Cleveland City Councilman Brian J. Cummins (Ward 14) addresses the Latin American delegation and guests at La Boca Restaurant on Feb. 26, 2010. Photos courtesy of Harry Weller.  

Latin American delegation sojourn, to learn U.S. World Trade Policies
By Arooj Ashraf, LaPrensa Correspondent

In an increasingly competitive and global economic market the city of Cleveland got a chance to flaunt its assets to a diverse delegation from Latin America on Feb. 26, 2010.
 

Nine international guests from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Perú, Uruguay, and Venezuela were welcomed by nearly 150 guests at La Boca to discuss the impact of economic globalization, trade and get acquainted with Cleveland Latino leaders.

Nancy Luna Alcalac (Venezula), Claribel Aparieco (Bolivia), María Luisa Almeida (Paraguay), and Nora Ruiz (Costa Rica) were part of the Latin American delegation at La Boca Restaurant.

 Photo by Arooj Ashraf.

“The Greater Cleveland Partnership and our economic development partners, such as Nortek and Team NEO, are pleased to share our experiences with guests from South and Latin America and hope to establish working relationships with the quests,” said Gerald Meyer, Senior Director Business Development, Greater Cleveland Partnership. He said the goal was to build mutually beneficial relationships that can later translate into partnerships that would engage in economic growth.

The visitors are invited to the United States by the Department of the State’s International Visitor Leadership Program and Cleveland Council on World Affairs and will visit geographically diverse regions of the country to examine their response to the globalization process. Their professional backgrounds range from government officials, editors and journalists, to project managers; working for the interest of their respective countries.
 

The delegation discussed local business practices, free trade agreements, shifts in international business patterns, job outsourcing, and relocations of businesses.

“Cleveland is the best place to invest in because it has a lot of services in medical, and industry;” said Claribel Aparieco of Bolivia. Her first visit to the United States, Aparieco was most delighted by the snow and appreciated the Cleveland hospitality.

María Luisa Almeida, from Paraguay, agreed; adding, while Cleveland is not the most recognized city it has interesting opportunities and her goal is to promote investment and export opportunities between two countries. “Right now we are just learning about your culture and sharing ours,” she said.

Establishing personal friendships will facilitate partnerships said José Feliciano, The Hispanic Roundtable’s President; “The Hispanic culture is universal. The openness, graciousness, and warmth evidenced at the reception in Cleveland are the same as it would be throughout the countries of each of our visitors from South America.”

Gus Hoyas, Chair of the Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said the event made a favorable impression on the delegation and Mayor Frank Jackson should seize this opportunity to make Cleveland a welcome center for Latin American investors. “For the benefit of Cleveland and its future, he needs to look outside of Cleveland to bring talent in and business here,” said Hoyas.

Guests also enjoyed live music, and poetry readings. The delegation will stay in the U.S. till March 4, 2010. While in Cleveland, the group will be meeting with CSU Nance College of Business Administration, United Labor Agency, Greater Cleveland Partnership, Nortech, Team NEO, Case Western Reserve University, Cuyahoga County Farm Bureau and Policy Matters.

Photos courtesy of Harry Weller.

We'd like to know what you think about this article. Please leave your comments below so we can share your thoughts with other visitors. 

We reserve the right to delete or edit any comments we find inappropriate.
Copyright © 2010 by [LaPrensa Newspaper]. All rights reserved.
Revised: 03/02/10 19:02:34 -0800.

 

Home