News

WTC Delaware Board Welcomes State Rep. Ramone

June 25, 2021 - World Trade Center Delaware is pleased to welcome Representative Mike Ramone from the State House of Representatives as its newest Board of Directors member. "As a lifelong Delawarean and a small business owner for nearly forty years, I understand the value of business—locally, nationally, and internationally,” State Representative Mike Ramone stated. “I look forward to bringing real life experiences, as well as my passion to help those with that entrepreneurial spirit, to the Board of the WTC. Empowering and motivating business owners to serve their customers in the best ways possible are strengths I enjoy sharing. I am thankful and excited for the opportunity to be part of this wonderful organization.” Mike Ramone was first elected to the House in 2008. A lifelong Delaware resident, Mike graduated from St Mark’s High School and attended the University of Delaware. In 1982, at age 21, he opened his first business, Ramone’s Flower Shoppes. Mike—a true entrepreneur—founded, owned, and operated multiple local businesses with his wife of 38 years, Lisa. They currently own six successful businesses and employ over 200 individuals throughout the year. They have three grown children and two grandchildren. For 40 years, Mike has taught swimming and coached at various community clubs and nonprofit organizations, as well as at public and private high schools throughout New Castle County. He also has a passion for, and a commitment to, many nonprofit communities and organizations including local fire companies, the Boy Scouts of America, Special Olympics, Yes U Can Foundation, the Police Athletic Leagues, Easter Seals, Faithful Friends, and the Make-a-Splash Foundation Delaware, just to name a few. He served as treasurer for Delaware Chemo-Care Foundation and is Past President of the Hockessin-Greenville Rotary Club. In Dover, as the 21st District State Representative, Mike is a member of the Joint Bond Bill Committee, which makes decisions annually on the state’s capital improvement and transportation spending. His other committee assignments include Economic Development, Banking, Insurance & Commerce; Revenue & Finance; Education; Housing & Community Affairs; and Veterans Affairs. These assignments provide Mike with the knowledge and vast understanding of every part of state government. Mike also previously served on a special committee assigned by Governor Carney—the Government Efficiency and Accountability Review Board—which was charged with identifying opportunities for cost savings in state government. In addition, Mike served on the Governor's Mentoring Council for Children and Youth and the Governor's Council on Health, Promotion and Disease Prevention. He is co-chair of the House Small Business Caucus and past co-chair of the Kids Caucus in the House. Read More

Senator Tom Carper Leads “Lessons Learned from the

May 28, 2021 - New Castle, DE, May 18, 2021—At World Trade Center Delaware’s online event, “Getting Your Goods from Here to There: Lessons Learned from the Ever Given” on May 18, U. S. Senator Tom Carper opened the discussion on the hot topic of how legislators, industry leaders and local businesses can work together to prevent and prepare for international trade supply chain disruptions caused by seaport, airport, or trucking congestion, shortages, and delays. These disruptions directly affect the price of and availability of products to consumers. The event was hosted as part of “World Trade Month”, celebrated each May across the globe. Senator Tom Carper and a panel of distinguished guests spoke about international shipping and trade issues and challenges coming out of the COVID -19 pandemic and the ripple effect across the globe of the grounding of the super container ship Ever Given, as well as the even more recent effects of the Colonial Pipeline shutdown that included shortages of gasoline and price hikes for what was available. Sen. Carper, now chair of the U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness, said he is actively looking into new legislation to promote job creation and preservation to support international trade, especially on the state and local levels for facilities like the Port of Wilmington and to “make sure they get what they need.” He noted legislation also is being drafted to correct unemployment insurance and to create additional Transpacific trade agreements that will benefit U.S. companies, such as the USMCA. Michael Ford VP, Government & Industry Affairs, BDP International, showed how the grounding of the Ever Given had a “huge ripple effect throughout the supply chain.” He recommended that there be a renewed focus on improving the infrastructure of the ports and waterways, the need for heightened security, reliability and reduced risk when it comes to international trade. He also addressed the current labor shortage at airports and ports due to COVID-19 and increased unemployment that’s resulted. “We need to motivate workers to come back to work,” he said. Another panelist, Dennis Rochford President, Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River & Bay, recommended that seafarers on ships coming to the U. S. as well as employees working at airports and ports be considered “essential workers” and that their COVID immunizations be made a priority. And Anabel Panayotti President, Port to Port International, gave a case study of how her company has dealt with delayed shipments and order fulfillments as a result of the Ever Given catastrophe and the pandemic, but how businesses like hers need to learn, regroup, adapt and go forward from it. “I’m confident we will move forward,” Panayotti said. “We need to educate clients so that they know everyone is having some issue, but we need to still be positive.” World Trade Center Delaware President Carla Stone moderated the panel discussion and networking session and said fortunately Delaware has a major advantage when it comes to international trade: “there is only one stop light between Delaware and Canada, Florida, or Chicago” along Interstate 95. She called the virtual panel event “just a beginning” of discussions to come. Read More

