Trump Trade Policies and Tariffs

Gary Goldfarb CFO Interport

Ivan Barrios- World Trade Center Miami

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Made in America with Rich Rothman.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Big hello to everybody out there right now. We're delighted
to have you on Made in America today. We're talking
at least right now, we are talking to one of
my closest friends, someone I have known for many, many years,
Gary Goldfarb. Gary is the chief strategy officer with Interport.
And we'll let Gary explain what Interport is, but it's
one of the most significant companies down here in South Florida,

(00:39):
in Miami specifically, very much involved in trade, in the
free zone environment and shipping and you know, all the
things that are important right now with logistics, and I'm
gonna let Gary explain it better than I can. But Gary,
just to a really quick background, is one of the
most successful gentlemen in this market, really well, owning an

(01:00):
icon in dealing with multinational or global environments in the
South Florida market. And unfortunately, Gary's been around as we
made that change over from a very sleepy city to
a major trade environment city with all the accoucheman that
go along with that. Having said that, Gary's been involved
in just about every major economic development organization as the chairer,

(01:23):
and right now he currently chairs the World Trade Center. Gary.
You were also the chair of the Beacon Council for
a while.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
I was twenty to twenty twenty to twenty.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Twenty one, right, and the Beacon was out there, you know.
I remember when they started it in the eighties. It
was very important to It was a CEO and outreach actually,
I thought in the very early days when Merritt Steerheim
founded it.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
Yeah, it's still very very active and bringing companies to
the community in large numbers, bringing employment to the community
in large numbers. And most probably the reason why we
have so much traffic in Miami is because the Making
Council was so successful in bringing in more business. Yeah,

(02:05):
and just to explain Interport Logistics today, Interport Logistics is
potentially the largest local provider of global logistics for South Florida.
We have operations in nine different countries. We operate foreign
trade zones in Miami as well as in Los Angeles,

(02:28):
and we move about seventeen hundred shipments a day.

Speaker 4 (02:31):
From all over the world to all over the world.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
Foreign trade zones are important, and I think we ought
to talk about foreign trade zones as much as we
can because mister Trump and his administration wants made in America,
mister Trumpet, his administration wants manufacturing here, and the way
to do it is to bring it in and create
foreign trade zones with production authority.

Speaker 4 (02:57):
So make it here in a foreign You.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Know, it's interesting, you know, in the last few years,
ever since the COVID, people have become much more involved
in understanding logistics, understanding supply chain. I mean they did
that by default because they couldn't get product, and people said, Wow,
why can't I get a refrigerator, can't a dryer, Why
can't I get a car, Why can't I get a
you know, the TV that I want from Korea, Samsung

(03:23):
or something like that. And then people would say, well,
you know, we've got a supply chain problem and we
can't get those ships here. If we can't get the
ships here, we can't get the cargo. We don't have
the cargo, we don't have product, and we have problems
with chips. We can't get the chips from Taiwan. So
they're where are they, Well, there's somewhere around the in
the maritime environment right now. So it became something that

(03:43):
nobody really cared about, except that they could go to
you know, brands Mart or Amazon or something like that,
and buy a product and then all of a sudden
you could buy the product and then it pops up
and it says, but you can't get it for six
weeks or eight weeks or ten weeks, or in some
cases with cars, you couldn't get a car for half
a year or something. That's something I try to do
and it was very, very difficult. Gary. In terms of

(04:06):
free zone, I want to go back to that for
a second. Free zones have been around for a long time.
It's not a new idea.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
No foreign trade zones, foreign zones. There's nothing free in life.
I've learned. I've learned that a long time.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Yeah, yeah, no, No, you're absolutely right. And it's been
written about a many rock songs. There's you know.

Speaker 4 (04:24):
Right.

Speaker 3 (04:24):
So the law for foreign trade zone started in nineteen
thirty four, and we used to own the Miami Free
Zone if you remember.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yeah, sure, And I was the first down here, wasn't
it that.

