Entrepreneurs from the United States assure Colombia is ideal for doing business

150 entrepreneurs from the United States visited the country to learn about the export offering in the fields of manufacturing, agribusiness, garments and tourism, and spoke positively about the expectations generated through the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and the impression their visit to Colombia left.

"The presence of the entrepreneurs from the United States is evidence of their trust in the country and the positive change in their perception of Colombia." said the President of PROCOLOMBIA, María Claudia Lacouture.

"It has become a fundamental and natural ally, not only thanks to its closeness to the United States, but also because the businessmen here are trustworthy and very willing to do business," said Douglas Straubmueler, owner of several constructions companies in Dallas, Texas.

Donald Ascione, a chemicals exporter, said "this visit is more than an exploration activity; I realized there are a number of opportunities and an encouraging doing-business atmosphere."

PROCOLOMBIA, organizers of the trip, welcomed the entrepreneurs at the Windsor House Hotel in Bogota, with a general presentation of the country, which displayed the variety of Colombian production, the positive economic indices from the past few years, and the country's security guarantees and business stability.

After beginning the trail through the various companies of interest in Bogota, Santander, the Coffee Triangle, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Antioquia, Atlantico, Magdalena, and Bolivar, to have a direct view of the Colombian offering.

"The presence of the entrepreneurs from the United States is evidence of their trust in the country and the positive change in their perception of Colombia. The trip around 11 cities ratifies the solidity of our economy and opens the doors for innovation in our exports," said the President of PROCOLOMBIA, Maria Claudia Lacouture.

Jeff Alton, a businessman from Baltimore and an importer of children's clothing fabric, was also part of this group.

Steven Hagan, a visitor from the State of Kentucky, gave a good summary of the visitors' general opinion after their visit: "I visit a lot of countries on business, because I work for a construction materials importer, and on every visit you can feel what kind of people you are dealing with. What you can feel here is the strong desire to progress, and a sentiment that says 'let's move forward.' And that means a lot to us, because we want to do business where we feel confident," he assured.

Others didn't doubt to say that, while Colombians have strong competitors in the U.S. market, such as China, there is enough room for everyone. "In the United States there are people who seek products according to price, and who think: the cheaper, the better. But there is also an important part of the market that demands quality and products that are unique, like Colombian products are," said Tony Calahen, an importer from the manufacturing sector in Chicago.

Together with Calahen, entrepreneurs from the manufacturing sector saw Colombian products like auto parts, construction materials, furniture, medical devices and chemicals.

In the agribusiness sector, U.S. entrepreneurs will be able to see the Colombian offering in confections, cookies, fruits and fresh vegetables, frozen fruits, flowers and special coffees.

Garments buyers visited companies that manufacture children's, sports and formal wear, leather accessories, uniforms, swimwear, underwear, jeans and footwear.

Jeff Alton, a businessman from Baltimore and an importer of children's clothing fabric, was also part of this group

"I would rather import from Colombia, and most of the visitors in this group think the same way, because we are located in the same time zone, we are at a very close distance, thus we can fly here in less than one day of flight, and Spanish is easier to learn than other languages."