WTC DE Member Expands Drone Company into Africa

April 30, 2021 - Congratulations to Drone Workforce Solutions, (DWS) one of the world’s premier global staffing employment and placement companies for drone operators and virtual reality photographers, for renewing its membership with World Trade Center Delaware and for its expansion into Africa. DWS was founded by Theophilus (Theo) R. Nix, Jr., a member of WTC DE’s Board of Directors, and his wife Suzanne E. Nix and is a global technology and strategic business solutions company that provides solutions for businesses and organizations requiring drones and its applications, as well as virtual reality photography. DWS also has a state-approved drone education and training school (DWS Drone School) and a global drone employment and staffing company. DWS may be the only company that fully trains, educates, certifies and vets FAA commercial drone pilots for Corporate America. Although headquartered in Delaware, DWS Drone School has multiple locations in the United States and is also branching out into doing business internationally. Theo says the company’s membership in World Trade Center Delaware has been instrumental in its growth worldwide, especially in Africa, where Nix said his company is “laser focused” on providing drone and virtual reality training and employment through its partnerships with American companies. “The World Trade Center, and in particular, (President) Carla Stone have been very helpful in providing us with connections in Africa where we plan to teach the citizens these technologies and then find them employment in the same industries we do here in America.” Those industries include public safety and emergency management, law enforcement and security, insurance, energy and utility, cable and Telcom, real estate and construction and agriculture, among others. In addition, according to Nix, the DWS Drone School is the only US training school designed to help train and educate and then employ US veterans both across America and overseas. Nix is an accomplished attorney and has worked in corporate and business law for many companies, including a Fortune 100 global company. For the last decade, he had led a Global Procurement Project allowing him to oversee and manage a Global Employment Staffing Initiative valued at $120 Million annually and has negotiated multi-million-dollar global mega construction projects. Read More

WTC Delaware Board Welcomes State Senator

April 30, 2021 - World Trade Center Delaware is pleased to announce that Delaware Sen. Nicole Poore has become its newest Board member. “I am thrilled to join World Trade Center Delaware’s board of directors and I look forward to helping to advance their mission of bringing Delaware to the world,” Sen. Poore said. “WTC DE is the First State’s premier international business resource and I’m excited to help grow Delaware’s small business community by working to expand their reach and build their customer base.”Sen. Nicole Poore represents the 12th Senate District, which includes most of New Castle and Bear, all of Delaware City and communities south of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, including Whitehall, Bayberry and others. “We are excited to have such an esteemed legislative representative on our Board of Directors,” said WTC DE President Carla Stone. “We hope Senator Poore will help facilitate our local and global connections as a direct liaison to our state legislature and we welcome her as a huge asset to achieving our mission in the future.”Raised in New Castle’s Jefferson Farms community, Sen. Poore graduated from St. Elizabeth’s High School in 1990 and earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Delaware Technical Community College and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Wilmington University. She joined her brother in building a successful healthcare staffing startup that was later sold to Welsch Carson, one of the largest investment firms in the United States. Sen. Poore then became a senior client services manager for Agile 1, where she handled workforce solutions for the DuPont Co. Her professional and volunteer experience also includes serving as a member of the Delaware Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, volunteer work with the Rape Crisis Center and a stint as Exceptional Care for Children’s director of development. She is currently the president of Jobs for Delaware Graduates, a nonprofit that helps students connect with sustainable, skills-based career opportunities. Sen. Poore’s interest in government policy began after the birth of her oldest son Nicholas, who was diagnosed cerebral palsy. Her activism in the special-needs community led to a successful 2012 bid for state Senate. Following her unchallenged bid for reelection in 2016, Sen. Poore was selected to serve as Senate Majority Whip by her peers. She then served as Senate Majority Leader from 2019 to 2021. Sen. Poore currently chairs the Joint Capital Improvement Committee and serves as vice chair of both the Senate Health & Social Services Committee and the Senate Labor Committee. She also sits on the Senate Elections & Government Affairs Committee.She and her husband Billy live in New Castle with their three children. Read More