Speaker 3 (04:36):
That was the only one, that was the only one,
And it was because foreign trade zones that were traditional
you had to move into a foreign trade zone. But
when we don't have any more space, what do you do?
So we came to where we didn't have any more space,
and then we went out and created with some folks
in the community, including Sandler Travison Rosenberg, a new license

(04:59):
A license A allowed us to bring the license to
the to the business rather than move the business into
a foreign trade zone. And now we have hundreds and
hundreds of foreign trades on operations in South Florida and
now throughout the country. So it's been a very successful program.
It's become very sophisticated. But if you're manufacture in a

(05:21):
foreign trade zone, there's a potential that your products, although
may have foreign components, end up as a US made
product duty free.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Well, and of course let's just take it back to
main Street. So the benefits for somebody on main Street
is what they get products faster, they get products cheaper,
or what's the deal for them because they're the ultimate consumer.

Speaker 3 (05:44):
Yeah, But so if you look at it through the
consumer lens and only through the consumer lens, what China
did when they joined the WTO was quote unquote good
for the consumer. Cheap cheap stuff, really cheap stuff. I
don't have to fix it up, just throw it away
by another one. But in that function, we eliminated jobs

(06:06):
throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean that manufactured
for US, like the underwere in Honduras and so.

Speaker 4 (06:14):
On and so forth.

Speaker 3 (06:15):
All of those jobs went to China, and the people
walked across the Darien Gap to come through Mexico to
the United States. So we have to say a little
bit less cheap job, cheap merchandise and jobs in the
United States, white jobs in the United States. When COVID came,
we found out there were a lot of goods, essential

(06:35):
goods that weren't even made here. Most of the base
pharmacy pharmaceutical products were made in China. So if you
need aspirin or whatever, the base the base product is
either made in India in China, we're going to have
a big headache.

Speaker 4 (06:52):
So the idea is.

Speaker 3 (06:53):
To reshore or bring back those supply chains to America.
And there are some supply chains that will end up
having to go to Canada, Mexico, Columbia and those places,
but they're okay because those places buy from.

Speaker 4 (07:08):
US as well.

Speaker 3 (07:10):
But the idea is to reshore everything, bring it here,
manufacture it here, and have jobs here. That's the whole point.
And I think it's a wonderful point. We've spoken to
large kitchen cabinet manufacturers out of Germany looking to relocate
here with thousands of jobs. We've spoken to aluminum manufacturers

(07:32):
wanting to relocate here. So it's it's a really really
exciting time to be in my industry.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
So so other people understand that that that the components
come in, the components to build the product come in
in bulk, and they go into the into the Free
Zone and they re manufacture, they manufacture in the Free
Zone and they complete the product. Is that correct? I
didn't want to make it responsible.

Speaker 3 (08:01):
So in the simplest terms, you bring in raw material
or components, whether the United States are foreign, you combine
them into a finished product. It's called transformation. And when
you transform raw materials or components into a finished product,
the finished product can potentially have zero duties. And I'm
saying camp potentially because there are products depending on how

(08:23):
much foreign goods you have, that end up remaining foreign goods.
We're just slapping two screws together. Isn't really transformation. Transformations
the idea is to make something, and it's important, it's
really an important way of building jobs. They're talking about
bringing back the automotive industry.

Speaker 4 (08:43):
Yesterday I was.

Speaker 3 (08:44):
Putting together I was putting together an article based on
what we call Section three or one China Punishment terrists
or Section two thirty two national Security terrorists, and through
my feed came in that now we have automoti of
automotive tariffs for automobiles and parts. I changed the article

(09:05):
to automotive and that was very timely. But yeah, we
have terrorists because they want the goods to be manufactured here. However,
there's going to be a period of time in which
some of the components are not made here and you
have to build factories to build those components here. You
cannot build an air conditioner today wholly made from US components.

(09:30):
There are foreign components no matter what. The same with
solar panels. So you know, when you start reshoring those
component manufacturings, then now you can make products in the
United States, and then we become the export nation that
we used to be. When you started and I started, well,
you know everything was made in America and export and

(09:51):
made in the USA was a symbol of quality.

