ITC Chairman Diaz welcomes Mayor of our Sister City — Pereira, Colombia

On November 19, Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Consul General of Colombia in Miami, Pedro Agustin Valencia, welcomed an inbound delegation from the Pereira, Colombia, led by The Hon. Carlos Alberto Maya Lopez, Mayor of Pereira.

The objective of this delegation was to promote trade between Pereira, Colombia and Miami-Dade County, with focus on bilateral coordination to strengthen the Sister Cities International relationship between both regions. The inbound delegates included First Lady Angela Maria Aguiree Valencia, Social Manager of Pereira; Mario Leon Ossa, Secretary of Competitiveness; Jorge Ivan Ramirez Cadavid, Executive President of the Pereira Chamber of Commerce; Luis Alberto Gomez Ocampo, Vice President Board of Directors of the Pereira Chamber of Commerce; Alejandra Lopez Angel, International Cooperation Coordinator of Invest in Pereira.

As a result, ITC has been working closely with Miami International Airport (MIA) to facilitate an exchange of best practices between MIA and the Matecaña International Airport.

We thank our ITC board members, partner representatives, and community organizations for their support: Jacqueline del Cristo, Esq., Chairman Diaz's representative and ITC's Chairwoman of the Sister Cities Committee; Jimmy Nares, MIA; Enrique Ros, PortMiami; Juan Manuel Gers and Margarita Losada, Colombia American Chamber of Commerce; Lianne Ventura, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce; Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; Manny Gonzalez, Wynwood Business Improvement District.

Ireland announces opening of Consulate General in Miami in 2022

On November 15, the ITC office coordinated a meeting for H.E. Dan Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, at the request of the Honorary Consul of Ireland in Miami, Ian O'Flaherty. Ambassador Mulhall met with Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Commissioner Eileen Higgins, and ITC's key partner organizations.

Presentations about Miami-Dade County's trade and tourism markets were provided during the meeting, followed by a tour of PortMiami

In the evening, the ITC team joined Commissioner Higgins for a Welcome Reception, hosted by the Greater Miami Chamber, where Ambassador Mulhall announced the opening of a Consulate General of Ireland in Miami in 2022.

We look forward to the opening of the Irish Consulate General in Miami and growing bilateral relations and trade opportunities between Ireland and Miami-Dade County.

Thank you to our ITC board members and partner representatives for providing the presentations: Richard de Villiers, PortMiami; Jimmy Nares, Miami International Airport; Ilona Vega Jaramillo, Beacon Council; Rolando Aedo, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. We also extend a thanks to our partner and community organizations for their support in helping host the reception: Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, World Trade Center Miami, Baptist Health South Florida.

Miami-Dade County supports Sister City Aix-Marseille Provence in "Miami Live 2021" virtual tech event

On November 16, Miami-Dade County and Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis participated in the "Miami Live 2021" virtual event, organized by the French American Chamber of Commerce - Miami, Florida Chapter and La French Tech Miami.

"Miami-Dade County and Aix-Marseille-Provence are Sister Cities since 2017. There are many areas of common purpose that Aix-Marseille-Provence and Miami-Dade share, including support for investment and trade between our business communities, the potential for exchanges between our creative sectors, and links between our ports." said Didier Parakian, Vice President Delegate for European Funds, Relations with European Institutions, and International Relations.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz highlighted Miami’s thriving tech scene and extended an invitation to Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis to bring a business development mission to Miami-Dade in 2022.

The ITC office worked together with Aix-Marseille-Provence on the panel discussion, which focused on fostering sustainable business between the two regions. We thank the French American Chamber of Commerce for providing us with a platform to promote Miami-Dade.

A Sister Cities International agreement was signed between Miami-Dade County and the Metropolis of Aix-Marseille-Provence, France in 2017. Click here for a list of Miami-Dade County's Sister Cities.

Chairman Diaz presents Keys to the County to D.R. Navy Commander General

On November 10, ITC's Interim Director Maria Dreyfus and Department Advisor Phillipa Valencia joined Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz, and Guz Cruz, Director of the Miami-Dade County Military Affairs Board, to welcome the official visit of the “Fall 2021” Naval Instruction School Ships.

During the reception ceremony, Chairman Diaz presented the Keys to the County to Vice Admiral Ramon Gustavo Betances Hernandez, Commander General of the Dominican Republic Navy.

