Caribbean business trip nets nearly $7M in sales

TAMPA BAY — Companies in the Tampa area that participated in a recent trade mission to the Dominican Republic made projected future sales of about $6.8 million.

The Tampa Bay Export Alliance, a cooperative effort of the Pinellas County Economic Development office, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. and the Pasco Economic Development Council, put together the trip. It was the fourth joint mission between the Tampa Hillsborough EDC and Pinellas County, and the first to feature the TBEA's newest partner, the Pasco EDC, according to a statement.

The trip was Dec. 5-8, and 36 local business leaders traveled to the Caribbean island nation. More than a dozen local companies participated in the U.S. Commercial Service's Gold Key Service Matchmaker program, which provided customized one-on-one meetings with companies in the Dominican Republic, the release states. Those Gold Key companies had about 140 meetings with potential customers, which resulted in the nearly $6.8 million in actual and expected export sales, according to the TBEA.

“The mission helped us to expand our market reach into the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean markets,” says Brian Rogers, President Dunedin-based Shadow-Caster Lighting, in the statement. “Our product is particularly suited to this region, and the meetings that were pre-arranged for us confirmed the viability of this market for us. We're looking forward to closing these deals.”

Sponsors of the trip include the Tampa International Airport, Port Tampa Bay and Enterprise Florida.