Parkland resident and entrepreneur Tom Wicky is a logistics master like few others.
Courtesy MyFBAPrep
Perhaps you haven't heard of MyFBAPrep, but there's a decent chance you've ordered something online that has passed through its global logistics network.
The Coral Springs-based company operates a network of more than 100 warehouses encompassing 85 million square feet of fulfillment capacity across the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia.
And the guy behind it all? Parkland resident Tom Wicky, whose entrepreneurial journey includes living in six countries, managing a $2 billion investment and uploading more than one million product listings to Amazon.
Today, his business helps online retailers tackle one of e-commerce's biggest headaches, which is getting products from warehouses to customers efficiently.
"We have built this, what I would, for lack of a better metaphor, Airbnb for warehouses," Wicky told Browardist. Rather than owning warehouses around the world, MyFBAPrep connects retailers with existing facilities, coordinating everything from product labeling and packaging to storage and shipping.
"I'm sort of in between the warehouse and the customer and I have this virtual network," he explained.
Originally from the Boston area, Wicky began his career in public relations, including an early claim to fame involving what he recalls as the first email pitch to land coverage on the CBS Evening News during Dan Rather's tenure. He eventually moved into private equity, spending 11 years abroad and working across six countries.
During that period, he also launched two Amazon businesses. One sold groceries in bulk, including quinoa, lentils and olive oil. The other offered print-on-demand merchandise featuring licensed designs from Batman, Superman and other entertainment properties.
Those ventures exposed him to the logistical complexities of selling on Amazon, particularly the extensive packaging and preparation requirements. He recognized an opportunity to create a business connecting retailers with warehouses already equipped to handle that work.
After returning from a year in Australia, Wicky and his future wife weren't sure where to settle.
"We threw darts and spent a month in San Francisco and a month in Miami," he said.
Miami ultimately won. The couple initially lived on the 49th floor of the Icon in Brickell before relocating to a townhouse near Victoria Park in Fort Lauderdale.
After their first child arrived, they explored Parkland, where they eventually built a house. "We took a drive out here and absolutely fell in love with it," Wicky said.
He also found an unexpected entrepreneurial community in South Florida through the Entrepreneurs' Organization, an international network of business founders.
"After having met so many CEOs and founders from Florida, from EO, man, there's a lot of businesses that have been founded here," he said.
As Amazon sellers contend with increasing storage costs, shipping complexities and inventory restrictions, Wicky sees opportunities for his company's technology-driven approach. A major focus is artificial intelligence, particularly predicting inventory needs and determining which warehouses can minimize shipping costs.
"If I'm from Florida shipping to California, you probably want to warehouse somewhere else closer to California, so you're only paying for one or two zones versus eight zones," he explained.
MyFBAPrep has also expanded into refrigerated and frozen fulfillment, including temperature-controlled deliveries for fresh pet food.
"We're constantly expanding the breadth and the depth of our network," Wicky said. He also says a new technology brand is also in development.
When Wicky isn't overseeing his international operation, there's a good chance you'll find him at a baseball diamond. His son plays competitive travel baseball for the Parkland Pokers, with games at Terramar Park and Pine Trails Park.
"I get buddies coming in from out of town a lot and they come to watch the games, and they just can't believe the quality of the fields here with the lights," he said.
Wicky also has a favorite way to navigate Parkland: his golf cart. "I go food shopping on my golf cart... Starbucks... Walmart... I take my kids to school every morning on it,” he says. “I love it.”
For a businessman whose company coordinates logistics across six continents, his daily commute might be the simplest delivery route of all.
