William Malamud, executive vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic, speaks with Claire McLeveighn, director of external relations and international relations for the city of Atlanta, during an Aug. 27 luncheon organized by CIFAL Atlanta. photo courtesy of Nema Etheridge

A recent trade mission from the Dominican Republic to Atlanta impressed officials from the Georgia Department of Economic Development with its keen interest in establishing business ties with Georgia.

“I was so tickled because this delegation was very serious about wanting to do business,” Kathe Falls, director of international trade for the Georgia department, told GlobalAtlanta. 

Although she said it will take months of planning, Ms. Falls added she “fully (expects) that real business will be conducted as a result of this trip.”

Ms. Falls said that this delegation is the fruit from the labors of many Atlanta organizations to make Georgia’s capital known in the hemisphere, preparing for federal government projects like CAFTA-DR, a free trade agreement between the United States and five Central American countries, plus the Dominican Republic.

CAFTA-DR, which was ratified as a treaty by Congress in 2005, is seen as a first step toward the achievement of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, a now-stalled initiative that proposed a single trade area from the economies of the 34 democratic countries in the Western Hemisphere, according to the FTAA Web site.

Ilka Gomez, commercial services and membership manager for the 84-year-old American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic, said that this trip was the organization’s first trade mission to Atlanta.  She said it was the result of a visit to the country last year by Alex Mejia and Jose Ignacio Gonzalez, who represented Hemisphere Inc., a public-private partnership established in 2003 to position Atlanta as the base for the FTAA headquarters. 

Working with Mr. Mejia and Mr. Gonzalez at CIFAL Atlanta and with other organizations in the area, the American chamber put together a delegation of some 20 business leaders to make the trip a reality.

After being briefed on the business climate in the Atlanta area, the delegation met collectively with customs brokers and freight forwarders to talk about the logistics of increasing their export operations in Georgia, Ms. Falls said.

For the next few days, delegates held industry-specific individual meetings with companies in the area, and they had a breakfast at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, she added. 

With the help of their main sponsor, Delta Air Lines Inc., the delegation also visited many Atlanta tourist sites like the CNN Center, the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, and an Atlanta Falcons preseason game, Ms. Gomez said.

William Malamud, the head of the delegation and the executive vice president of the American chamber in Santo Domingo, could not be reached for comment, but Ms. Gomez told GlobalAtlanta that he had a busy and productive trip.

“Mr. Malamud met with the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, with the Dominican American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, and with the Dominican International Association (they manage the sister city program between Salcedo and Atlanta),” she said in an email once she returned from the Dominican Republic.

The diverse delegation was comprised of individuals from the medical, information technology, automotive, transportation and construction industries, Ms. Falls said.

Traditionally, the Dominican Republic has focused its U.S. exports on Miami, sending two trade missions there per year, but increased export from Georgia to the country has opened doors for a better trade relationship with Atlanta, Ms. Gomez said.

The Dominican Republic is Georgia’s fourth largest destination for exports in the hemisphere.  The state’s exports there totaled $157 million in 2006, making it the seventh largest U.S. exporter to the republic, according to Ms. Gomez, who cited U.S. Commerce Department reports.

The trade mission was Ms. Gomez’s first visit to Atlanta. 

“I have to say that it’s a beautiful city, very modern but with small-town hospitality,” said Ms. Gomez, who also went to the Americasmart to explore possibilities for Dominican companies to participate in the July 2008 international trade show.