Larry Collins This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. CubaCentral :: DED a member of Cuba group

   www.cubacentral.com/todaysnews - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/27/2005   Last Visited: 12/15/2005

   "Anything that we can sell today is market share that's liable to be ours in the future," said Larry Collins, director of International Business Development for DED.
   ...
   So far, the Cuban buying agency, Alimport, has fulfilled almost $2 million of its $15 million purchase agreements, Collins said.
   
   Some critics have suggested that selling products to the Cuban government puts Louisiana on the opposite side of the Cuban people.
   
   "How can we hurt ourselves by providing basic food necessities to the people of Cuba?" Collins said. "If it were something other than food products that might be an issue."
   
   Collins said the department will start organizing regular trade missions with Louisiana companies interested in selling food and humanitarian products to Cuba.
   
   Most of the difficulty in trading with Cuba is caused by the U.S. government.
   ...
   Collins said the participation by DED is to facilitate free exchange of information and best practices by companies that are already doing business there.
   
   "Normalization of trade with Cuba was not our major reason for joining," he said. "But if the latest information on doing business with Cuba is going to be run through this organization, we wanted to make sure we had access to it."
   
   Other charter members include ADM, Caterpillar, Cargill, National Foreign Trade Council, USA Engage, USA Rice Federation, North Dakota Farm Bureau, Port of Galveston, AgBioTech, Buffalo International, Arthur Savage & Sons, Port Manatee Commercial Center, Virginia Department of Agriculture and U.S. Wheat.
   
   "Our agenda is strictly on the business side," Collins said of DED's Cuba activities.