Speaker 4 (09:55):
Let's get back.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
Really, if it said made in USA, that was the
product that you wanted to buy. In fact, it was
I don't know if it's true or not. There was
a myth out there when I was a kid growing
up that somewhere in Japan they had a city called
USA so they could stamp on it made in USA.
And actually remember this from from the from from the
sixties or seventies, because originally some of the Japanese products

(10:17):
until the things like you know, I guess Sony and
Toyota some others came along that were really high quality,
completely turned around and uh and they became a leader
in quality product manufacturing. Like the Deming Award came from
from Japan, not from here, and that was a very prestigious,
you know award that you could get. I think FPNL

(10:37):
got that years ago.

Speaker 3 (10:38):
I think, yeah, but the Deming Award came from just
in Time manufacturing.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah, yeah, so exactly. So all right, so very cool.
So we have free zones, we have the ability to
bring raw products in, create products. Then once it's there,
it gets shipped anywhere domestically for the United States.

Speaker 3 (10:59):
Anywhere domestic and hopefully right and hopefully to our trading
partners that do not have reciprocal terroriffts with US so
reciprocal terriffs is coming April second, because nobody wants to
do anything on April fool Day, which makes sense. But
reciprocal terriff is going to mean if if India has

(11:20):
one hundred percent tariff on goods with US, we're going
to have one hundred percent tariff on goods with them.
And if we expand it to the America. Brazil has
some of the highest terriffs anywhere, and Brazilian goods come
in here with almost no terrors. So though there's going
to be a readjustment, and hopefully it will mean that

(11:42):
Brazil and India and those countries will lower their terriffs.
Then you put you're talking about export from America. You
instead of made in America is going to be export
from America.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
Okay, well, I got to tell you that would be
a very nice idea. I mean, I don't we've never
said export from America. So that's a Gary term.

Speaker 4 (12:04):
Well maybe it's a new term.

Speaker 2 (12:06):
Well maybe it's a new term. But we're gonna take
a break right now. We're gonna make a few bucks
with the affiliates. We'll be right back with made in America.
With Gary GOLDFARP don't go anywhere. Welcome back to Made
in America. This is Rich Roffman. Good to have you here.

(12:27):
I'm delighted to have you here today. Want you to
know that with me, dear friend, someone we've been talking
to for the last ten minutes or so, Gary Goldfarb,
who is the street chief Strategy officer with Interport, and
we're talking about supply chain. We're talking about free zones,
particularly in Miami, and what it really means to the
average American and how that fits in conceptually to what

(12:50):
the Trump administration is trying to accomplish, which I mean, ironically,
it's it's the it's the name of the show Made
in America. And what Gary's saying is we want made
in America, and then we want to say exports from America,
which is kind of good because that's what we want
to do. We want to increase trade, we want to
get more money over here. That'd be wonderful to do
that Gary. Right now, there seems to be a war

(13:13):
on words when it comes to tariffs. You know, I've
had the conversation about tariffs and is it a tax,
is it not attacks? Is it a good thing? Is
it a bad thing? Cudlow seems to think it's not
a bad thing. Gordon Chang, whom you know, it was
such a wonderful person when it comes to China, understanding
where we're going with the Chinese. He's in favor of tariffs,
but a lot of people out there are not in

(13:34):
favor of tariffs. I'm not sure what Milton Friedman said
about tariffs. I'm gonna look that up before the next show.
Maybe you know. But but let's talk about terriffs right now,
because every day it's a newsday for tariffs. I mean,
you just mentioned in the last segment that we're not
gonna have you know, auto parts and things like that,
We're gonna have tariffs. And it seems like to me

(13:55):
that the auto workers are supporting this for some reason
because they want to be protectionist. I guess, so that
makes sense. So let's address that for a second in
terms of what is the reality in this whole thing
and what does it mean to us, you know, guys
listening to So.

Speaker 3 (14:10):
If you if you and yeah, I agree with you
on Gordon, I agree with you on Cuddlab. I mean,
they're brilliant. But if you look at if you look
at the basics of it. We have a shop, a store.
We're going to sell from our store, but there's a
guy that sits up next to you, and he sells
cheaper and cheaper and cheaper every day. Nobody passed from you.

