Dear Global Traders,

As the world continues to emerge from the pandemic, we are proud to reintroduce The Miami-Dade County Global Trader, our newsletter and event alert for #OurCounty's international trade community. Among the highlights you'll see below, the Ambassadors of Uruguay, El Salvador, and Bangladesh visited South Florida over the past few weeks; we've outlined trade and investment opportunities with all three.

Since we last communicated by e-mail with you, the Miami-Dade Board County Commission Chairman Jose "Pepe" Diaz and Vice Chairman Oliver G. Gilbert, III have been named as Chair and Vice Chair of the International Trade Consortium Board, respectively. We look forward to their leadership and guidance.

Below the highlights, you will find information about upcoming events, including our exciting Sister City tourism promotion events with Pereira, Colombia April 14 and 15.

Our newsletter will be published monthly. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for how we can improve communications with you. Between newsletters, please find the latest news on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

Regards,

Jonathan Ward

Earlier this month, M Shahidul Islam, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United States, visited South Florida. The Bangladesh Association of Florida hosted a dinner in his honor, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Bangladeshi independence. At the event, Ambassador Islam announced Bangladesh will soon open a Consulate General in Miami-Dade County.

We met with the Ambassador to discuss trade and investment and the formation of the U.S.-Bangladesh Business Council in Washington, DC.

The World Trade Center Miami and The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, with support from ITC Assistant Director Maria Dreyfus, hosted a trade and investment event for Milena Mayorga, Ambassador of the Republic of El Salvador to the United States at the World Trade Center Miami on March 29. Consul General of El Salvador Eduardo Umaña also attended the event.

More than 50 business leaders participated in the "Business Opportunities in El Salvador" event in-person and virtually, including ITC board members Joe Chi and Alejandra Collarte.

In addition, Frontier Airlines will inaugurate a new flight between El Salvador and Miami later this month.

Miami-Dade County welcomes

Ambassador of Uruguay 

On March 29, Ambassador of Uruguay to the United States, Andrés Duran, and Consul General of El Salvador in Miami, Dr. Eduardo Bouzout Vignoil, met with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levine Cava. Ambassador Duran expressed interest in strengthening the commercial and cultural ties between Miami-Dade and Uruguay, including the revitalization of our Sister City relationship with Maldonado, Uruguay.

On March 30, ITC Executive Director Ward and the Chief of Staff to Chairman Diaz, Isidoro Lopez, met with Ambassador Duran to discuss increasing trade and investment between #OurCounty and Uruguay.

ITC board member Richard de Villiers, PortMiami Assistant Director, and Ernesto Rodriguez, Chief of Miami-Dade Aviation, briefed the Ambassador on logistics linkages between #OurCounty and Uruguay, including new Eastern Airlines direct air service.  

Ambassador Duran invited Mayor Cava and Miami-Dade County officials to join in on a trade delegation in Uruguay later this year.

On March 12, Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz was joined by colleagues from the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners, the Asian American Advisory Board and the ITC to honor the Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Miami, David K.C. Chien. The Chairman presented Director General Chien a key to the County and a Certificate of Appreciation for his contribution towards strengthening ties between Taiwan and Miami-Dade County.

We congratulate him for his new role as Taiwan's Ambassador to Belize!

On February 23, we held a virtual bilateral investment event focused on technology with our Sister City, Prague, Czech Republic. The Beacon Council and CzechInvest provided presentations to tech companies from Prague and #OurCounty highlighting opportunities for tech investment in the two Sister Cities.

We met with the Consul General of the Republic of Sierra Leone in his office to discuss opportunities to expand bilateral trade and investment. Sierra Leone was the first African country to open a Consulate General in #OurCounty.

Miami-Dade Aviation Manager of Trade & Logistics Emir Pineda and PortMiami Director of Global Trade and Business Eric Olafson briefed Turkish journalist Kenan Sertalp on logistics linkages with Turkey. Mr. Sertalo shared his reporting in EKOMETRE, a leading Turkish business journal, highlighting the rapidly expanding trade between Turkey and #OurCounty.

Sister Cities Working Together WEBINAR:

Pereira and Miami-Dade as a Market Destination

You are cordially invited to attend two events - promoting travel between #OurCounty and our Sister City Pereira, Colombia.

The event promoting Pereira will be held on April 14 and the event promoting Miami-Dade County will be held on April 15. 

This event is being hosted by ProColombia, Pereira Convention Bureau, Greater Miami Conventions and Visitors Bureau, and supported by the Colombian American Chamber of Commerce, American Airlines, Miami International Airport, and the office of International Trade Consortium (ITC). 

COVID & Immigration WEBINAR with U.S. Senator Ben Cardin

Global Chamber Miami is pleased to host a webinar on COVID and Immigration. The event will feature opening comments on immigration by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (MD- 03), followed by an immigration information session led by Jessica Weiss - Esq; Immigration Attorney with Weiss & Moy, P.C.

U.S. Virtual Trade Expo 2021

BABC Miami is delighted to be a partner of the U.S. Virtual Trade Expo 2021! Please join us on Tuesday, April 20th from 11 am - 1 pm (ET).



In partnership with the BAB Network, British Chambers of Commerce, and the Department for International Trade, BritishAmerican Business is pleased to invite you to join our 2021 U.S. Virtual Trade Expo. Facilitated through the platform Hopin.to, businesses looking at the U.S. as an investment destination will have the opportunity to take a deep dive into the various regions to learn more about what makes each area unique and the benefits of market entry. Each region will have their own exhibitor booth with local agencies and experts available to share information and answer questions live.

Appointments for the booths will be available to assure time with each. Exhibitor booths will include BABC chapters from Charlotte, Detroit, Houston, Miami, Pacific Northwest, Raleigh, San Francisco, Orange County, Atlanta, and New York!

Spain-U.S. Chamber Spring Padel Tournament

The Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Florida is proud to announce the opening registration for the Spring Padel Tournament - their first outdoor event for 2021!

Join them on Saturday, May 1, at Wynwood Padel Club, the biggest Padel Club in the U.S., and enjoy a fun-filled afternoon with refreshments, beer, wine and a taste of Spanish food.

WEBINAR: "What Comes After COVID?

An Economic Outlook through the Lens of Latin America."

Global Chamber Miami is a co-partner with the Global Interdependence Center's College of Central Bankers Initiative for a World Affairs Council of Philadelphia virtual presentation on "What Comes After COVID? An Economic Outlook through the Lens of Latin America."

About the Speakers:

• Jose De Gregorio, Dean of the School of Economics and Business of the Universidad de Chile; former President of the Central Bank of Chile, December 2007–December 2011
• Alfonso Prat-Gay, Founder of Andares, Foundation for the Development of Microfinance; former Governor of the Central Bank of Argentina, December 2002-September 2004