After delivering a very detailed and inspiring presentation to a large cross section of the island’s business, civic and education communities at the University of St. Martin on the evening of Thursday January 23, Ms. Tamara Leonard, the President of the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry, invited the Ambassador to join the Chamber’s Board of Directors and representatives of the country’s Foreign Affairs Department to an early morning breakfast at the Chamber’s office on Friday January 24, 2014.
This power breakfast meeting was well attended, and its Chairperson, Ms. Tamara Leonard, presented the Ambassador with all of the Chamber’s planned trade and investment initiatives for 2014. The Ambassador outlined the various German priorities established by the Federal Republic of Germany for Latin America and the Caribbean, and encouraged a liberal exchange of ideas that would indicate how he can best explores opportunities that would be mutually beneficial for St. Maarten and Germany.
One of the points not revealed during the chamber’s introduction of the Ambassador of Germany to the Kingdom of the Netherlands is the fact that St. Maarten had a very productive relationship with Germany when the firm St. Maarten Distillers Company, NV was incorporated in 1965. This company was owned by innovative Germany investors who bought molasses in the Caribbean and process that raw material into rum on the island of St. Maarten. This company did very well on the island until the process became less competitive to produce rum in the region. Nevertheless, the concept still remains relevant, because the Chamber’s Trade and Investment objective is aimed to stimulate more productive activities on the island while at the same time creating job opportunities for the many persons who are in need of productive employment on the island.
During the breakfast session many ideas and possibilities were exchanged about exploring new opportunities between the Republic of Germany and the country of St. Maarten, and based on those ideas the Chamber will work closely with the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs to follow up on the many suggestions discussed. Should there be any registered businesses and or German investors presently doing business with Germany, please inform Mr. Claret Connor, the Chamber’s Executive Director, to see whether their ideas can be incorporated into the new Trade and Investment relations that will be developed between Germany and St. Maarten.
At the end of the breakfast session the Ambassador was presented with a copy of the St. Maarten Investors Guide 20/20: Home is where I prosper DVD.