(14:33):
But you got to continue paying rent and labor and
all of those things. At some point in time, you
run out of money. That's where the United States is now.
We're about out of money, and we keep on borrowing
money simply to pay for to keep the lights on.
So it's time for us to manufacture here. But most
of the goods coming from China, and China is the
big offender here. The big reason why this is happening.

(14:56):
Is it really Brazil or Canada or Mexico.

Speaker 4 (14:59):
It's China.

Speaker 3 (15:00):
China because they're very loose with illicit drugs coming to
us from there or the base chemicals for it. And
China because they're unfair trader. They subsidize, they dump, they
do all kinds of games to be able to sell
more products to anybody will buy them and then make

(15:20):
them dependent on them, and then that's their game.

Speaker 4 (15:24):
So if you look at.

Speaker 3 (15:27):
The Chinese manufacturers of autoparts that some of my customers
buy from have dropped their prices by twenty five percent
in the last two weeks, because if they don't drop
their prices, they don't sell. For China, it's very easy.
They devalue their currency and the Chinese worker doesn't know

(15:49):
any better, and we get continue to get cheap products
from China at a subsidized or reduced price. It's a
temporary outcome. It's not a bad outcome. With automation and
artificial intelligence and all the new technologies that we have,
we should be able to manufacture products here sufficiently economical

(16:12):
for our consumers to buy, but not our consumers to
buy and throw out and then buy another one simply
because I don't want to repair, but buy products that
will last longer, and therefore, in the utility.

Speaker 4 (16:26):
Of the day, lasts make it more economical.

Speaker 3 (16:30):
But I don't have to replace my car every three
years because they're really good and lasts longer. I'm going
to buy less cars. I may pay more, but I'm
going to buy less cars and so on, So I
think it's a good thing. There's going to be some
price spikes, but it altogether is not going to be
that inflationary.

Speaker 2 (16:49):
So when people are out there, particularly on well some
of the more lefty economists, they're saying that this is
really a tax. You know, Gordon Nquist, who we know
well on this comes on quite often. A he does
not really comment on it, but B he doesn't he
doesn't see it as a tax, but he's not in
favor of terrorists, he's not an advocate of terrorists. And

(17:11):
then he shuns away from it to a degree. But
do you think that And there's so many people out
there saying, Oh, it's gonna be it's gonna push us
into a recession. I mean that's what you hear from
the left. Anyway, I don't see it. I don't think
it's going to push us in a recession. I think
it's a leverage tool. That's what Cudlow says all the time. Uh,
you know, I'm not going I think Peter Maurici kind

(17:34):
of agrees with with Cudlow to a degree.

Speaker 4 (17:36):
I don't.

Speaker 2 (17:36):
I'm not so sure that he's against terrorists. But as
a leverage tool, uh see. I don't see it as
as a taxation. I see it, but it gives us
the opportunity to make people do something that we want. Right,
What do you think No.

Speaker 4 (17:52):
It's it's it's consumer based terrorists.

Speaker 3 (17:56):
Basically, So if you consume products, who pay for products.
But in general you'll have hopefully a drop in tax
and the tax rate of corporate tax rate, which we
hope is coming. You already have a drop in transportation costs,
a pretty severe drop in transportation costs because of the
lower energy costs, and transportation is a higher multiple for

(18:21):
inflation than taris. So is it a tax. It is
not a tax. Every other except the United States has
VAT value added tax, So when you bring goods into import,
the first thing they do is they hit you with
eighteen and a half percent for twenty percent VAT.

Speaker 4 (18:39):
You like that, you know, I hate the VAT.

Speaker 3 (18:42):
I hate the VAT and then the tariffs because as
you improve the product and create more value, the user
pays more taxes. It's it's basically the Javiera Mila has
has that saying that's the invisible hand President of Argente. No,
that's the invisible hand. That's the invisible hand that skews

(19:03):
everything for their purpose. You know, I'm gonna you're gonna
make another sale. I'm gonna put more money in my pocket,
don't no? I don't like vats terrorists. I think are
an equalizer for a period of time, and I like
low energy prices that allow us to be competitive.