We thank Consul General Jacobo Fernandez of the Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in Miami for the invitation to this occasion.

Inbound Delegation from Brazil seeking Business Development Opportunities

The ITC Team coordinated a meeting on December 8 between Chairman Jose "Pepe" Diaz and an inbound delegation from Brazil.

The delegation was led by Diogo Mac Cord, Secretary for Privatizations, Divestment, and Markets at the Ministry of Economy of Brazil, in collaboration with Apex Brasil. Lucas Fiuza, Business Director of Apex Brasil, and Eduardo Aroeira, Vice President of Brazil's Chamber of Construction and Industry CBIC, also participated in the meeting.

We look forward to working with Apex Brasil to learn about collective opportunities in trade and investment between Brazil and Miami-Dade County.

Chairman Diaz welcomes Spanish Delegation

On November 4, ITC's Interim Director Maria Dreyfus and Global Engagement Officer Sudeshna Chatterjee joined Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz to meet and welcome The Hon. Santiago Cabanas, Ambassador of Spain to the United States, and Ambassador Jaime Lacadena, Consul General of Spain in Miami.

Ambassador Cabanas highlighted the strong ties that exist between Miami-Dade and Spain and extended and invitation to the ITC to visit in the future.

Chairman Diaz hosts Parliamentarian from Germany

On November 30, the ITC office joined Chairman Jose "Pepe" Diaz to host an official delegation from Germany. The delegation included Peter Beyer, Member of the German Parliament and Coordinator of the Transatlantic Cooperation of the Federal Government of Germany; Alexander Kohnen, Personal Assistant Transatlantic Coordinator of the Federal Republic of Germany; Andreas Siegel, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Miami.

The objective of their visit was to discuss transatlantic cooperation of the German Federal Government and Miami-Dade County. During the meeting, presentations were provided by ITC partner representatives Eduardo Cuadra and Marco Freiri of PortMiami, and Jimmy Nares of Miami International Airport.

We thank our partners for their support and look forward to increasing trade promotion between Miami-Dade County and Germany.

ITC welcomes Delegation from Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador to Miami-Dade

On December 2, the ITC team welcomed an inbound delegation from Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, and El Salvador, coordinated by José A. Arce, Executive Director of Fundación Lideres Globales.

ITC Interim Director Maria Dreyfus provided a presentation about Miami-Dade County at the Main Library Auditorium.

Revitalizing the Sister Cities agreement between Kingston and Miami-Dade County

On November 23, ITC's Interim Director Maria Dreyfus and Department Advisor Phillipa Valencia met with Consul General Oliver Mair and Community Liaison Officer Cheryl Wynter of the the Consulate General of Jamaica in Miami.

We look forward to working together on collective efforts to promote trade and tourism, as well as revitalize the Sister Cities International agreement between Kingston, Jamaica and Miami-Dade County.

Business Development Missions from Poland to Miami-Dade County in 2022

On November 17, ITC's Interim Director Maria Dreyfus and Global Engagement Officer Sudeshna Chatterjee met with Counselor Bartosz Folusiak, Head of Economic Section, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in the United States, and Patrick Misiewicz, Managing Director, Polrydian Group.

Counselor Folusiak shared business development mission plans from Poland to Miami-Dade County in 2022. We look forward to working with the Polish Embassy in organizing the missions and exploring synergistic opportunities in trade and investment.

ITC welcomes new Consul General of Japan in Miami

On November 1, ITC’s Interim Director Maria Dreyfus and Global Engagement Officer Sudeshna Chatterjee met and welcomed the Consul General of Japan in Miami, Kazuhiro Nakai.

Discussion topics included Miami-Dade County's role as the gateway to Latin America, and how to help Japanese companies do business with the County and Latin America.

We look forward to working with Consul General Nakai and his office.

Say hello ProEcuador's newest Trade Commissioner!

ITC's Interim Director Maria Dreyfus and Assistant Director Nusly B. Alea hosted a "Meet & Greet" on November 1 with the new Trade Commissioner of ProEcuador in Miami, Pilar Neira.

The U.S. Commercial Service and Enterprise Florida are working together to prepare an Export Sales Mission to Quito, Ecuador in April 2022. Click here for more information.