
Alamar
President, Kirby Jones, greets Cuba President, Fidel Castro, at a reception
in Havana

Doing Business
in Cuba
and Lessons Learned
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Regulations on sales
of agricultural and medical products to Cuba:
Commerce Department
Treasury Department
Products
allowed

"To
observe Jones' accomplishments at its most dramatic it is necessary
to go to San Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba.
Most months Jones can be observed there hustling through customs
a fresh contingent of American businessmen."
-- San Francisco Chronicle |
"Nobody
has developed more contacts inside Havana than Jones has..."
--
Los Angeles Magazine |
|
| ince
1974, Alamar Associates has consulted with hundreds of U.S. corporations,
organizations, and media outlets interested in pursuing business in and
with Cuba. Alamar offers a full range of consulting services to clients
wishing to prepare for entry into the Cuban market.
Since December, 2001, several clients of Alamar Associates have either
started negotiations or signed contracts to sell their agricultural
products to Cuba.
| "A
real opener for us to doing business with Cuba was to participate
in one of the Kirby Jones-facilitated business summits when it
was not fashionable to do so. This helped us understand how business
was being done between the Cuban government and other trading
partners. It gave us as a company the opportunity to meet and
talk with the business executives of today's Cuba - the ministers
of the Cuban government." Michael
Hopkins, Vice President, Crowley Liner Services |
Based in Washington, D.C., Alamar is headed by Kirby
Jones. Alamar assists clients wishing to obtain travel licenses
from the U.S. Government and arranges visits to Cuba with an agenda
tailored to the interest of each client. Through its personal relationships
with Cuban officials, Alamar can provide counsel, insight, and a road
map into the workings of the government of Cuba based on 30 years of
first-hand knowledge and personal contacts.
"Jones
is described by Newsweek as having ' better contacts in Cuba
than any other American ' and by The New York Times as ' the
man to see about business in Cuba.' "
Robert
Novak, Washington Post, April 25, 2005 |
As reported by the international press, Alamar
has sponsored the October, 2003, U.S.-Cuba Travel Conference held in
Cancun, two U.S.-Cuba Business Conferences, as well the 1998-2001 series
of five U.S.-Cuba Business Summits, which brought more than 500 U.S.
business executives together with Cuban Ministers and sector specialists
to discuss potential business opportunities.
| "With
such high level connections, Jones, president of Alamar Associates,
a Washington based consulting firm, has become the go-to-middle
man for U.S.food producers who want to export to Cuba."
Congressional
Quarlerly, May 30, 2005 |
Alamar takes the guesswork out of dealing with a government that has
largely been shut off by the United States for more than 45 years. We
understand it is difficult to know whom to call or what information
is required in order to even begin the process of assessing the market
potential. Alamar has saved companies time and expense by helping them
develop and undertake a targeted approach to doing business in Cuba.
Alamar
client meeting in Havana:
Clockwise
starting bottom center, Kirby Jones, President of Alamar (back to
camera); President Fidel Castro; Juanita Vera (interpreter); Jerry
Maygarden, Florida State Rep.; Robert Payne, Ass't City Manager, Pensacola;
Pedro Alvarez, President of Alimport; Ricardo Alarcon, Pres., Cuban
National Assembly; Marilu B'Hamel, Foreign Trade Ministry; Jose Barrios,
Foreign Relations Ministry; Amy Miller, Port of Pensacola; and Chuck
Porter (talking), Director of Port of Pensacola.
| "Thanks
for organizing a great California trade mission to Cuba. Your
insights, knowledge and contacts helped us better understand
the business environment and requirements for selling agricultural
products to Cuba. No doubt, the respect Cubans have for you
made it possible for us to meet so many expert and influential
government officials. We are pleased with the relationships
we built and the knowledge we gained, and we hope to continue
building on those ties."
AG
Kawamura, Secretary of Agriculture, California |
| "Kirby's
efforts on our behalf were critical elements in our ability
to meet the officials necessary for us to lay the ground work
for successful future business relationships between the Port
of Pensacola and the ports of Cuba."
Charles
W. Porter, Port Director, Port of Pensacola, Florida |
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