Chilean Companies Arrive in Miami to Learn About Doing Business in the U.S.

MIAMI, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost 20 Chilean managers and CEOs are in Miami this week to participate at the Third Executive Business Workshop, organized and sponsored by ProChile. From Monday, September 30th until Friday, October 4^th, these South American business leaders from diverse industries and sectors, like technology, food, pharmaceuticals, industrial and education will learn everything they need to have a deeper knowledge about bilateral trade and to potentially establish their businesses in Miami.

"Our bilateral relationship with Miami has always been solid, and our partnership has steadily grown over the years," stated Gustavo Rodriguez, ProChile Trade Commissioner for Miami. "We're providing these Chilean companies the connections and the tools necessary to integrate their operations with this city that is not only a platform to the rest of the U.S., but also to the world," he added. "We want to strengthen the U.S.-Chile trade relationship further by enabling our companies to service the market with a clear understanding of its functionality and to open facilities if they can, to hire locals and become part of the Miami marketplace," he concluded.

The workshop consists of daily presentations and discussions led by industry professionals. Topics include finance and banking, corporate regulation, logistics, infrastructure, and law. It will include a session on international mobility by Mr. Desmond Alufohai, International Trade Coordinator with Economic Development & International Trade for Miami-Dade County. Chile is currently Miami's 7^th trade partner, and among the 22 companies that participated at last year's workshop, four of them are already in the process of establishing operations in the region.

"Chile's differentiator is that we are devoted to developing quality products overall. We go beyond the excellent gastronomic exports that are widely consumed in this country, like our salmon and our wine, to also bring to the competitive U.S. market our innovation in technology, pharmaceuticals, and other areas," commented the Trade Commissioner. "We support initiatives like the Executive Workshop as we are committed to fostering innovation, entrepreneurship and internationalization in our businesses, which, in the end, will benefit both Chile and the U.S." he said.

ProChile is co-financing the workshop, which is one of the many activities it is involved in to enable innovators to internationalize their business knowledge and to create relationships with the U.S. Other programs that have been put in place by the government are ContactChile, which helps businesses in Chile establish a foothold in other countries for their innovative products or services, having impacted about 100 businesses since last year, and StartUpChile from Corfo, which brings Chilean and foreign entrepreneurs together to Chile to establish their businesses there in exchange for an economic incentive, a one-year work visa and their commitment to community involvement. This program has impacted more than 670 startups from 64 countries since it was launched.

CHILE, BEST PLACE TO DO BUSINESS IN LATIN AMERICA:

• Most innovative country in South America: 2013 Global Innovation Index of the World Intellectual Property Organization and INSEAD Business School.
• Most competitive economy in Latin America: WEF Global Competitive Index 2012-2013; #1 in LatAm on the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index 2012 and on EIU's Business Environment Ranking.
• Fertile ground for business: Chile set up 67,000 new companies in 2012, from 58,000 in 2011; and the Chilean Congress approved an initiative that enables all people to start a company in one day, at zero cost and online.

About ProChile: ProChile is the institution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile responsible for promoting exports of goods and services. ProChile also contributes to encourage foreign investments and tourism in Chile. It has a network of over 50 trade offices worldwide and 15 regional offices throughout the country, with specialized teams that contribute to positioning Chile's attributes in international markets. ProChile also provides first-class information and diverse tools to exporters for a better business management abroad and detects business opportunities for importers as well. In the U.S., ProChile has representatives strategically located in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Washington D.C.

For more information about ProChile, please visit http://www.prochile.gob.cl/importers/who-are-we/

For more information about the Third Executive Workshop or for interviews, please, contact Yazmine Esparza, [email protected], (202) 729-4205.

These materials are being produced by Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide on behalf of ProChile. Additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

SOURCE ProChile