DE/Afghanistan Summit Draws VIPs Across Globe

March 31, 2021 - Kabul, Afghanistan, March 9, 2021—Business leaders from Delaware and Afghanistan met via a “live” virtual conference hosted by the World Trade Center Delaware and WTC Kabul to hear about a host of present and future opportunities for trade and investment between both countries and take advantage of a wide range of resources readily available. Featuring a VIP speaker line-up that included U.S. and Afghanistan Embassy officials and government leaders, experts from the World Bank, US Department of Commerce and local businesses, the two-hour conference was the start of what World Trade Center Delaware President Carla Stone promised would become an ongoing partnership and continued talks to come. “We are already planning a second program so stay tuned,” she said. U.S. Senator Chris Coons and U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt-Rochester addressed the conference virtually, encouraging US businesses that now is the best time to partner with Afghanistan in terms of trade, investment and doing business there. “With President Biden and the new administration, the US is ready and willing to be a partner on the world stage,” Rep. Rochester stated. The conference gained its name because there is a distinct difference between how Afghanistan is viewed in the news and the reality that it has made great strides in the past several years to foster a more secure, progressive climate for U.S. companies to do more business there said Zabihullah Ziarmal, CEO of CEFE Group International and Chairman of WTC Kabul. Instead of “war and conflict, violence and instability, poverty and corruption” the reality is that there is “life and business, hope and prosperity and lots of business opportunities in terms of trade and investment” there, he said. Ranked as the top country in trade growth with $1 billion in exports and a goal to increase that to $2 billion in 2023, H.E. Roya Rahmani, Afghan Ambassador to the United States and the first female ambassador from Afghanistan, attributed this growth to the huge youth population in her country. She said that sixty-five percent of the Afghan population is under twenty-five years old, eager to work, have never known a world without a close US-Afghan partnership, and are invested in future industries like telecom, Fintech and biotechnology. While Afghanistan produces traditional products such as spices, new industries such as energy and minerals offer opportunities as well, conference leaders added. For example, there is one trillion dollars’ worth of lithium that is unmined, and the country is home to fourteen of seventeen rare earth minerals. Ian J. McCary, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Kabul said the country is in “a pivotal point in its history” despite the ups and downs it has faced, making great progress in infrastructure, security, financing and even social issues such as improved education and opportunities for women and minorities. McCary said there are over 4,000 products to be imported and that businesses now more than ever can work within the country’s “system of preferences” that supports doing trade there, which is backed by its government. Through its five-year comprehensive plan, Afghanistan’s objectives include improving transit, legal channels, industrial growth, increasing imports and exports, establishing governmental “one stop shops” that focus on cutting the cost of doing business and creating public-private partnerships. There are 148 projects currently ready in mining and energy, and a portfolio of $4.5 billion in investments waiting to be had. Diplomats at the conference said there are already more than 6000 companies in Afghanistan’s new electronic “procurement portal” and legal blocks are being removed to pave the way for US companies who are doing business there, including General Motors, with 322 opportunities already on the horizon in the coming year. Christopher D. Clement, Sr. Dir., Government Affairs Siemens Energy, Inc. shared its success story at the conference. With 11,000 employees and legacy healthcare and rail operations based in Delaware, Siemens established an energy presence in Afghanistan in 2019 when it built the first natural gas power plant to be installed there since the 1970s giving power to 200,000 homes, meeting “Afghanistan’s high demand for electricity but insufficient domestic supply.” Clement said Siemens’ success shows how important public-private partnerships are for small to mid-sized businesses that may not have the huge size and scale of larger corporations. Siemens was aided by its partnerships with the government of Afghanistan, its banks, the US Embassy, Dept. of Commerce and World Bank to name a few, which were all represented here at the conference. “It’s good to have a strong team to support you,” he said. Similar to the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, Afghanistan has a PPP (Public Private Partnership) and is opening legal and electronic banking opportunities like the new e-portal of the National Procurement Authority known as AGEOPS.net. which will “cut red tape” and “expedite, streamline and boost investor security,” said Kabir Khan Isakhel, Chief Legal Advisor to the President of Afghanistan. He said that just today, five of six PPP projects were approved, and the goal is to make Afghanistan an “investment destination.” Eric Casey, CEO of GT USA the Port of Wilmington, encouraged Afghan businesses to look at Delaware’s Port as being a viable option for its exports, especially fruits, vegetables, tree nuts snack foods, spices, teas and other perishable goods that can be distributed and sold quickly from the easily accessible hub. Other speakers at the conference included Atta Nasib, General Dir. Afghanistan Investment Facilitation Unit Harris Manan, Dir. General of Afghanistan President’s Office for Policy & Strategy, Abdul Hadi Nijrabi, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Afghanistan, DC, Jocelyn A. Steiner, Attorney Advisor, Office of the General Counsel of the United States Department of Commerce, Nancy Bikondo-Omosa, Senior Procurement Specialist The World Bank and Abdul Qadir Bayman, Founder & CEO, World Trade Center Kabul Afghanistan. Business owners from small start-ups to large global companies were given the chance to ask questions of the panels and world leaders on the virtual conference stage which was supported by the World Trade Center Washington D.C. and World Trade Center Harrisburg (PA). For more information visit World Trade Center Delaware at www.wtcde.com Read More

