|
|
Trustee members:
|
Newsletter Finnish American Chamber of Commerce, Florida
|
Issue 1
Volume 7
December 2015
|
|
Greetings!
As we look back, the recession and real estate collapse of the late 2000s seems to be in far distance. Led by rapid growth in construction jobs, South Florida is on track to further rebuild its employment base in 2015. The growth in retail market in 2014 may carry over to 2015 and create more opportunities.
IT sector seems to continue crowing and adding employees. Miami has had 19 tech acquisitions since 2012, according to CB Insights. The virtual reality start-up Magic Leap, which is based about 30 miles north of Miami, raised one of the largest U.S. tech funding rounds last year.
"The only sector that hasn't performed very well is international trade. That's been down on a year-over-year basis in 2014 and 2013," Miami-Dade County chief economist Robert Cruz said. "That's a soft spot and, of course, much of that has to do with the economies of Latin America." But Miami area has also benefitted from the problem above, as many people from Venezuela come to Florida to buy real estate.
Overall, as we look to the future it looks positive and brings many new opportunities to traders between Finland and United States. As the Euro is getting close to being equal with US dollar, also import from Finland becomes more attractive.
With these optimistic and positive notes we wish you a very successful year and want to express a BIG thank you for our members and friends for your continuous support for 2014.
At your service,
Lena Hartikainen
FACC-FL President
|
|
|
|
|
|
Internship with FACC and Honorary Consulate of Finland
| 
Are you interested to do a 5 to 6 month Internship at Finnish-American Chamber of Commerce and in Honorary Consulate of Finland in Lake Worth, Florida?
The position is a shared internship: 50% Finnish American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) and 50% Honorary Consulate of Finland.
If you are a student currently enrolled in and pursuing studies at a foreign degree- or certificate-granting post-secondary academic institution outside the United States; or Who have graduated from such an institution no more than 12 months prior to their exchange visitor program start date you may send your applications to info@facc-fl.com
Find out more about the duties and requirements on our website.
|
More value for your membership in 2015!
| |
You should should had received a reminder to renew your membership, with some new optional features for 2015.
Dual Membership
We are happy to offer you an optional opportunity to have a dual membership with Lantana Chamber . With only additional $50.00/year you can now have a dual membership for FACC and Lantana Chamber for 2015.
Lantana Chamber offers monthly local networking events where you are able to make new business contacts and create local awareness.
Trustee Member
An other opportunity is to upgrade your Corporate or Business membership to a Trustee Level. Trustees members assume the role of a top tier participant and contributor to the Chamber's operation. They also receive the highest visibility on every chamber event.
There are only limited Trustee Membership available for each calendar year so act now and send your check for $1,000 to make your statement!
Looking forward of working for your benefit another year!
More information and applications mail:faccflorida@gmail.com or visit our new website www.facc-fl.com
|
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/26/3960951/um-researchers-make-small-but.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/26/3960951/um-researchers-make-small-but.html#storylink=cp
|
|
American Finland Swedes wanted for nominated TV show
| 
"ALLT F�R SVERIGE" (The previous working title of the show was Great Swedish adventure) is conduction a nationwide casting for season 5. Season 4 was beyond successful with the highest ratings ever of 46% in shares (2 million out of the 9 million population watched it)
They are looking for out-going fun adventurous people and they have to be Americans of Finland Swede descent. Plenty of the Finland Swedes back in the day when they immigrated had to chose whether they were from Sweden or Finland. Since they lived in Finland on Swedish ground they automatically became Finnish here in the US. We are looking for those people that spoke Swedish as their mother tongue but came from Finland.
The deadline to apply is Feb 11. The show is shooting in the summer 2015 in Sweden and hopefully the Swedish part of Finland.
|
|
News from Florida
|
What can others learn from Florida's recovery from the Great Recession?
Florida, one of the first and worst hit states by the Great Recession in 2007, started out with major job losses during at the beginning of April 2007. This was several months ahead of any other state. When the nation began to recover around June 2009, Florida was slow to reap the benefits and lagged behind the rest of the country's growing economy for several years. However, as of 2014, Florida's economy is now leading the nation in terms job growth and overall recovery, despite its tattered past. Read full article here.
