Compiled here is a sampling of international business development accomplishments from 2003.
Since 2003, Broward County has hosted over 33 delegations that consisted of China, Mexico, Costa Rica, Japan, Spain, Turkey, Jamaica, Brazil, Malaysia, West Africa, Chile, Colombia, Germany, West Indies, Netherlands, South Africa, Ireland, United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, Canada and Australia. Many of these countries have visited approximately two to four times in order to build strong relationships with Broward County. It should be noted that there have been many small delegations that have been hosted by various organizations within the region.
Office of Economic and Small Business Development/Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance
- The Royal Bank of Canada opened five branches in Broward County
- BrazMix, DHL, ABN-AMRO, DutyFree Americas, Bolton Medical, Nipro Diabetes, MEDLatino established headquarters and/or regional offices in Broward County creating:
– Capital Investment: $225 million
– Job Creation: 2000+ new jobs
– Square Footage: 1,000,000+ square feet
Broward County-initiated Economic Development Efforts include:
- Manaus-Showroom and CMA Shipping established (Note: New plans for Showroom by City of Hollywood)
- Zapopan, Mexico ($22 million to date—publishing/printing)
- China – Proposed $50-$100 million project for Asian Trading Center; approximately 6 contracts signed for logistics, metals company and patent law firm
– Formal letter from State of Florida and Broward County Mayor inviting Sichuan Province to open Broward County Trade office
– MedDirect Latino Letter of Intent and contract for joint venture to manufacture medical devices in Shenzen and Beijing region
- Germany – 2 contracts signed in 2006 by patent law firm
- Spain – Academia joint venture developed from 2005 mission
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Broward County Economic Engines:
- Mediterranean Shipping, world's second largest cargo vessels operator, signed 20-year lease; anticipated annual tonnage to exceed 1 million tons
- Development of cargo/tonnage volume incentive plan that resulted in over 15 new container carriers (including two new Far East services)
- COSCO contract signed in Shanghai, China 2006 -- $1million annually
- Cayman Islands began direct service from FLL-Grand Cayman
- American opened flights to Port-au-Prince, Santa Domingo and Caracas
- Spirit direct flights to Cancun
- Pan Am, North American and Travelspan added flights to the Caribbean
- AeroMexico to begin service in September 2006
Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Asociacion Latinoamericana de Expertos en Cruceros
- TIA World Annual Marketing Meeting held at Convention Center
- Hosted Visit USA Committees from Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Bolivia, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil
- Successfully bid and held the Organization of American States
Other Broward County Agencies:
- In planning the County's first mission to China, staff from the Revenue Department was directly involved with the third largest telecom company in China and facilitated a meeting in Shanghai in May 2004.
- Staff from the County Administrator's office has shared expertise in planning the 2006 mission to China.
- In other inbound missions, Cultural Affairs and the Libraries have been involved.
- The County's Office of Public Communications designed a brand for the European and China mission brochures and continues to assist with developing materials for inbound and outbound missions.
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