come in, the captain would take his paperwork to the Customs House at the port where he would clear and pay the duties to get the goods into the country. At that time, customs was under the umbrella of Department of the Treasury and they were making all the money for the young United States of America to get funded and all to keep the country going. So a little bit of everything. So yeah, in fact, the original Port Everglades custom house, I believe, is still there, located on, I think it's Eller Drive in the port. They no longer use it. They moved into a much more modern building, but it still says US Customs House on the building.
Speaker 2:
That's a cool story, yeah? So there you are, a young guy getting going and you get an opportunity to work and what you think is custom home building, and then you end up here and fast forward all this time. You have your own business now and you're doing this. So I'm curious what is your ideal client profile? Are you typically working with larger organizations, smaller businesses or everything in between, and how do you connect with that seems like such a such a niche business? How do you engage potential clients? How does that work for you guys?
Speaker 3:
Well, as you probably notice, every time you're out traveling about you probably see these massive containers on trucks or being pulled up to warehouses and all good chance. They're mostly international containers, so those places need a customs broker. So you make cold calls and what have you? And try and get their business. I had customers for over 30 years that I've been dealing with. People look up custom brokers when they find out that they need to get something cleared. You know they order something, they ship it in and then they go to the airport to pick it up and they're told hey, you have to have this cleared by customs. They go to the airport to pick it up and they're told, hey, you have to have this cleared by customs. They go to customs. Customs says, well, this is a commercial shipment, you need a broker. And they say, if you go on our website, all the brokers in miami are listed at the port of miami. All the brokers in broward is listed at the website for Port Everglades Customs. And that's how people find you and you find people.
Speaker 2:
Sounds like it's more prevalent than I would have thought. Obviously, there's a lot of goods coming into the country, and it's again something that would have never even occurred to me, but it does make a lot of sense. Are there a lot of customs brokers out there? Is there a lot of competition in your field?
Speaker 3:
There's a good number of competitors and we're a smaller brokerage. I like to think it's more like a boutique. We have like six employees here, but you have multinational companies that have offices in major ports throughout the United States and handling some of the major players, and then some of the bigger importers may keep a customs broker in-house to handle their brokerage, so they don't farm it out to a third party like us, but they maintain it all within the house.
Speaker 2:
Okay, Going back, I think you mentioned 2007,. 2008 is when you started Versace Group International and kind of went on your own, started your own business. What was one of the biggest challenges in going on your own and becoming an entrepreneur, starting your own business? And then what was probably the biggest reward that you've experienced over the last 15, 20 years or so of uh, of being on your own.
Speaker 3:
The biggest challenge was hoping that I had and could get, get and maintain enough business to keep my business going forward, and I was very fortunate I was. I had developed a good following and I had a good name for myself in the area and it worked out very well for us. And the biggest reward is that I built something that's held up so far the test of time and in these ever changing times, you know with COVID and everything else.
Speaker 2:
So yeah, how did you, man, how did you survive COVID, when everything was shut down? That must have been a huge, huge blow for your business specifically.
Speaker 3:
It was tough, but we're being that. We were a small office. This office stayed open regular business hours to maintain our business and take care of our customers because they people were still shipping the goods in. You needed goods in here, you know, and so the work was there. It was just a matter of getting it. And then some people did do you work from home and stuff like that but the nature of my bigger clients needed a presence in the office, you know, because we deal with a lot of paperwork and everything. So you know you're printing massive documents and invoices, packing lists etc. To maintain the integrity of the paperwork and the entry you're submitting the customs.
Speaker 2:
So for anyone out there that's listening, that is in the business of importing goods, that is looking for a customs broker or is familiar with the space and would like to learn more, how can they reach you? Maybe share your website and your contact information.
Speaker 3:
Sure, my website is wwwversace with an I groupintlcom. My office number is 954-364-6280. 364-6280. And you can check us out on the web. Contact us and we'll have a conversation and see if we can help you in your need to get your goods into the country quickly and efficiently.
Speaker 2:
All right Sounds good, and we will, of course, put a link in the description to all of your contact information. Dante, thank you for joining us today. It was truly a pleasure. It's always interesting to get a look under the hood and learn a little bit about businesses, especially when it's a business that you didn't even know the field existed in the first place, and they happen to be located in the town that you live. So I think it's very important to shine a light on the various businesses in and around our community to find out what folks are doing around here. So thanks for joining us, man.
Speaker 3:
It was my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, of course, and thanks to our listeners for tuning in and we will catch everyone next time. Take care.
Speaker 1:
Have a wonderful day. Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, Cooper City. To nominate your favorite local business to be featured on the show, go to GNPCoopercitycom. That's.