What affect will changes in Cuba Policies bring to Florida's economy?
The easing of travel restrictions which will increase the tourism between the countries. The policy change will also create some competitions for agricultural products particularly with sugar. In the long run as investors start investing to resorts and casinos in Cuba the competition for tourism dollars can get tough. Read more here.
Home prices up 4.5 percent in October
U.S. home prices rose in October at a slightly slower pace, as real estate sales have fallen and affordability has increasingly become a challenge for potential buyers. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index increased 4.5 percent in October from 12 months prior. More at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
21 states raising minimum wage on January 1
In 2015, a majority of states -- 29 -- will have a higher minimum wage than the federal wage, which is $7.25 an hour. The city and state-led reforms are mounting pressure on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage, but the needle hasn't moved much there. Still, wages will likely remain a heated topic as the country enters the 2016 election cycle. Read full article here.
Miami, one of the fastest growing tech hubs
One reason Miami continues to see such strong growth in its start-up community is because of its diverse population, said Matt Haggman, Miami program director for the Knight Foundation.
"There's a fantastic confluence of ideas and people from all over the world," Haggman said. "Our thinking is that all of the elements are here in Miami for start-ups and the numbers show the progress that we have already made." During the last two years, the Knight Foundation has invested in more than 90 projects in Miami aimed at helping grow the start-up ecosystem. Read full article here.
Florida economy gets a boost from college football
Florida secured two new bowls: the Miami Beach Bowl and the Boca Raton Bowl. Tampa was also selected to host the 2017 National Championship game. This will bring additional tax revenue, more money circulating through communities, and national exposure for host cities. The industries with the most to gain are hospitality, food services, entertainment and retail. More here.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/26/3960951/um-researchers-make-small-but.html#storylink=cp
|
News from Finland
|
Finland - The most sustainable country!
Finland stands on its own in the Fragile State Index, by being the most sustainable state. The FSI focuses on the indicators of risk and is based on thousands of articles and reports that are processed by CAST Software from electronically available sources. The reports compare Economic development, Demographics, Human Rights, State Legitimacy and verious other Read the full report
here.
Ruble devaluation to obstruct recovery of Finnish economy
Much relying on the exports to Russia, Finland's total production will witness a steep downturn as a result, said Sutela. The constant devaluation of ruble has already led to several store closures in eastern Finland cities near the Russian border, the Finnish Finance newspaper Kauppalehti reported on Wednesday. Kauppalehti said that the collapse of ruble will hit retail stores the hardest, and many stores in Imatra and Lappeenranta have already shut their doors. Ruble devaluation will also affect the Finnish tourism. Full article here.
Blueprint Genetics disrupts genetic diagnostics testing and targets US
Almost five percent of the world population is affected by a hereditary disease, says Finnish biotechnology company Blueprint Genetics. The company has developed a high-quality and cost-efficient professional genetic test to ensure that these diseases are diagnosed correctly.
Blueprint Genetics has a mission: the biotechnology company wants to raise professional genetic testing to a new level. One year ago Blueprint released its first genetic diagnostic tests for inherited cardiovascular disorders and with 80 hospitals in 15 countries already signed up the company is off to a strong start. Read more here.
US manufacturer, MEMS setting up shop in Oulu Finland
US microelectromechanical (MEMS) manufacturer, Kionix, has announced the opening of a new software development centre in Oulu to reinforce its sensor software and development resources. The centre is designed to expand upon the company's past and current presence in Finland, leveraging the many skilled and available resources in the area. Nader Sadrzadeh, President & CEO of Kionix said it was an opportunity to take advantage of the existing engineering talent in the area. Read more here.
Looking for some Luxury and Action - try Lapland!