"Fearless Leaders" WTC Women's Summit a Success

March 31, 2021 - A spectacular lineup of World Trade Center women leaders from around the globe presented an online panel discussion on what it means to be “Fearless Leaders” and strategically manage the most considerable work-life shift in world history yesterday to a worldwide audience in honor of International Women’s month. World Trade Center Delaware President Carla Stone was one of the panel speakers, joining WTC Savannah’s Jesse Jenkins, WTC Trieste (Italy’s) Christina Sbaizero, WTC Winnipeg (Canada’s) Mariette Mulaire, and host WTC Dublin (Ireland’s) Maureen Pace and WTC Arkansas’s Denise Thomas. Topics discussed ranged from being proud to be authentic as women leaders to balancing work and life during the COVID pandemic. Carla Stone addressed the latter topic saying she and the First State’s World Trade Center have met increased challenges during the pandemic by “embracing technology and expanding our partnerships” by inviting speakers from other World Trade Centers around the globe to give virtual presentations and workshops such as the recent events they hosted in partnership with WTC Kabul (Afghanistan) and WTC Pune (India). She added that women tend to be more open to asking for help and was commended by the other panelists as a leader who doesn’t hesitate to reach out to pursue these partnerships and thus provide WTC Delaware members with valuable knowledge, resources and connections. The panel discussed how women have been negatively affected by the pandemic, particularly in Europe where “social inequity is magnified” with increased unemployment figures, stated WTC Trieste’s Christina Sbaizero. However, she added that there is hope on the horizon as the WTC looks for ways to partner with the city’s government. All of the leaders on the panel encouraged all business leaders worldwide to overcome their fears and set goals and objectives, and to reach out to them for guidance and help if they need it. The one-hour Fireside Chat provided an enlightening conversation that also covered business mobility perspectives, cultural nuances and similarities, challenges and rewards and personal experiences, teaching all business executives how to equip and guide their own organizations during turbulent times. Read More

Blockchain Teleconference Timely and Informative

February 26, 2021 - New Castle, DE, Jan. 2021— A teleconference titled “Are You Ready for BLOCKCHAIN?” featuring Michael Marquardt, the CEO of Kompass Global Strategies, Inc., was hosted by the World Trade Center February 26 to give an overview of this exciting new data technology platform and discuss its importance to local businesses and international trade. The importance of businesses learning about the concept of Blockchain now is similar to the time when the Internet and Amazon were emerging back in the late nineties, said Marquardt, who has served as a Blockchain advisor to the State of Delaware and is a Blockchain and Global Advisor to the Delaware Prosperity Partnership. “The reason company leaders need to know about it is to be able to determine whether it might impact their business and enable them to deliver a higher level of customer service, reduce their costs and offer services or products they couldn’t before. It’s better to be in on what’s coming earlier rather than later.” Marquardt is an international business leader who has run companies in the technology and healthcare sectors and served as president of the global risk management company founded by former FBI Director Louis Freeh. He is a corporate director who has chaired and served on boards of corporations based in Paris, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur. He is also the incoming Vice Chair of the American Cancer Society board and is co-chairing the national search for the next CEO of the Society. Michael was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, emigrated to the United States in 1991 a year and a half after witnessing the fall of the Berlin Wall to attend college and graduate school, and he became a U.S. citizen in 2002. World Trade Center Delaware President Carla Stone urged state business owners and leaders in a variety of fields to attend the event including those in IT, finance, insurance, law, accounting, and more. “We and they were all very fortunate to learn from such an expert as Michael Marquardt what Blockchain is and what it means for their businesses and international trade and best practices for its use, as well as find out about additional resources,” Stone said. Read More