Speaker 2 (19:21):
Well, I think, and that's something we should have a
discussion of the show at a later date. I want
to discuss energy in terms of importing, exporting different products
that we haven't have to get involved with energy as
America is going to come out as a major energy
supplier to the rest of the world. Another topic for
another day. Gary Goldfarb, terrific to have you here on
the show. We'll talk later. Have a great week, sir,

(19:45):
Thank you very much, you too, Okay, just ahead, we'll
be right back with more of Made in.

Speaker 1 (19:49):
America promoting American industry. This is Made in America with

(20:16):
Rich Rothman.

Speaker 2 (20:17):
Welcome back to Maid in America. I'm delighted to have
you here today. And you know, today's international, so we're
talking international. We're talking made in America. Gary Goldfarb, who
was just on as the last segment was talking about export,
you know, not just made in America, export from America.
We have a different point of view basically the same thing.
We're very excited. Our second guest today is Ivan Barrios.

(20:39):
I've known Ivan for many, many years. Ivan has been
involved in the international business market in Miami going back
to the late eighties. He's been involved not just with
the World Trade Center, He's been involved for many years
with Enterprise Florida, which if somebody were asking what was
Enterprise Florida, how would you define that? What was Enterprise Florida.

Speaker 5 (21:00):
It's big Florida was essentially Enterprise Florida was essentially the
Florida Department of Commerce. In nineteen eighty eight, Governor law
and Childs privatized the Department of Commerce and created a
public private partnership called the Enterprise Florida towards the end
of his governorship, and then Governor Bush really took the

(21:20):
helm of it, and it was basically the Florida Department
of Commerce all the way until like about three years ago.
And now they've reverted back to an official Department of
Commerce in the state of Florida with the international division
called Select Florida, which is more of a private public partnership,

(21:42):
just the international division.

Speaker 2 (21:44):
Okay, So I've been was the vice president of Trade
Development and Team Missions, which was extremely significant in making
Florida successful. Only work with another good friend of oz
manny Mencia, who was the executive vice president for that
division and actually ran it for well twenty five years
and I guess what five governors something like that, And
just to remarkable, you know, Ivan, why is it from

(22:07):
your point of view? And now you're of course the
president and CEO of the World Trade Center, which is
probably the most successful international two way trade organization in Miami,
which is probably one of the most successful cities in
the United States for two way trade because we are
the gateway to the hemispheres. But we're also actually in
a way a gateway to the world right now, and
we're classified that way. But the question really is even

(22:32):
how did we get to be this way? It wasn't
always this way. And right now, you know, Miami in
Florida and then Miami specific is really on everybody's radar.
It is, it's known, it's a brand. You can go
anywhere in Europe. Everyone knows Miami. We have corporations moving
to South Florida and Florida like we've never seen before.
And it's really benefiting you know, way up the Miami

(22:55):
Custom District to Palm Beach, including Brownport, load of Dale
m of course Miami. Why, I mean, why are we
so successful? Well, why do we attract so many cool corporations?
We never had so many fortune five hundred s here
Ian what happened?

Speaker 5 (23:11):
Well, Rich You might remember in the seventies, Miami started transforming,
and it was because of its multi lingual, highly educated,
and multicultural workforce here in Miami. And not only that,
geography played a very important part. As you know, Miami

(23:32):
and the state of Florida is blessed with its geographical
position in the Western hemisphere, and we have infrastructure here
in the state of Florida. We have infrastructure in Miami
that facilitates trade, and so the entire international business community
works together to create the infrastructure and make sure we
have everything we need so commerce passes through South Florida.

Speaker 2 (23:55):
And it seems to me that we're a very very
pro business state. That whether we've had maybe I'm wrong,
correct me on this, whether we've had democratic governors or
we've had Republican governors like Jeb was a very pro
business governor. I can't remember Martinez that Martinez was Democrat?

