WTDC Newsletter – November 16, 2020
- President’s Corner – CAMACOL Doral Logistics Panel, IBHS Scholarship
- Volunteers sign up for Royal Caribbean’s return to cruising
- Cruise ships sailing from Europe, Asia, and Australia in November and December 2020
- WTDC Internship Program welcomes Fahad Almizaal, Barry University
- FEBICHAM: The powerful new Federation of binational chambers in the US
- Pajama Drive for His House Children’s Home
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| President’s Corner |
| Last week on Thursday, November 12, I participated as a panelist on the CAMACOL Doral Industry Showcase: International Trade and Logistics Virtual Town Hall Meeting. The topic was “The Big Pivot: How COVID-19 has Impacted International Trade & Logistics.” The panel featured professionals from the public and private sectors, each of whom acknowledged challenges posed by the pandemic yet there was a collective optimism among the panelists. Gabriel Rodriguez, President of FCBF, highlighted that some logistics companies have been able to pivot their operations to handle PPE and will eventually play a role in the mass distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. WTDC was one of those companies that focused its efforts on medical supplies during the early days of the pandemic and continues efforts to serve those new clients. I also contributed that WTDC took early action to protect the welfare of its employees and tenants. I am encouraged by the recent updates on the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, which is testing in South Florida through a University of Miami Health System trial, and hope it can restore some balance to our economy and daily lives. In other recent news, WTDC awarded a $1000 scholarship to FIU IBHS student John Carlos Mouw for his winning essay. The scholarship will be used during the FIU IBHS service trip Bandhwari Women’s Project. -Sean Gazitua, President & CEO Pictured clockwise from top left: Host Pete De La Torre, CEO CAMACOL Doral, and panelists Sean Gazitua, President & CEO of WTDC, Gabriel Rodriguez, President of FCBF, Joe Chi, President of CAMACOL, Jonathan Ward, Executive Director Miami-Dade County International Trade Consortium (ITC), and Manuel Pina, Economic Developer for City of Doral. |
| Volunteers sign up for Royal Caribbean’s return to cruising |
| Royal Caribbean already has over 100,000 eager volunteers who have shown an interest in short sailings should trial sailings be required by the CDC to demonstrate COVID-19 protective measures. Royal Caribbean would sail from Miami to Coco Cay, the company’s private island in the Bahamas, where they could create a bubble environment to better protect passengers and crew. |
| Cruising Update |
| While cruising may not fully return to South Florida until 2021, cruise ships are now operating from Europe, Asia, and now Australia. Click below for the growing list of cruise ships in operation in November and December 2020. |
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| WTDC Internship Program |
| Welcome to the team Fahad! Fahad Almizaal is a Barry University student and is an Intern for WTDC’s Sales and Marketing Department. Originally from Saudi Arabia and raised in Kuwait, he’s pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration majoring International Business. He graduates in December 2020. We look forward to working with you Fahad! |
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| Pajama Drive for His House |
| Please join us in our 5th Annual Pajama Drive for His House Children’s Home. Each year, WTDC collects new pajamas for the children of His House, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the lives of children and families. We are collecting Boys and Girls Youth Sizes S to XL, and Boys and Girls Adult Sizes X-Small to XL. Collecting until December 16, 2020. You can mail or ship to: WTDC attention Ginger Diez/PJ Drive, 2801 NW 74th Ave, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33122. For additional information you can contact WTDC Logistics Manager Ginger Diez below. |
| The Federation of Binational Chambers of Commerce, FEBICHAM, is a multinational non-profit organization made up of 10 Binational Chambers of Commerce in the United States. This is represented by Argentina, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Uruguay, Honduras, Colombia, Camacol, Costa Rica and Ecuador FEBICHAM stands out for being an expert and influential entity that seeks to facilitate the realization of business opportunities in a context beyond the merely binational scope of each Chamber, providing added value to the Binational Chambers it represents and their communities. The organization is recognized as the meeting point that facilitates the meeting between the Binational Chambers in the US, in which it manages to enhance its strengths and find new opportunities for all its members. In addition to using its convening power to support each of its chambers, FEBICHAM promotes, through febicham.org and the FEBICHAM News newsletter, the dissemination of activities and events, in order to specify and generate multinational business opportunities of the member Chambers of Commerce. The Federation hopes to be a facilitator in the commercial relationship between the Binational Chambers of the United States, and to generate concrete business links, through the growing network of contacts of its directors and institutions, which provides access to relevant and updated information. |
