Fanatics Is Now a $14 Billion-a-Year Company and Trailer Bridge Names a New CEO: 3 Business Items

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Fanatics, the sports merchandise company that began as a single Jacksonville-area store, now has about $14 billion in annual revenue, the Jacksonville Daily Record reported Oct. 22. Its sports merchandise business accounts for about $7 billion of that. Separately, Jacksonville-based Trailer Bridge announced a new CEO who starts Nov. 2.

Fanatics: from one mall store to $14 billion

The company opened a single store in the Orange Park Mall in 1995. Founders Mitchell and Alan Trager sold the Jacksonville-based business in 2011 to a Philadelphia company run by Michael Rubin. Fanatics is now based in New York but keeps a large operation at 8100 Nations Way in Jacksonville, which it calls its commerce headquarters.

Rubin, in an Oct. 14 CNBC interview, projected that collectibles will reach about $5.5 billion this year and commerce will exceed $7 billion. He said Fanatics holds about 10% of the online gambling market. "We're a distant number three in the betting and gaming business. We don't like that," Rubin said.

Rubin also addressed lawsuits and a possible stock offering. He said Fanatics had no legal action from 2011 to 2022, then became a target of lawsuits, and that the company will not settle: "We're a fighter." On going public, he said: "There's got to be a good reason for us to go public, and that doesn't exist today." The company did not respond to the newspaper's request for comment about its Jacksonville site.

Trailer Bridge picks Charles Gittens

Trailer Bridge Inc. announced Oct. 26 that Charles Gittens will become CEO effective Nov. 2. He succeeds Mitch Luciano, who led the company from November 2012 until September 2026. Luciano resigned, citing a need for personal and family time.

Gittens has more than 30 years in transportation and logistics. Most recently he was president of trade at King Ocean Services, overseeing operations in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Eastern Caribbean. Before that he was president and chief commercial officer of SEACOR Island Lines, where he grew revenue by 115%.

Board chairman Eric Fabrikant said, "Charles is a valuable addition to Trailer Bridge." Founded in 1991 by Malcom McLean, the company has served the Puerto Rico trade for 35 years with roll-on/roll-off and lift-on/lift-off barges. It has invested more than $9 million in improvements to its barges, including onboard generators to expand refrigerated cargo capacity.

Another Jacksonville earnings note

Johnson & Johnson Vision, the contact lens business of J&J, reported contact lens sales up 4.3% to $1.05 billion, excluding currency effects. International sales grew 6.2% and U.S. sales grew 1.9%, the Daily Record reported. Vision's total sales were $1.46 billion, up 5.1%.

Source: Jacksonville Daily Record, Oct. 22 and Oct. 27, 2026; reviewed by Jax Times.