November, 2016

Post Archives

CACC’s Annual Fresh Fruit Workshop

Tuesday, November 15th, 2016

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Thursday December 01, 2016

8:00 AM- 9:00 AM Tour of the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market
9:00 AM- 11:00 AM Program & Panel Discussion

Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market
6700 Essington Ave. J-232
Philadelphia, PA 19153

CACC Members: Free
CACC Non-Members: $25

Click here to register

Join colleagues, port representatives, and government officials to participate in an interactive experience reviewing the trade, technical, legal, regulatory and business issues affecting the import of Chilean fresh fruit into the Delaware Valley Region.


Moderator:
Tom Mastromarco
Holt Logistics

Panelists:

Stephen Brady
Supervisory Agriculture Specialist, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

William Spence
SPHS Specialist, USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Agency – Plant Protection & Quarantine

Bill Madara
Eastern Operations Branch Chief, USDA Agricultural Marketing Services – Specialty Crops Inspection Division

Edward Fitzgerald
Senior Director, Trade Services, GEODIS USA, Inc.

John Ercolani
Senior Vice President, J&K Fresh East

Bill McGinnis
Manager, Government Compliance / Customer Service, Greenwich Terminals LLC

Miriam Borja-Fisher
Senior Business Development Manager, Western Fumigation

Lisa Himber
Vice President, Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River

For speaking and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Christina Lista at 215-790-3627 or [email protected].

 

Philly X Chile: Meet the Tech Innovators of Chile

Tuesday, November 8th, 2016
Philly X Chile: Meet the Tech Innovators of Chile
A Chile Week USA Event
Wednesday, October 26th, 2016

On Wednesday, October 26th the Chilean and American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia was proud to hold a successful and informative program entitled Philly X Chile: Meet the Tech Innovators of Chile as part of Chile Week USA. Throughout the evening, guests savored Chilean wine and a variety of hors d’oeuvres and were engaged by the presentations of the Chilean Tech Executives from Chile: Ulbaldo Taladriz, Cristian Ferrer and Martin Lewit.

Honorary Consul of Chile for Philadelphia, Benjamin Leavenworth, opened the program to welcome all of the esteemed guests and made special note that the visiting Chilean tech companies were not start-ups, but stable and mature tech companies located in Latin America’s innovation hub- Santiago, Chile. The tech innovators introduced each of their unique tech companies and described many important aspects of Chile’s growth as an important international destination for the tech industry. Chile’s fastest growing outsourcing market, high quality performance at competitive costs, and the similar business culture shared between our two regions were just a handful of the points discussed through the evening.

The first tech representative to present was Ulbaldo Taladriz, who is the CEO of EXE, an IT innovative solutions company, and the Vice President of Chiletec, a group of companies developing technology with the mission to grow the technology industry in Chile.  Martin Lewit, CEO of KI Teknology, an innovative digital development company that offers services including software, web and mobile design for enhanced user experience, immediately followed.  Lastly,Cristian Ferrer, the marketing development manager of Tecnova, a company dedicated to consulting, custom software development and integration of IT solutions described his company to guests.

Robert Palaima, President & Chairman of the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce, ended the program portion of the evening with great thanks to the Chilean tech innovators for partnering with the Chilean Chamber and sponsoring the event.

The evening continued with networking and discussion graciously stimulated by the delicious Chilean wines of Viña Santa Carolina. This slice of Chile Week was revered as eye opening for the potential tech relationship between Philadelphia and Chile by not only the attendees, but also all of the Chilean Tech Innovators that look forward to continuing their partnership with the CACC.

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“Challenges of the Export Industry: Chile’s Fresh Fruit Success Story”

Tuesday, November 8th, 2016

Challenges of the Export Industry: Chile’s Fresh Fruit Success Story

Friday, October 28, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Gerri C. LeBow Hall
3220 Market Street
Rm. 406
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Philadelphia’s final Chile Week USA program, Challenges of the Export Industry: Chile’s Fresh Fruit Success Story, hosted by the Chilean and American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia (CACC) and Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, was held on Friday, October 28th, following the CACC’s 19th Annual Friend of Chile Awards Luncheon. Guests gathered in Gerri C. Lebow Hall on Drexel’s campus for an in-depth conversation with Chilean trade expert Ronald Bown F., Chairman of the Board of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX).

Mr. Frank Linnehan, Ph.D, Dean of the LeBow College of Business, began the seminar by warmly welcoming CACC Members and guests to Drexel University before Bown took the podium. The comprehensive talk, moderated by Honorary Consul of Chile in Philadelphia, Benjamin Leavenworth,  brought to light the incredible success of the Chilean fresh fruit export industry, as well as some of the hurdles they have yet to overcome and strategic goals for the future. Bown included an array of stimulating facts regarding Chilean trade initiatives in his presentation. For example, he explained that Chilean fresh fruit exports have increased more than 25 times in the last 36 years with more than 17,000 fruit importers around the world receiving Chilean fruit, and that North America was Chile’s number one market with 32 per cent of the export total. The expertise required to handle the fresh and “live” produce is not an easy feat but through innovation and collaboration with foreign networks there has been a mutual success for Chilean exporters and international importers. Bown also described a few goals for the future of Chile’s fresh fruit export industry, a list which includes securing long-term sustainability through the development and defense of the markets.

At the conclusion of the presentation there was a brief Q & A discussion with students and audience members. Leavenworth then ended the program with a special thank you to the speaker and special guests and the event’s co-sponsor, Drexel’s LeBow College of Business. Following the seminar, guests gathered for a spread of various appetizers and Chilean wine.

