Trade hub adds international office

PALMETTO — The International Trade Hub at Port Manatee has opened an office in Santiago, the capital and largest city of Chile.

The full-service Chile office is the third for the trade hub, according to a press release. It is expected to be joined later this year by an overseas office in Argentina. 

“The new Chile office expands opportunities for the International Trade Hub at Port Manatee to fruitfully connect businesses of Southwest and Central Florida with vital world markets,” says Carlos Buqueras, executive director of Port Manatee, in a statement. “The staffed presence in Santiago ideally complements overseas offices opened in early 2019 in Medellin, Colombia, and Barcelona, Spain.”

The Santiago office is led by representative Guillermo Patricio Guzmán Marin. He brings to his new role three decades of experience in global trade and related disciplines, a release says. He has worked extensively in his native Chile, including for technology companies, marketing and consulting firms and business conference organizers, most recently as executive director of IoT Innovatech Latam, an annual global event focusing on information technology.

The International Trade Hub at Port Manatee was founded in 2014. It is based at the Port Manatee Intermodal Center. The hub provides advice and support tools to local and global firms, assisting them with production, distribution and related activities, including development of supply chain solutions.

Port Manatee has 10 40-foot draft berths serving container, bulk, breakbulk, heavylift, project and general cargo customers.