Speaker 3 (24:17):
Is that true?

Speaker 2 (24:18):
Is it true that in Law and Childs Is it true?
And Charlie cored they were all pro business.

Speaker 5 (24:24):
Yes, they were all pro business. Richard, You're absolutely right,
and that was the impetus of starting Enterprise Florida, taking
you know, taking the Florida Department of Commerce and privatizing it,
having the private sector manage that part. Remember that Enterprise
Florida had a board of directors of senior sea level
people on the board, you know, sea level people like

(24:45):
the CEO of Disney Attractions. We had people from Lockkeeden Martin.
We had people from the cruise lines. We have major
law firms on the board. We had we had also
public supermarkets and construction companies. Everybody that was involved in
almost every aspect of doing business in the state of
Florida was on the board of Enterprise Florida.

Speaker 2 (25:08):
So all right, now, let's let's what does pro business mean? Though,
I mean, it may seem trite, but it isn't. This
is a very what they call this a free state,
and we don't have which to our benefit. We don't
have certain attributes at other states like California have.

Speaker 5 (25:24):
What does that mean, Well, we have we don't have
a state income tax, so we only have the sales
tax and the corporate tax is very low in the
state of Florida. So all of that generates business in
the state of Florida. Basically, it attracts people and companies
to the state of Florida to start a business or

(25:45):
open a business, open a manufacturing plant. So although then
there's also tax credit, so if you're a manufacturer and
you're buying new equipment, so there's a bunch of there
is a toolkit of you know that the government in
the state of Florida offers companies that they want to
establish themselves here in the state of Florida.

Speaker 2 (26:05):
And it seems like, you know, in the past it
was people said, well, what do you got for Fortune
fives And we always said Ryder was here and it
was exciting, you know. In I guess in fort load
of Dale and I worked there for a while. You
had Blockbuster Entertainment, which was a fortune twenty five, which
was a huge corporation. We had twenty five thousand employees. Remarkable,

(26:28):
but we had you know, you can count on two
hands all the major, major, major corps. It's changed a lot.
I mean, the landscape has changed a lot in it
and they're here for that reason.

Speaker 5 (26:39):
I would think yeah, Richard, and that's it. And remember
also Miami is a huge international banking sector. We have
I think we have closed over one hundred international banks
in Miami and then just Burkele Avenue alone and so
the financial center, and it'd become a fintech club also
for the for the Western hemisphere. And remember we do

(27:01):
a lot of services here also architectural service, attorneys, everything
involved in in in manufacturing and software development. We have
all of those industries here in the state of Florida
and in Miami. And a lot of people don't know this,
but in the state of Florida, Miami Dade County is
the number one manufacturing county of all the sixty seven

(27:23):
counties in the state of Florida.

Speaker 2 (27:25):
But we never were considered a manufacturing state to a degree. Worry.
I mean we don't. We were like a clean state.
We had different types of factory.

Speaker 5 (27:37):
Yeah, I would say that Richard just wasn't very Let's
say it's just been promoted enough.

Speaker 4 (27:43):
But we do.

Speaker 5 (27:44):
We do have a lot of manufacturers in the state
of Florida, but their main concentration is here in Miami, Orlando,
and in Tampa and Jacksonville.

Speaker 2 (27:53):
Okay, so let's let's let's let's cut back for a second.
Miami made a change. We became obviously we'd be came
an international city, I think, but the situation in Yuba
really bent they well, the first generation of Cubans coming
here were incredible all you know, a lot of professionals,
Oh my god, amazing people. And we became, you know,

(28:16):
a global environment, spoke two languages and eventually spoke a
lot of Spanish, not just one type of Spanish, but
many different variations of Spanish, whether it was elegant Spanish
and Spanish Spanish from Spain or it's going to be
you know, whatever it is from someplace else. But but
we we as a result of that acculturation, as we

(28:38):
discussed earlier, you know, we we attracted more and more people.
So I guess it made sense for the state of
Florida to develop something like Enterprise Florida to promote that.
And I think you did promote that to a degree,
at least you did for for Lower Florida, because that

(28:59):
was important. And it seemed like other cities like Houston,
in Dallas and Atlanta, you know, they all tried to
emulate us to a degree. They were kind of late
to the game. We were doing it. From the eighties
they were doing it, and actually from the seventies they
were doing it. They were starting in the two thousand,
late nineteen nineties. How did that play out and how

(29:19):
did that become an effort with things like team missions
and things like that, Because it seems like this state
did a lot of traveling in terms of governors and
corporate leaders, and it seems like you and Manny and
you know did a remarkable job bringing you know, bringing
us to other countries at the same time ringing other countries.

