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TRADE MIAMI-DADE
April
2017
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Welcome to Trade Miami-Dade, the newsletter highlighting the activities of the International Trade Consortium (ITC) Board of Directors and the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) of Miami-Dade County. As the Chair of the ITC, I have the responsibility of engaging our local partners and making new commercial connections around the world. The advantages of using Miami-Dade County and its superb international trade resources for moving product to and from anywhere in the world are formidable. Our message is clear: come trade with us, and together we can make Miami-Dade prosper. We hope you enjoy Trade Miami-Dade, and that you will join us in promoting Miami-Dade County as the Global Gateway.
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ITC Chair Jose "Pepe" Diaz
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MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS WELCOME CONSULAR CORPS REPRESENTATIVES TO SISTER CITIES RECEPTION
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Top: Mayor Gimenez makes welcoming remarks.
Bottom: Mayor Gimenez, right, and ITC Chair Diaz, second from left, meet with consular and foreign trade officials.
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Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, BCC Chair Esteban L. Bovo, Jr., ITC Chair Diaz, Vice-Chair Audrey M. Edmonson and Commissioner Javier D. Souto welcomed representatives from Miami's consular corps and foreign trade offices for a meet-and-greet reception held at the Biltmore Hotel on January 26, 2017. The outreach effort to the foreign diplomats was organized by the Sister Cities, Consular Corps and Protocol Committee of the ITC Board in hopes of fostering closer relations between the County and officials who report back to their respective countries about business conditions and opportunities in Miami.
In remarks, the Mayor and Commissioners emphasized Miami-Dade's rich cultural diversity, the importance of international trade and engaging with foreign partners, and the willingness for close cooperation and collaboration. More than 40 consular and trade officials attended the event.
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CHAIR DIAZ BRINGS GOING GLOBAL WORKSHOP TO DORAL
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On January 31, 2017, ITC Chair Diaz hosted the third Going Global import/export workshop developed by OEDIT. Attendees heard from eight public and private-sector industry experts, who shared information about effective tools for accessing international markets, best prospects, legal aspects and available trade financing.
Workshop agenda topics included: legal considerations and regulatory compliance; automated commercial environment cargo release and vehicle exports; do’s and don’ts for importing food into the U.S. market; the role of freight forwarders; export working capital programs and trade financing.
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At right, t
op and bottom photo: ITC Chair Diaz makes welcoming remarks at the workshop.
Middle photo: workshop attendees network with exhibitors from economic development organizations.
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MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
OPENS MIAMI EXPORT CENTER
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On February 16, 2017, OEDIT Chief Manny Gonzalez was a guest speaker during the launch for the Miami office of the Minority Business Development Agency’s (MBDA) Export Center. This center provides technical assistance and business development opportunities to minority business enterprises seeking access to global markets. During the ceremony, the MBDA Export Center was presented with a check by Nakita Chambers, program manager, Office of Business Development, U.S. Department of Commerce in the amount of $1.25 million.
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DELEGATION FROM UNITED ARAB EMIRATES VISITS MIAMI-DADE
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OEDIT provided support and coordination for a senior-level delegation form Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) who visited Miami on March 23, 2017. During a morning-long seminar, local businesses heard about the many opportunities for doing business in the UAE from representatives from Dubai FDI, the US-UAE Business Council, the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, and the UAE Embassy in Washington, among others.
The delegation was led by HE Majed Al Suwaidi, and local businesses involved in the aviation, banking and finance, creative design, hospitality and tourism, information technology, life sciences and healthcare, and trade and logistics sectors attended the seminar. Mr. Leland Salomon, deputy director of Miami-Dade County's Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, provided welcome remarks.
Florida ranks third among U.S. states exporting to the UAE.
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Top: Dubai delegation presenters and guests at the seminar.
Bottom: PortMiami staff gives briefing and tour to Dubai delegation.
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FLORIDA-JAPAN SUMMIT STRENGTHENS EAST-WEST TIES
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The Florida-Japan Summit was held on January 18, 2017 at the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando. OEDIT's Desmond Alufohai attended the event, which was organized by the Florida Delegation Southeast United States/Japan Association, Inc. The summit was the annual gathering of Florida-Japan business, education, tourism and cultural leaders. The summit also featured panel presentations, exchange of information, and networking.
Mr. Ken Detzner, Florida Secretary of State, gave the opening remarks while the Honorable Ken Okaniwa, consul general, Consulate General of Japan in Miami, provided the keynote address. Other notable speakers were Mr. Manny Mencia, senior vice president, International Trade and Business Development, Enterprise Florida, Inc.; Mr. Sam Tabuchi, Director, Japan Office, Enterprise Florida; and Mr. Norikazu Mori, chief executive officer, Japan External Trade Organization Atlanta office.
Participants gained first-hand information and insights about Japan/USA relations from the “Business and Tourism Panel,” and “Education and Culture Panel.”
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Top, from left to right: Mr. Desmond Alufohai, Mr. Keith Norden, Mr. Ken Detzner and Mr. Ken Okaniwa.
Bottom: Mr. Sam Tabuchi, Mr. Dave Woodward, Mr. Desmond Alufohai, Mr. Manny Mencia, Ms. Annette Alvarez of Global Ties and Mr. Eric Olafson of PortMiami.
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Panel discussions and legislative briefings were important sources of information for International Days 2017 attendees.
