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/ Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Florida entrepreneurs seek to extend their businesses to Ponce
businesses that attend to the needs of each other. Business professionals from the education, technology, construction and health sectors are among the ones coming to Puerto Rico. “Since after the hurricanes, back in 2018, we have been advising business owners in Puerto Rico who wanted to establish their businesses in Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal Central Florida after they had to shut down or lost everything,” said Ortigoni. “We are aware of the constant traffic between Puerto Rico and Florida, group of business owners and which, indeed, makes Puerto Rico a natural place entrepreneurs from Central to look to strengthen business ties, but in those Florida seeking to extend its specific cases we recommended it was best for business interests to Puerto them to reopen in Puerto Rico than to start from Rico, are scheduled to arrive zero in Florida.” to southern town of Ponce “If Puerto Rico is economically strong we also next week. The group, which is sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce benefit from that strength,” she added. Those business owners would have the opportunity now (HCC), will be received by its counterpart, the to expand to Florida.” Puerto Rico’s Southern According to the HCC Chamber of Commerce (SCC). president, there are about 1,000 “Some of the most important people a week considering business sectors from moving to Florida. Even she Central Florida, particularly didn’t have specific statistics from Orange County, will be The municipal for the state’s demographics, coming to the island looking government of Ponce Ortigoni said more than 50% for business opportunities in has an investment of the Hispanic population in Ponce and other municipalities. incentive program Orange County is of Puerto Also, several government –Ponce Onboarding– Rican descent. officials from the city, county, that offers credits “What we want is for Puerto state and federal levels will be and incentives to Rican businesspeople to not accompanying the group,” said investors. only focus on that 50% of HCC president Gabi Ortigoni. Puerto Ricans, but also to “This visit comes after more broaden their focus to include than a year of conversations the other 50% of Hispanics with the Southern Chamber of in their offer. We want to Commerce and its president teach companies how to navigate through the Salvador Rovira.” opportunities available to them and expand their Both Rovira and Ortigoni coincided that this customer base”, Ortigoni, explained. is a bilateral effort to “strengthen the business By the same token, she would like to help ecosystem of each city –Ponce and Orlando companies in Central Florida to learn about (Orange County)– and help entrepreneurs develop
The group is sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
A
In fact,
Some of the most important business sectors from Central Florida will be coming to the island, looking for business opportunities in Ponce and other municipalities. Gabi Ortigoni President, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
investment opportunities in Puerto Rico so they can benefit from the advantages Act 22 and Act 60 have to offer to foreign investors. On that subject, Francisco Rodríguez, CEO of investment advisory firm Birling Capital, explained that the municipal government of Ponce offers an investment incentive program –Ponce Onboarding– that offers credits and incentives on building taxes, rent, etc., to investors. The program also includes incentives for small and medium businesses (SMBs). For SCC’s president it is necessary to “diversify the sources of income and be able to cross into such an important border as Central Florida is.” “What we are looking for is for both entrepreneurs —those from Puerto Rico and those from Florida— to be in contact with each other… The importance of this mission is to identify the person who can help here, or there. It is time for the private industry and businesses to support these initiatives. Government and business organizations cannot do everything. We must make this meet work...,” Rovira said.
