Leading up to his first economic trade mission since taking office, Gov. Daniel J. McKee touted the trip to the Dominican Republic as a chance to boost tourism and business opportunities, but the businesses and officials who joined the trip acknowledge that it might be a long time before they see the benefits.
McKee and representatives from six Rhode Island businesses attended the mission, which took place from Aug. 21-23, and met with buyers and distributors to explore potential opportunities for growth in the Dominican Republic. R.I. Commerce Secretary Elizabeth M. Tanner also traveled with the group.
Rhode Island companies received six “potential orders” from distributors in the Dominican Republic with the potential for more, Tanner and McKee wrote in a joint statement to Providence Business News following the trip.
Edinaldo Tebaldi, who went on the trip as interim director of the John H. Chafee Center for International Business at Bryant University, which supported the mission, told PBN that the full effects of the mission may not be realized for at least a year as businesses and leaders continue fostering the connections they made.
And poor weather added some difficulties in making those connections.
Merleann Mainelli Poulton embarked on the three-day trip on behalf of her family’s jewelry manufacturing company, Mainelli Tool & Die Inc. in Providence. She described the mission as a “whirlwind.”
When the group arrived in Santo Domingo, it quickly attended a formal networking gala with other businesses and state and international leaders, Poulton says.
The second day’s schedule included a presentation focused on conducting business in the Dominican Republic and several prescheduled networking meetings. A bulk of the third day of the trip was spent traveling back to Rhode Island, she says.
The networking meetings were meant to be in-person but because of a tropical storm, they were all held through videoconferencing, Poulton says.
Though three of the five companies had to cancel, she says she made valuable connections and learned important lessons about trading with international companies.
James Verity, founder and president of the Providence event and design company Verity Design LLC, also attended the mission and says he was impressed with the quality of the companies he met.
“It was great to build connections and get referrals … for example, if I want to host an international event, I would need shipping services; now I have more contacts to turn to,” he said.
Neither Verity nor Poulton generated business from the trip, but they say they’re optimistic about the potential of the relationships they formed and would embark on another mission if given the opportunity.
“I would love to do more; it’s a good challenge and great opportunity to go learn something new about a different culture and how businesses are run in different countries,” Poulton said.
The total cost of the trip wasn’t immediately clear.
The travel expenses of McKee and Tanner were covered by the Rhode Island Commodores, a nonprofit that promotes economic development in the state. That group, which has close ties to the R.I. Commerce Corp., says it has not yet received travel receipts but would cover up to $4,500 in combined expenses.
Tebaldi did not specify any figure relating to the cost covered by the Bryant organization. The businesses that attended the mission received grants for export activities from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s State Trade Expansion Program.
Boondoggle / fiasco.