Speaker 5 (29:38):
Here right well, Enterprise Florida, especially specifically the International division
where I worked, I did about forty global events around
the world every year. We did the Paris Air Show,
we did Medica and Medical Technology Show, We did Arab Health,
We did the Dubai Boat Show. We went to Israel,
we went to Holste Kallar. So we went to all

(30:00):
the major trade shows and organized the Florida Pavilion and
a lot of trade shows around the world. And then
we also did trade missions rich which you participated in
several of them. Governor Bush went on eighteen trade missions
around the world to promote Florida and international business, and
he also took a while he was traveling, he also
took a delegation sometimes as biggest three hundred and eighty

(30:21):
people to go to a certain country and companies would
do one on one business matchmaking during the meetings while
Governor Bush met with potential investment investors in the state
of Florida who wanted to open an operation here, and
so we would go in country. The Governor would have
his one on one meetings with potential investors in the state,
and the companies that went with us did business matchmaking

(30:43):
organized by the US Embassy while we were in country.
So that all generated a lot of visibility, business connections,
business sales, and we did that with every governor and
it's been a where it's been a program that has
really been very powerful in the state of Florida, creating

(31:04):
a lot of business for small and medium sized companies,
which which if.

Speaker 2 (31:09):
We all know, that's the backbone of job creation anyway
in the United States, and it certainly is here. I mean,
we seem to be a city of entrepreneurs. We have
people coming here or looking for the American dream, and
whether they're from Cuba and there you know, who will
risk their lives to come here, going across the Florida Straits,
and Jesus, they could go on a raft of tires.

(31:31):
I mean, it really is an amazing saga that we've
seen in South Florida. But but but having said all
of that, we are a magnet. And as a result
of all these people coming into, all these corporations coming here,
all the services coming here, and you're right, to be
an international city, you got to have legal you have

(31:51):
to have accounting, you have to have freight photers, you
have to have logistics people. You know, you have to
have the full accouterment of everything that you need to
facilita trade along with the people who actually have the
products that you're trading. So it so we have that here.
But as a result of that, organizations have developed. I know,

(32:11):
back in the eighties, everybody wanted to be part of
international the World Trade Center, and I want to get
to that because I think that's significant. Also the fact
you're happened to be the current president and CEO doing
a great job. But we developed so many different organizations
trying to get the business out of Latin America. For
the for the most part, at first and then now

(32:32):
we go all over the world. How did that? How
did that happen? With the World Trade Center? I mean,
the World Trade Center is a brand. The World Trade
Center is known everywhere around the world. And uh, and
now you're the the titular head of the organization. So
why why are we so successful at the World Trade Center?

Speaker 5 (32:52):
Well, basically rich Just to give you a big quick
background on the World Trade Center. The World Trade Center
Miami basically started in nineteen seventy one when a group
of international business executives broke off from the Greater Miami
Chamber of Commerce and created their own international business organization
called the International Center of Florida. That organization grew in

(33:13):
popularity and in importance in the city of Miami to
a point where they reached an agreement to the board
reached an agreement to purchase the license to run as
a World Trade Center. There are currently three hundred and
twenty World Trade Centers in over ninety countries around the
world and with a network of over two million people.

