Pop quiz: What was the biggest import into South Florida in 2009, a tough year when trade shrunk? Hint: It’s not cut flowers, fresh fish or even jets, long key products brought into greater Miami. Gold emerged as the No. 1 import last year, as many people nervous about weak real estate and stock markets turned to gold for security, WorldCity’s latest Miami Trade Numbers report has found. WorldCity President Ken Roberts shared the report and led talks on the outlook for South Florida trade at the June 16 meeting… Read More
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Crowley's Jay Brickman spoke about Cuba, about meeting Fidel and his sense of where Cuba is headed
Cuba: Like 'Alice in Wonderland'
“Everything in Cuba, it’s like Alice in Wonderland,” said Jay Brickman, vice president of Government Services for Crowley, during WorldCity’s Government Affairs Connections meeting on Thursday. “Nothing is as it appears to be.”
Brickman was the presenter at the meeting of top public affairs officials for multinationals in South Florida, a gathering held every other month and sponsored by Fowler Rodriguez Valdes-Fauli and Chevron.
Although he had intended to discuss his three primary roles at the privately held Jacksonville, Fla.-based company — Cuba, government work and special projects like the Panama Canal — the topic never veered far from Cuba and Fidel Castro.
While the topic of Cuba is always of interest in Miami, in particular to Cuban Americans, it was also of interest to the top government affairs officials from Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia, both present, since under a new initiative from the Obama Adminsitration, there are openings for telecommunications.
Marco Malvone, representing Alcatel-Lucent, with Mark Anderson of Caterpillar and WorldCity’s Tak Takasu in the background.
Marco Malvone, representing Alcatel-Lucent, and Jose Martinez from Nokia had both recently been in Washington, D.C., discussing the potential impact on their companies. Other companies represented in the room certainly have at least a passing interest in any future opening as well, including Caterpillar, GM, Seaboard Marine and FedEx.
Don Johnson, representing FedEx, wondered what impact the eventual end of the embargo, and the unleashing of a well-edcuated work force of 11 million might have on the area. “That’s a big problem for the rest of the Caribbean,” he said.
While Crowley’s business is not huge in Cuba, it is important to the company. Crowley had been involved in U.S.-Cuba trade before the revolution, interested in resuming trade during the decades the embargo was virtually air-tight, and is one of the few shipping lines that has been doing business with Cuba since medical and agricultural exports were allowed under certain conditions.
Among other things, Crowley ships a lot of frozen or chilled chicken to the island nation. More than one-half of all exports from South Florida to Cuba was frozen or chilled chicken. Miami’s total trade to Cuba in 2008 was $89.88 million, with more than 99 percent in exports. New Orleans and Houston are larger trade partners with Cuba.
“It’s still not a very big business,” Brickman said of Crowley’s business with Cuba.
And it is certainly not an easy business either, he said. “You either deal with the government or you don’t deal at all. There is no commercial activity.”
Despite the U.S. embargo that has been in place since the early 1960s, when Fidel Castro came to power, Cuba’s fourth-largest trade partner is the United States. Cuba ranks as the United States’ 117th most important trade partner, according to WorldCity analysis of U.S. Census data.
One of those Alice in Wonderland experiences occurred during a trip to Havana a few years ago, when he was traveling with Crowley CEO Tom Crowley Jr. and met El Commandante himself.
“You’re always getting all these cryptic messages (during trips there). ‘Don’t set up anything for tonight.’ There’s not a lot to do in Havana, so it’s not a problem,” Brickman told the group, with a chuckle.
At 10:30 p.m., the call came. Fidel, legendary for his late-night meetings that go well into the morning, wanted to meet with Crowley.
“At 3:30 in the morning, (one of Castro’s top aides) says, ‘These people have a flight to Fort Lauderdale at 7:30.’ Castro looks at his watch and says, ‘We have three hours to go.’ “
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