Dinette Rivera to Present New Coaching Program

February 22, 2021 - We are proud to announce that Dinette Rivera, CEO, Rivera Business Development Group, and Senior Business Consultant to World Trade Center Delaware, will now present a Financial Coaching certificate program underwritten by the Polytech University of Cuautitlan Izcali in Mexico. Fully bilingual, she provides business consulting services to World Trade Center Delaware members and non-members in both English and Spanish and has thirty years of experience in business management and consulting. Dinette is a subject-matter expert on the implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Business and Leadership Development. This partnership is the direct result of the relationship she developed by traveling with World Trade Center Delaware to the World Trade Center Association General Assembly in 2019 in Queretaro, Mexico. The new certificate program also will be offered to World Trade Center Association members and their clients in both English and Spanish. The agreement between the UPCI and Rivera Business Development was approved by The Government of the State of Mexico for university credit. For more information call Dinette at 302-722-1006 Read More

A New Year as Home to U.S. President Joe Biden

January 30, 2021 - We are excited to begin 2021 with much enthusiasm as the home of newly inaugurated President of the United States Joe Biden who is from our very own state of Delaware! We are optimistic that this year will bring unmatched opportunities to the many companies, organizations, agencies, and partners we serve as we continue to gain national and international attention. Already, we are receiving inquiries from across the globe and look forward to helping you make the most of this exciting time. Each year, our magazine International Delaware focuses on a sector of Delaware’s economy, initiating a year of programs around this theme. The current theme is Fintech. On January 8th, we started the year by co-sponsoring A TASTE OF UK INNOVATION: ALL THINGS FINTECH & SCOTCH with the UK Embassy, a unique and fun way to learn about opportunities with our British financial partners. On February 5th, we will present ARE YOU READY FOR BLOCKCHAIN? with Michael Marquardt, internationally renowned digital transformation expert and CEO of Global Kompass Strategies, Inc., advisor to companies and governments across the globe. Look for other programs throughout the year featuring the best of Delaware’s e-commerce, IT, and cyber security companies. We also are preparing a group of programs beginning in March and continuing throughout the year to introduce you to the newest World Trade Centers in other countries. Look out for lots of virtual trade missions, reverse trade missions, and programs featuring our partner organizations to help you refine your international marketing plans and reach potential buyers and suppliers. Please check out our website’s Events, Trade Leads, Job Opportunities, and News You Can Use. And let us know if you have specific requests. We are here to serve you. Read More

WTC DE Member Batta Wins US Exporter Award

January 30, 2021 - World Trade Center Delaware long-time member Batta Environmental Associates recently received the U.S. Commercial Services Extraordinary Exporter Award in recognition of its work on a U.S. government funded global project helping Mexico City find a solution to clean up one of its contaminated drinking water reservoirs. Batta has been contracted under a U.S. Trade Development Agency grant for the “Ville Valle de Bravo” project which will explore ways to use U.S. technology and design to provide a path forward in securing funding to provide an environmental solution. “We are so proud of Batta and wish to congratulate them on their award, it is well deserved,” World Trade Center Delaware President Carla Stone said. “They have been a valued member for many years, and we are all so pleased to have been a part of their growth.” Headquartered in Newark, Delaware with several offices in the Mid-Atlantic, Batta provides environmental engineering products and services such as consulting, training and testing that help in purifying soil, water and air, aiding with environmental cleanup and removal of hazardous materials, oil spills, lead and asbestos contamination and much more. The firm works with federal, state and local governments as well as corporate companies. Because Batta is expanding its services to international territories and developing countries that are looking for U.S. guidance in solving their environmental challenges, Neeraj Batta, Senior Vice President of the company, said membership in the state’s World Trade Center has been invaluable. “Our membership has really been a great benefit, opening doors to different networking events and allowing us to gain marketing intelligence through accessing Worth Trade Centers in other cities globally.” Neeraj is a second-generation owner in the company, which was founded by his family 38 years ago. “International expansion has always been on our radar the past five to seven years,” he added. “Our goal is to continue to expand in this area; this is exactly the time and place to be to use our global partnerships and services to bring environmental solutions that are needed in the world.” Read More

WTC Delaware December 2020 Updates

December 22, 2020 - As we come to the end of a very long and challenging year in which we’ve seen a global pandemic unlike any we've seen before, we can reflect on how we—as individuals, as businesses, as a country and as a world—banded together to combat the unseen enemy of COVID-19. We believe we triumphed despite the virus and its challenges, holding virtual networking events and celebrations that educated and inspired us, reaching out to those in need across local, national and global borders—and the year culminated with the election of Delaware’s very own native son Joe Biden to US President. We are excited about all of the possibilities next year will bring and it is with gratitude to you—our sponsors, partners, members, and Delaware's elected officials—that we wish you a very safe, happy and healthy holiday season and New Year! Read More