The CACC’s 19th Annual “Friend of Chile” Awards Luncheon

Monday, November 7th, 2016

The Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce
19th Annual “Friend of Chile” Awards Luncheon
Friday, October 28th, 2016
The Union League of Philadelphia

Friday, October 28th, marked a very special day for the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia.  Philadelphia was chosen as the final stop for Chile Week USA, an important delegation of political and business leaders from Chile’s public and private sectors who spent five days in Philadelphia, Miami, and New York City during the last week of October.

Members, friends, honorees, and the special Chilean Delegation gathered in the Lincoln Memorial Room of the historic Union League of Philadelphia to kick off the 19th Annual Friend of Chile Awards Luncheon with a refreshing Chilean wine reception. Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maipo Valley and Sauvignon Blanc from the Leyda Valley were generously provided by Santa Carolina Winery and Wines of Chile USA. Vina Santa Carolina, originally founded in 1875, is currently Chile’s third largest wine brand and winner of Wine Enthusiast’s 2015 New World Winery of the Year.

Guests continued to enjoy the wine selections as Robert Palaima, President and Chairman of the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, welcomed guests into Lincoln Hall to officially begin the luncheon and awards ceremony.

The Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce was fortunate to host special guests from Chile, including His Excellency, Juan Gabriel Valdes, Ambassador of Chile to the United States and Ronald Bown F., Chairman of the Board of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association. Both leaders gave remarks that  emphasized the importance of the relationship between the Greater Philadelphia Region and the United States.  Ambassador Valdes, who has partnered with the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce for a multitude of events in 2016, described the acute location of our region’s ports, highlighting that the 11-county area is one day’s drive from 70 percent of the U.S. population.  This, coupled with the fact that Philadelphia is one of the most cost-effective urban areas in the country, makes the Delaware River ports the most efficient partner for Chile’s exports.

Following Ambassador Valdes, Miriam Borja-Fisher and Kurt Reichert of Western Fumigation took the stage to formally present their longtime colleague, Barbara Hunter of BHA Consults, LLC, with the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award. Hunter, who received the Friend of Chile Award 16 years ago, has long been an advocate for the Chilean fruit business in the Delaware River Port Community.  Some of her accomplishments include the creation of The Food Safety and Security Program for port terminals, serving as Director and member of the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay’s Executive Committee, and her current role in serving as an active member of both the CBP-AG Working Group and the USDA Treatment Fee Task Force. Hunter attributed her dedication to her profession to the dynamic Chilean business culture, remarking that “working with Chile is never boring.”

After guests enjoyed the Chilean-inspired meal, Robert Palaima introduced Ronald Bown to the stage to give special greetings to the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce and attendees on behalf of the delegation and his organization, ASOEX. Bown took this time to recognize six key individuals and organizations that have made a positive impact on the Chilean trade relationship between Chile and the Greater Philadelphia Region.  These influential award recipients included: Gene Bailey, Executive Director of the Port of Wilmington; Leo Holt, President of Holt Logistics Corp.; David Holzworth, Senior Counsel of Holzworth & Kato, PC; Benjamin Leavenworth, Honorary Consul of Chile; Robert Palaima, President of Delaware River Stevedores, Inc. and President & Chairman of the Chilean and American Chamber of Commerce; and Jeff Theobald, Chief Executive Office, Philadelphia Regional Port Authority.

Immediately after Bowns’ award presentation, Palaima returned to the podium to introduce Leo Holt, President of Holt Logistics Corp. and Visionary Sponsor of the luncheon, to formally present the 19th Annual Friend of Chile Award to Senator Stephen Sweeney.  Holt reminisced of days when Senator Sweeney, current Vice President of the International Association of Iron Workers, and his father worked through extreme conditions to build the infrastructure of Gloucester Marine Terminal, which has served as a point of entry for many hundreds of millions of boxes of fresh Chilean fruit and other products over many decades.  Senator Sweeney, the Senate President of New Jersey and representative of the state’s Third Legislative District since 2002, accepted the award with great thanks to the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce. He devoted his hard work in Gloucester to creating jobs and supporting the port industry—two things he has always been an advocate for.

The Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce’s 19th Annual Friend of Chile Awards Luncheon would not have been possible without the support of many generous sponsors including ASOEX and ProChile, the Presenting Partners of the luncheon; Holt Logistics Corp., the Visionary Sponsor of the event; Presenting Sponsors Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, The Port of Wilmington, Delaware, Tastyfrutti International, Inc., and Western Fumigation; Wines of Chile and Santa Carolina, the wine sponsors for all of the Chilean & American Chamber’s Chile Week events; and Corporate Table Sponsors Dayka & Hackett LLC, Delaware River Stevedores, Inc., GEODIS USA, Inc., Giumarra International Marketing, J&K Fresh East, div. of 721 Logistics, Manfredi Cold Storage & Distribution, Mattioni, Ltd., Murphy Marine Services, Inc., Ports of Delaware River Marine Trade Association, RPS / Royal Fumigation, Sbrocco International Inc., and William H. Kopke, Jr., Inc.

Special thanks to the Chilean Delegation for including Philadelphia in the Chile Week USA agenda, and thank you to all members and friends who participated in any of the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce’s Chile Week events.

The CACC’s collaboration with Chile Week USA was proudly featured in Metro Philly, The Packer, and Philadelphia Business Journal.

 

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