Belen Cristino

Forty percent of Spanish companies operating in the U.S., about 370 total, are based in Florida, but Spain is beginning to recognize potential for economic growth in nearby states like Georgia, Belen Cristino, trade commissioner in the Spanish Embassy’s commercial office in Miami, told GlobalAtlanta.

Ms. Cristino, a vibrant and personable representative of the Spanish government, said that the five Spanish ministries of trade in the U.S. are looking to help Spanish companies find gateways for opportunity outside of Florida, the traditional entry point for Spanish companies looking to do business in America.

Jim Blair, a business development manager in the global commerce division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, told GlobalAtlanta that although language and cultural similarities between Florida, Latin America and Spain have drawn Spanish companies to Florida, many of these same companies are realizing that Miami is not the ideal place to learn how to expand in North America.

There are 30 Spanish banks in Miami alone, meaning that Spanish companies just in Miami’s financial sector comprise three times the amount of Spanish companies in the entire state of Georgia, but the lopsided emphasis on Miami as a preferred destination could soon change as companies look to broaden their influence, Mr. Blair said.

“These companies recognize that Atlanta offers the international services and business sophistication of Miami with a market very typical of other North American markets,” Mr. Blair said.  “Thus Atlanta and cities like Dallas are getting greater attention from Spanish executives with serious interests in breaking into the U.S. market.”

Spain and Georgia have a significant amount of similarities and sectors of common interest upon which to build, Ms. Cristino told GlobalAtlanta before a reception that was hosted in her honor by Atlanta accounting firm Habif, Arogeti & Wynne LLP and Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP.

Just as Spain is seen as an entry point for Europe, Georgia is becoming known as a gateway to the Southeast U.S., said Ms. Cristino, who is responsible for the nine-state region.

“We are a southern country, and we like to work in the South,” Ms. Cristino said, adding that quality of life in both Georgia and Spain attracts numerous tourists and residents to both locales.  She also said that Georgia has opportunities in industries that Spain emphasizes: biotechnology, aerospace, automotive, renewable energy and water treatment technology.

“What matters are the basics of growth, and you have those basics of growth in Georgia,” Ms. Cristino said.  “What companies are looking for are projects, and I also think you have those projects here in Georgia.”

And not only does Georgia have the projects underway in the right sectors, the business environment in the state is receptive to small- to medium-sized enterprises, an attribute attractive to Spanish companies, which mostly fall into that size range.

“Sometimes, they say, small is beautiful,” Ms. Cristino said.

Ms. Cristino was on her first visit to Atlanta, a three-day tour that featured meetings with people she called her “counterparts,” those who are looking to tap into Spain’s potential to impact the state’s international portfolio.

She met with a wide range of officials, including Karen Handel, Georgia secretary of state; Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development; Harold Linnekohl, commissioner of the Department of Transportation; the Georgia Allies; the Georgia Tourism Foundation; the Georgia Aerospace Innovation Center; GeorgiaBIO; the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute; the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; the AmericasMart and several Spanish executives with Georgia business operations, according to Mr. Blair.

Spain is Georgia’s 17th largest export market.  The state exported about $300 million in goods there in 2006, a 20 percent increase over 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Ms. Cristino said she was certain this would not be her last trip to Atlanta.