The United States Embassy organized the international conference "Fostering Enterprise: The Entrepreneurial Experience," 1-4 February at Casa de Campo convention center. Speakers at the event were Frederick W. Smith, Chief Executive Officer of FedEx; John Zeglis, CEO of AT&T; Nelson Rising, president of Catellus Development Corporation, one of the US’ largest real estate operating companies; and Raul Fernandez, CEO of Proxicom, a leading internet and e-business consulting and development corporation. The program also featured professors Leonard Lodish and Stephen M. Sammut from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Dominican business sectors were represented by Manuel Tavares, Tavares Industrial; Fernando Capellan, president of Grupo M, a leading free zone manufacturing company; Carlos Guillermo Leon, of Grupo E. Leon Jimenes (Presidente Beer & Marlboro cigarettes); Tony Rivera, Industrias Veganas (Induveca meat products); Arturo Pellerano, Tricom and Bancredito; Jose Miguel Bonetti, Mercasid; Luis Alvarez Renta, Bernardo Vega, Ricardo Brugal, Brugal & Co., among others. The Dominican government was represented by Orlando Jorge Mera, of INDOTEL and Danilo del Rosario, of the Office of Overseas Investment Promotion. The conference was an initiative of Ambassador Charles Manatt and was designed to foster greater economic ties between the US and the DR by bringing together entrepreneurs to exchange ideas on how their companies have achieved, and can continue to achieve, sustainable growth in a global economy. In his opening talk he highlighted that trade between the US and the Dominican Republic is presently close to US$9 billion dollars a year. The conference was organized with the collaboration of the American Chamber of Commerce in the DR.
