The Connecticut-Puerto Rico Trade Commission is looking to strengthen existing partnerships and identify new opportunities to bolster trade between the state and the island.
“We've had our second meeting, so this is our maiden voyage,” said Commission Co-Chair Rep. Christopher Rosario (D-Bridgeport) while at a roundtable discussion the commission held Thursday. “I'm excited by the work that we've done in such a short amount of time.”
According to Rosario, the commission has already seen positive momentum in helping Puerto Rico’s water crisis after the island experienced severe drought over the summer.
“Just by announcing that we're trying to do something, not only did the diaspora reach out, but our trade partners here in the state of Connecticut,” Rosario said.
The Connecticut water company Aquarion made a donation with the Connecticut Institute for Community Development-Puerto Rican Parade Committee (CICD) to provide relief on the ground, Rosario said. Some engineers and nonprofits have also reached out to help and donate, he said.
This emergency response proved to be a “perfect opportunity” for the commission to step up, Rosario said. He wants to carry that energy through to the other pillars of the commission, including economy, tourism, housing, education, healthcare, and energy.
“We don't just want to gather people and have meetings,” Rosario said. “We want to actually do the work.”
One of the top priorities moving forward is to identify the areas in which the commission can deliver results with a first-year agenda, according to Rosario.
However, he said his focus is on creating sustainable relationships, so trade keeps growing between Puerto Rico and Connecticut over the next five years and into the future.
Finding synergy between Connecticut and Puerto Rico
The commission is working to find different business owners in Puerto Rico and in Connecticut to connect them with interests in expanding in the state or on the island, said Commission Co-Chair Sen. Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden).
“Where can we find synergy between Connecticut business and Puerto Rican business so that we can not only increase trade for Connecticut and Puerto Rico, but also raise people's standard of living?” Cabrera said.
Being Puerto Rican himself, Cabrera shared at the public roundtable discussion how Connecticut’s ties with Puerto Rico can help those that live on the island remain and thrive there.
“I'm quite frankly tired of listening to stories about relatives of mine and others who have incredible gifts and intelligence and things to give, and are forced to leave to places like Atlanta and Florida and Connecticut,” Cabrera said.
“We all know that, given the right support, given the right economic activity,” he said, “we are just as good as anyone else to succeed in every single field.”
To build the right support, commission members are seeking not just entrepreneurs but experts and examples.
The Latino and Puerto Rican Policy Director with the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity, & Opportunity (CWCSEO), Werner Oyanadel, said he’s interested in using the Puerto Rico Trade Commission in New Jersey as a potential model.
“I was very impressed that New Jersey,” Oyanadel said, “they have already, through their legislature, allocated $200,000 to provide them with grants to Puerto Rican and New Jersey industries that want to invest in both Puerto Rico and New Jersey.”
Cabrera is calling on small business owners in Puerto Rico and in Connecticut to reach out. The trade commission is looking to help those interested in expanding their business to the island or stateside, he said.
Rosario said the commission still has some appointments available for those who are interested in serving on the board. He encourages any and all community members to engage in public discussions to help shape ongoing conversations.
“Whether you're in government, whether you're an environmentalist, if you're in finance, we need you,” Rosario said. “We need your expertise.”
Learn more
The Connecticut-Puerto Rico Trade Commission can be contacted at azaira.perez-acevedo@cga.ct.gov or at (860) 240-0429.
Updates about the trade commission are also being shared on the CWCSEO Facebook page.