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OEDIT ATTENDS INTERNATIONAL DAYS 2017 IN TALLAHASSEE
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On February 14 and 15, 2017, OEDIT's Maria Dreyfus-Ulvert joined the Florida Chamber of Commerce's annual International Days in Tallahassee. The two-day event was attended by the consulates of Canada, France, Japan, Ireland, Israel, and the trade office of Spain, as well as representatives of the local economic development agencies, including Miami International Airport, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, World Trade Center Miami, Florida Customs Broker and Forwarders Association and Broward County’s Office of Economic and Small Business Development.
The purpose of the two-day event was to bring together Florida organizations involved in international trade to discuss trends and opportunities and to be briefed by Florida officials on legislative matters pertaining to trade.
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MAYOR GIMENEZ WELCOMES FRENCH CONSUL GENERAL
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French Consul General in Miami Clement LeClerc met with Mayor Gimenez on March 30, 2017, to discuss multiple areas of cooperation between Miami-Dade County and France. In addition to following up on ongoing interests from the business development mission that Mayor Gimenez led to the Paris Air Show in 2015, the Mayor and the Consul General pledged to work together to support the business and trade mission to Miami being led by Marseille Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin and scheduled to take place in November of 2017.
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French Consul General Clement LeClerc, left, and Mayor Gimenez.
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Represented at the meeting were the cities of Miami Gardens, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Sunny Isles Beach, Pinecrest, Doral, and North Miami Beach.
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MIAMI-DADE SISTER CITIES HOSTS COUNTY-WIDE CITIZEN DIPLOMACY SUMMIT
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The Sister Cities, Consular Corps & Protocol Committee hosted local municipalities with Sister Cities programs to discuss the sharing of best practices between local programs and to seek opportunities to work together on issues relating to engaging international partners, trade expansion, and programs promoting citizen diplomacy. Sister Cities Committee Chair Jacqueline del Cristo Berens and committee members exchanged experiences and challenges with the other local programs and committed to closer collaboration among all the local programs going forward.
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CURACAO INVESTMENT & EXPORT PROMOTION AGENCY OPENS MIAMI OFFICE
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The Curaçao Investment & Export Promotion Agency (CINEX) opened a shared office space in Miami that will be a base for Curacao businesses wishing to take advantage of Miami's strategic location in the U.S. The CINEX office will promote trade and commerce with Curacao. OEDIT enjoys close ties with CINEX and the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Miami.
Guests at the office opening included Curacao Minister Mr. Xavier Prens; Consul General for the Netherlands in Miami, Mrs. Nathalie Olijslager-Jaarsma; Director of the Foreign Economic Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Economic Development of Curacao, Ms. Zulaika Mook and OEDIT’s Maria Dreyfus-Ulvert and Adam Peters.
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CINEX officials at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new office in Miami.
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From left to right: OEDIT's Manny Gonzalez; Sharon Corcoran, director of service, Cork County Council; Tim Lucey, chief executive, Cork County Council; and OEDIT's Maria Dreyfus-Ulvert.
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OEDIT MEETS WITH IRISH OFFICIALS IN ADVANCE OF PLANNED TRADE MISSION TO IRELAND
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On March 13, 2017, OEDIT's Manny Gonzalez and Maria Dreyfus-Ulvert met with officials from Cork County, Ireland, to discuss details for an upcoming trade mission to Ireland. Mr. Tim Lucey, chief executive of the Cork County Council, and Ms. Sharon Corcoran, director of service for Economic Development for the Cork County Council, offered to support the mission to Cork County by assisting with logistics and arranging meetings for government and business representatives.
Cork County is home to a significant number of pharmaceutical and medical companies. The County is serviced by Cork International Airport, Ireland's second- busiest airport, and the Port of Cork, Ireland's second-busiest seaport.
The trade mission is being planned for the summer of 2017.
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ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE HOST CONSULS TO DISCUSS TRADE
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The Organization of Women in International Trade hosted a panel discussion held on March 1 and attended by OEDIT staff. The guest panelists were Susan Harper, consul general of Canada in Miami, Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia, consul general of Mexico in Miami and Nathalie Olijslager-Jaarsma, consul general of the Netherlands in Miami.
The panelists talked about current economic trends in trade and opportunities for trade and commerce within their respective countries and benefits for the South Florida economy.
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From left to right:
Susan Harper, consul general of Canada in Miami; Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia, consul general of Mexico in Miami; and Nathalie Olijslager-Jaarsma, consul general of the Netherlands in Miami.
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The mission will depart to Paris on June 16th, 2017. On June 18th, delegates will link with the State of Florida delegation attending the Paris Air Show. On June 19th, delegates will visit the Paris Air Show, the world’s leading aviation show for the last 100 years, which draws 2,303 exhibitors, 150,000 professional visitors and features 30 international pavilions. On June 20th, delegates will network with businesses during a branding presentation. The delegation will return to Miami on June 21st, 2017.
The best market prospects and leading sectors/opportunities for U.S. companies include: Aviation & Aerospace • Food Products • Pharmaceuticals • Microelectronics • Health Care Equipment • Professional Services • Information & Communications Technology • Logistics • Cosmetics & Skin Care Products • Travel & Tourism. Qualified mission delegates dealing with materials, composites, coatings, metals, advanced manufacturing, surface treatment for aviation, maritime, medical and ICT sectors are entitled to
apply to a 2-day "Provence Aero & Industry 4.0 Business Tour" all expenses paid for by Provence Promotion.
For mission cost and sponsorship opportunities please contact: Maria Dreyfus-Ulvert, Senior Trade Specialist, Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT), Department of Regulatory & Economic Resources of Miami-Dade County via email:
mdreyfu@miamidade.gov or by calling 305.375.3885
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