Luxury Action provides bespoke adventures for travelers to the Nordic region - and even makes movies out of the experience. There is an old saying in motorsports that if you want to win, you should hire a Finn. Janne Honkanen of Luxury Action decided to take that maxim from his racing days and applied it to luxury travel. Mr Honkanen used to be a professional snowmobile and jet ski racer in Europe and America. Luxury Action is not a typical tour operator. They offer custom experiences in travel, and as their name implies, adventure is one of their specialities. Luxury Action has offered snowmobile safaris, kayaking, dog sledding, cruises on ice breakers and a trip to the North Pole.
|
|
FACC Upcoming events
| |
- February VIP Polo Event
 - Come and enjoy a nice day with Polo and networking!
- Location: International Polo Club Palm Beach
- Come and get to know one of the FACC members even better!
- A great speaker and a great location (This could be your company!)
- More information soon, stay tuned
-
The World Strategic Forum is presented by the International
 Economic Forum of the Americas to address the major governance challenges of the new world economic order, focusing on the central role of the Americas in the global economy. -
Phenomenal world class speakers and global leaders gather at these events to discuss the future.
-
Location Biltmore Hotel, Miami
-
Curious? Read more on the event website or on the FACC blog about the previous event from April 2014.
Do you want your business to receive more awareness? Do you want to invite FACC members and others to get to know your business and organize or co-host an event? Do not hesitate to contact through email faccflorida@gmail.com or call +1 561-582-2335
|
Other events | |
Buyers & Sellers Global Convention
December 9-10, 2014
Miramar, Florida
Whether you are an experienced exporter/importer, a business owner, manufacturer, or franchisor who's new to foreign markets, you're likely to benefit from participating in the Buyers and Sellers Convention. Participants have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with country representatives, business leaders, potential customers, chambers of commerce, acquire sales leads, gain an understanding on there marketplace and make industry contacts from several countries. This event is presented by the Global Trade Chamber.
2014 Florida Automated Vehicle Summit
December 15-16, 2014
Orlando, Florida
This is the 2nd Annual Florida Automated Vehicles Summit that the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) has organized to help advance the framework for implementation of automated vehicles on Florida's roads. Learn about efforts led by Florida DOT, other state agencies, Florida universities, and the private sector regarding plans to take advantage of automated vehicle technologies to save lives and enhance mobility on our roadways. Experience autonomous and connected vehicle technologies for yourself to get a better understanding of these emerging technologies and weigh-in on the challenges and opportunities these technologies pose for Florida's economy, transportation infrastructure, and citizens. Presented by Florida Automated Vehicles.
MiaGreen Expo & Conference
February 11-12, 2015
Miami, Florida
MiaGreen Expo & Conference (7th edition) is the only trade show and conference in the USA with a focus on sustainability, that targets domestic and international major markets at the same time, like East USA, Florida, PLUS Latin America & the Caribbean (40 countries under one roof!). The event showcases cutting-edge technologies, services, know-how & education serving the green building, solar, cleantech & energy saving industries. Contact Jose A. Garcia at mail@MiaGreen.com or 305-412-0000 for more information.
World LEADERS Conference
March 4-5, 2015
West Palm Beach , Florida
Designed to provide participants with a uniquely personal experience in an intimate setting, the World LEADERS Conference brings together top executives in business and ministry with prominent leadership experts from around the world. The two-day conference provides opportunities for interacting and networking with other business and church leaders, and focuses on the critical issues and trends that are shaping business and the church today.
The Conference will feature noted speakers Ben Carson, Drew Brees, Ken Blanchard, Bill Hybels, Suzy Welch, Henry Cloud, Erwin McManus, Nido Qubein, Jon Gordon, Bonnie St. John, James Blanchard, H. Wayne Huizenga Jr., Matthew Kelly, Mark A. Floyd, Jim Loehr, Mark Sanborn, Claire Shipman, and Paul Leone. More here.
|
|
We hope you find this newsletter useful and we love to get feedback and suggestions how we can make it better. We also have many volunteer opportunities within the chamber so let us know how you want to be involved.
Sincerely,
Lena Hartikainen
Finnish American Chamber of Commerce
|
|
|
|
