TRADE MIAMI-DADE (Miami-Dade County)

TRADE MIAMI-DADE

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Welcome to Trade Miami-Dade, the newsletter highlighting the activities of the International Trade Consortium (ITC) Board of Directors and the Economic Development and International Trade Unit (EDIT) 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 as the Global Gateway.

Latin Mayors Visit Miami-Dade County An inbound delegation from Fundacion Lideres Globales, a non-profit organization based in San Jose, Costa Rica, visited Miami from December 1 to the 6, 2015. The delegation of 39 people included 10 mayors from various cities from Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama and Honduras. The group met with Manny Gonzalez, Chief of the Economic Development and International Trade Unit, who welcomed and briefed the group about Miami-Dade County. The delegation visited the Alexander Orr Water Treatment Plant, where they were greeted and briefed by Luis Aguiar, Assistant Director of Water Operations, and Adriana P. Lamar, Chief, Public and Governmental Affairs of Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. Fundacion Lideres Globales Executive Director Jose Antonio Arce thanked Miami-Dade County for sharing best practices with the delegation and mentioned that he will come back to Miami with another delegation in 2016.

German Officials Sign Sister Seaport Agreement with PortMiami  An official delegation from the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany, visited Miami-Dade from December 2 to 5. The delegation of 32 people was led by the Honorable Frank Horch, Senator for Economic, Transportation and Innovation of Hamburg. The delegation also included Mr. Jens Meier, CEO of Hamburg’s Port Authority, as well as representatives of Hamburg’s Tourism Board, Ministry of Economy, Transportation and Innovation, and various service providers from their cruise industry.  The objectives of the visit were to strengthen the political and economic relations between Hamburg and South Florida and to draw lessons learned from Miami’s role as the Cruise Capital of the world.  Therefore, on December 3, the German delegation met with Kevin Lynskey, Deputy Director of PortMiami, Commissioner Jose Pepe Diaz, ITC Chair and Chair of Miami-Dade County’s Trade and Tourism Committee, to sign a Sister Seaport Agreement between Port of Hamburg and PortMiami (see picture). The delegation was also briefed about Miami as a global tourism destination by Gisela Marti, ITC Board member and Vice President of Marketing of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB).   According to the Honorable Jürgen Borsch, Consul General of Germany in Miami, the four-day visit by the German delegation was a success and the whole delegation was impressed with the program organized by EDIT in close collaboration with the Consulate of Germany in Florida. Consul General Borsch stated, “The signing of the Sister Port Agreement between Miami and Hamburg, the first one of Florida with a German port, illustrates the success of this visit and the strong support on both sides for deepening our close relations.”

Top:  ITC Chair Jose "Pepe" Diaz signs the Sister Port agreement between PortMiami and the Hamburg Port Authority. Behind Commissioner Diaz are Mr. Jens Meier, CEO of Hamburg's Port Authority (L), and the Honorable Frank Horch, Senator from Hamburg (R). Middle: Deputy Mayor Jack Osterholt meets with delegation. Bottom: 32-member delegation visits PortMiami.

Miami International Airport  Surpasses Annual Passenger Record, Surges Toward 44 Million in 2015

On December 10, Miami International Airport eclipsed its 2014 total of 40.9 million passengers, and with 3.2 million more passengers than at the same point last year, the airport now has its sights set on a new record-breaking milestone: 44 million annual passengers. With December being MIA’s busiest month for passengers, yielding more than four million in 2014, the last 21 days of the year could take MIA over the 44 million passenger threshold.    “MIA continues to exceed even our own expectations and draw more and more passengers and airlines to our community from across the globe,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “Congratulations to Director González and the MIA team on another record-breaking year. With MIA forcefully driving our local economy forward, we have much to be thankful for this holiday season.”  “I can think of no better way to ring in the New Year than by setting a new annual record of 44 million passengers,” said Miami-Dade Aviation Director Emilio T. González. “Regardless of the final tally, MIA has already had its best year ever for passenger growth, and we expect our upward trend to continue with more new international routes and carriers slated for 2016.”

Japanese Company Looking To Open Office in Miami

Pictured L-R: Elliot Lee, Andre Brown, Angie Ki, Edson Kodama, Takeo Hojo, Pamela Fuertes, Desmond Alufohai and Stephen M. Beatus.

Mr. Takeo Hojo, General Manager, Sales and Marketing Department, Global Operations Division and Mr. Edson Kodama, Counselor, International Development, Saraya Company Ltd., based in Osaka, Japan, visited Miami-Dade on December 15, 2015. The purpose of their visit was to explore establishing a subsidiary of Saraya Company in the County. Mr. Hojo and Mr. Kodama met with Desmond Alufohai, International Trade Coordinator, Economic Development & International Trade Unit, Miami-Dade County, and Ms. Pamela Fuertes, Vice President, International Economic Development, The Beacon Council, at The Beacon Council office in Downtown Miami. Ms. Angie Ki, Chief Business Development Officer, American Da Tang Group and her two associates, Andre Brown, Real Estate & Market Research Advisor and Elliot Lee, Global Real Estate Advisor and Immigration Consultant, were also invited to join the meeting. Mr. Alufohai welcomed the delegation to Miami-Dade County and talked about the unique assets of Miami-Dade as a Global Gateway and Logistics Hub of the Americas. Ms. Ki and her associates made presentations about South Florida’s real estate market. Finally, Ms. Fuertes gave an overview about investment opportunities and business tax incentives available in Miami-Dade County. At the end of the presentations, Mr. Takeo expressed his appreciation for the briefings. He stated that the information presented will be reviewed and evaluated upon his return to Japan.

Miami Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources Economic Development and International Trade