Costa Rica’s top trade promotion agency, PROCOMER, is actively reaching out to companies in Atlanta as part of its strategy to enhance business ties between the Southeast U.S. and the Central American nation.
The agency is inviting local buyers and investors to participate in the Costa Rica Trade & Investment Summit, scheduled for September 1-5 in San Jose.
To facilitate participation, PROCOMER is offering significant on-the-ground assistance and a range of financial incentives, including waiving entry fees and reimbursing hotels and transportation costs.
Companies interested in attending would only need to cover their flight expenses to San Jose.
According to Jose Pablo Segura, PROCOMER’s business development representative in North Carolina, the agency sees great potential in the Carolinas and Georgia, which have traditionally been underexplored markets for Costa Rican products and services.
“In the past, if customers from this area were interested, they often traveled to Miami to find us,” Mr. Segura noted.
PROCOMER is collaborating with The Shared World, a local consultancy founded by Atlanta’s former international affairs director, Vanessa Ibarra, to recruit companies for the summit.
Costa Rica is shifting perceptions about its business landscape, moving beyond its established reputation for tourism and agriculture, where it remains a strong player in the production of pineapple, cassava, bananas, and specialty coffee.
While many tourists flock to Costa Rica for its beautiful beaches and volcanoes, they often come to discover a burgeoning business ecosystem that defies stereotypes about manufacturing and service capabilities in Central America.
For the past five years, medical devices have represented Costa Rica’s top export, accounting for approximately 48 percent of the nation’s overall trade value, as shared by Mr. Segura.
There is also a significant emphasis on technology and services, particularly focusing on complex sectors relevant to Atlanta’s industries, such as financial services.
Equifax, a prominent Atlanta-based company, employs over 2,000 people at its Costa Rica center of excellence, which began as a modest venture back in 1995.
Sykes Enterprises, which provides BPO services, has also significantly increased its workforce in Costa Rica, employing more than 5,000 before being acquired by Sitel Group and integrated into Foundever.
Mr. Segura highlighted GBM, a software development firm that aids banks in integrating information across various platforms, as another example of Costa Rica’s capacity to attract global innovators.
In recent times, as global trade tensions rise and near-shoring gains traction, Costa Rica has begun to attract more contract manufacturing jobs, focusing on niche markets like injection molding, light assembly, and R&D prototyping.
With a workforce of 500 employees and 40 offices worldwide, PROCOMER positions itself as a vital navigational aid for investors looking to understand Costa Rica’s diverse market.
The agency also offers various incentives and specialized free-trade and industrial zones.
PROCOMER has earned recognition from the United Nations, being named the best government trade agency several times over the past eight years.
So far, two Atlanta companies, Emrgy and Lowe Engineers, have confirmed their attendance at the upcoming conference, and Mr. Segura remains optimistic that additional firms will seek to learn more about investment opportunities in Costa Rica.
He remarked that many companies he visits often express fond memories of their past travels to Costa Rica, highlighting its beauty and potential.
The challenge, however, focuses on transforming this favorable reputation into tangible investment.
“There’s so much more to Costa Rica than its beaches and volcanoes,” Mr. Segura emphasized.
For further details about the summit and registration, interested parties can visit https://costaricasummit.com/en.
For additional inquiries, contact Jose Pablo Segura via email at [email protected] or by phone at +1 (786) 860-0131.
image source from：globalatlanta
