Commercial Outreach Efforts in Eastern Caribbean

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRIDGETOWN 000095

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EB/CBA FOR DENNIS WINSTEAD
DS FOR DS/DSS/OSAC
COMMERCE FOR FCS SANTO DOMINGO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: BEXP ETRD EINV AMCHAM ASEC BB XL
SUBJECT: Commercial Outreach Efforts in Eastern Caribbean

Ref: Bridgetown 49


1. SUMMARY: The Ambassador hosted a lunch on February 11 for the
newly formed American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) for Barbados. The
board, drawn from ten of the larger American companies in Barbados,
will hold an organizational meeting in the last week of February and
will begin operations shortly after that. Post plans commercial
outreach efforts in St Kitts, and St Lucia the week of February 18,
following on two outreach events with the American business
community in Dominica. Ultimately, we hope to generate a critical
mass of interest in each of the countries of the EC to create a
network of AmChams that can help wave the flag, advocate for U.S.
commercial priorities, and spark new trade and investments in the EC
market. End Summary

Launching of AmCham Starts Our Commercial Outreach Campaign


2. At a February 11th luncheon, the Ambassador welcomed the
creation of the board of directors for a new AmCham and engaged in a
spirited discussion on the business environment in Barbados. She
expressed the Embassy's strong desire to help American companies
expand their operations in Barbados and stressed that American firms
are the face of America to many people in Barbados and the Eastern
Caribbean.


3. The initial board of AmCham consists of representatives from Air
Jamaica, Citicorp, Windward Agencies, American Airlines, ADM
Barbados Mills, KFC Barbados, TGI Fridays, Tele Barbados, and
American Life. Several other large corporations have expressed
interest in joining the board, and some 60 American-affiliated firms
have expressed some interest in participating in an AmCham.


4. Embassy Bridgetown originally launched a regional AmCham for the
Eastern Caribbean in 2000. It was active until 2003 when it quit
functioning due to change in leadership of the organization and a
lack of commitment by the membership to make it a viable
organization. The AmCham formed in 2000 did not register with or
seek accreditation with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington,
DC and thus was not an official AmCham. As a result of this
neglect, the Eastern Caribbean is the only significant economic
space in the region without an AmCham presence. Now that we have
formed an AmCham we hope to see the AmCham become a viable
organization and a vital partner in post's commercial diplomacy.


5. There are some 60 American-owned companies in Barbados. These
firms run the entire gamut of industries, with banks, financial
service providers, accounting firms and the like being the most
common firm represented here. There are a number of American-owned
hotel chains in Barbados and several large scale American-owned
resorts are being developed. There are also a number of smaller,
niche manufacturers active in Barbados. There are a number of other
companies that would qualify for potential AmCham membership as they
are either managed by an American citizen or do a significant amount
of business with the United States, including significant U.S.
sourcing of their equipment.

Surprising Number of American Firms in the Islands


6. Moreover, in each of our other countries there is a surprising
number of American-owned or affiliated companies that we hope will
form the nucleus of "mini-AmChams". Most, if not the majority of
American owned companies in our other islands are in the
tourism-hotel sector, although there are a number of larger other
companies, including the Hess Oil refinery in St Lucia. Recent
experience in Dominica (septel),the least developed of the EC
countries, revealed some two dozen American-affiliated companies,
some more than 40 years old and some in their infancy, and running
the gamut from tourism to mining and from well-known multinationals
Coca Cola and Proctor and Gamble to small entrepreneurial firms.

KFC Everywhere But No Micky D's


7. Many of our other islands also have some of the American owned
fast food chains, but marquee stalwarts like McDonald's and
Starbucks are not present in Barbados, or most of our islands. Of
the big restaurant chains, KFC is present and popular throughout the
region as people in the region tend to favor chicken. Subway has
been trying for several years to open in Barbados but has faced
opposition from the local fast food chains. We heard at the AmCham
lunch, that Subway is in the final stages of getting approval to
enter into Barbados (they already have franchises in many of the
other EC countries).


8. Although the majority of foreign owned firms in the region are
UK, Canadian or Trinidad owned, there is a strong market penetration
of American consumer goods, particularly food products, as the
region imports most of their daily necessities, many from U.S.
distributors. Thus many American corporations may not be aware of

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how widely distributed their products are in the Eastern Caribbean.
The U.S. is also a favored source for machinery and other related
goods, and both locally-owned and U.S.-affiliated companies have
expressed significant interest in U.S. trade shows.


9. Through the assistance of BFIF funding, we have been able to
conduct much more extensive outreach to the other EC countries.
This unprecedented (we are told) interest from the U.S. Embassy has
yielded surprisingly positive results from a U.S. business community
hungry for information and networking opportunities and eager to
partner with the Embassy on advocacy, outreach, and Public Diplomacy
issues. As travel funding allows, we will be working diligently to
broaden and deepen our contacts with this heretofore underserved
community, with the ultimate goal of creating, at a minimum,
"mini-AmChams" that can link into the Barbados AmCham. Creating
such a network will enable U.S. companies in the region access to
information on a market that, combined, includes over a million
permanent residents and up to five times as many visitors annually.

OURISMAN