The Lower East Side neighborhood of Miami Lakes has the Miami Lakes Research & Industrial Park within it.
Developed by The Graham Companies in the 1970s, a cluster of warehouses hold a variety of manufacturing business on the west side of Northwest 60th Avenue, at the north end.
Belzona distributes repair compounds and industrial coatings for the oil and gas; steel; marine and other industries; Medtronic is a health care technology company; DaVita Dialysis clinic; Panax Clinical Research conducts clinical research and drug trials; vitamin and supplement manufacturer Pharma Natural; One Innovations Lab, a nutraceutical research and manufacturing company; and Allivet, a pet pharmacy that sells medications, vitamins and foods for dogs; cats; fish; birds; livestock and horses.
Just south of the park at 14100 NW 60th Ave. is MIFS, or Miami International Freight.
It offers freight solutions for companies.
“We opened in 2008, over off of LeJeune [Road] and Gratigny [Parkway], and we moved here in 2012,” MIFS founder and Vice President of Operations Chuck Siceloff said.
The company found its location with the help of a real estate agent and have been happy with the move, he said.
“[The building] was in the middle of being retrofitted and we were able to have it customized for our needs,” Siceloff said.
MIFS manages air and sea freight from all over the world to the United States. He said the location – near highways with less traffic than in other areas, is a plus.
“We feel we’re centrally located to be able to service both ports, it’s not congested, it’s easy to get in and out,” Siceloff said.
The company’s drivers can avoid the traffic of Doral where most other freight companies are located, he said.
He called the area “well maintained.
“It’s good for our employees, as far as the nice restaurants around and we have a few employees that live in Miami Lakes,” Siceloff said. “It’s good for our customers who come visit us [because] its easily accessible.”
The area has sidewalks with a tree canopy and a bike path, and there are bus stops for employees who use mass transit.
“It’s a different feel for South Florida,” Siceloff said. “When you’re in the industrial market, you typically don’t have trees outside, shade and birds chirping.”