Business

An Outpost of Cuba Comes to . . . Troy, Of All Places

July 03, 2015, 12:20 PM

Renewed relations with that Communist island 90 miles off Key West are really hitting home now.

The Cuban Chamber of Commerce has three American offices -- two where you'd expect (Miami and Washington, DC) and one in a less likely spot.

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Michigan Radio tells why Troy gains an outpost:

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Dana McAllister says the choice was a natural fit because of affinities between Detroit and Havana, a significant presence of Cuban-Americans in Michigan, and support from the Oakland County government and city of Troy.

The Chamber will network with Michigan businesses that would like to trade with Cuba, following re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba. Last week, the two countries announced reopening of embassies for the first time in over 50 years.

McAllister says there are already some opportunities for business relations in areas such as agricultural products, medical equipment and supplies, and alternative energy. . . .

The Chamber will be sponsoring programs in the community, such as its Automation Alley presentation "Cuba, the New Frontier" on Aug. 6.

Automation Alley plans a 2016 trade mission to Cuba as an opportunity for Michigan companies to meet with potential customers and suppliers.

The Ann Arbor-based radio network adds this background in its unbylined report:

Michigan has about 9,800 Cuban-American residents. Many of them came for services provided by a refugee center in Lansing in the 1990's, during the last wave of Cuban migration to the U.S.


Read more:  Michigan Radio


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