(33:35):
And what it does is create business opportunities for everyone
in the network. The World Trade Center Miami started under
the World Trade Center in nineteen eighty five, with our
first chairman, Dennis Nason, and since then we've had a
plethora of senior leaders in the international business community be chair,
including you, Richard. You were chair. The World Trade Center

(33:58):
Miami were currently running two major trade shows. We had
the America's Food and Beverage Show, which last year was
attended by over ten thousand food and beverage executives and
over seven hundred and fifty companies exhibited in over eleven
hundred exhibit boots. And the show is not open to
the public. It's only open to food and beverage business people.

(34:23):
And then we had the other show called Air Cargo Americas,
which we sold to Messa, Munich last year, and they
run the largest trade and logistics show in the world
and they're hosting their show here in Miami along with
Air Cargo Americas, which they've contracted with the World Trade
Center Miami to help them market and recruit companies. And
that's a purely trade and logistics show, which that is Miami,

(34:45):
Miami's Trade and Logistics And so that show was held
two years ago. We had over six hundred companies exhibit
and we had over seven thousand people walked through the show.
We expect the show to increase it in exhibitors and
then this year, which will be held at the Miami
Beach Convention Center in November. Oh and by the way,
the America's Food and Beverage Show is going to be

(35:08):
held September tenther the twelfth at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Speaker 2 (35:12):
I know they're huge, and they really they what's so
cool about it is they focus on specific topics and
products and and what year are you in right now
with the Food and.

Speaker 5 (35:22):
Beverage It's twenty ninth year.

Speaker 2 (35:26):
Unbelievable. I remember when I was at the opening in
the first one. So just the remarkable journey that we've
been in. We're gonna take a break right now they're
talking food and beverage. Let's go get some food and
beverages and we'll sell something. We'll be right back with
Maid in America with Ivan Barrios, President CEO of World
Trade Center Miami. Stay where you are there you go,

(35:56):
Welcome back to me in America. This is Rich Rothman,
your esteem host, and glad to have you here. We're
right now talking with a dear good friend, an icon
in the community in Miami, Ivan Barrios, Ian, of course,
has been involved in international trade for many, many decades
in Miami, and Miami of course is one of the
most successful cities for international trade. Going into the twenty

(36:18):
first century, we've been remarkable. We were talking about trade
shows and what is the economic impact. They're really huge
for a trade show, and the World Trade Center has
some really successful trade shows.

Speaker 5 (36:35):
Yeah, Richard, the America's wood and Bevera Show and the
Air Cargo Show have a pretty big agaonomic impact on
our community. For example, as I mentioned before, the America's
Wooden Bevera Shows in his twenty ninety year, it's bigger
and better than ever. We have over seven hundred and
fifty companies exhibiting in eleven hundred exhibit boots. We have

(36:58):
twenty last year we had twenty one country pavilions, and
we have a we have a three day conference sessions
helping small and medium sized companies now only sell their
products throughout the Western Hemisphere, but also import their products
into the United States. We have seminars that people want
to use Miami as a platform to enter the United States,

(37:18):
and we have seminars and what are the nutritional requirements
that if you want to bring your product into the
United States, how to label it, how to package it,
how to ship it here. So we have courses like
that going on during the show. We also have in
the America's Food and Beverage where we have a center
stage where exhibitors and countries can show how they can

(37:39):
use their products. And sometimes we have celebrity chefs walking
around the show picking products from different exhibitors and then
you displaying those products and cooking those products on the
center stage why the exhibitor can explain how those products.

Speaker 4 (37:54):
Are being used.

Speaker 5 (37:55):
We also have a beverage area where we have bartenders
coming and run so my the AG's coming and showing
drink wine, what are the wines exhibitors are exhibiting, and
and you know, liquors and making you know, you know,
you know, curated drinks. In the beverage area, we also
have an organic food area.

Speaker 4 (38:13):
We also have a.

Speaker 5 (38:14):
Confection area area. So it's a it's a pretty good show,
but the emphasis on helping the small and medium sized
company have the show. We don't have the huge food
and beverage companies. We dedicate ourselves to helping the small
medium sized companies make that connection to sell their products
and service in the food and beverage industry.

Speaker 2 (38:36):
And it's remarkable. So again you have how many people
come attend the Food and Beverage for example.

Speaker 5 (38:43):
Yeah, so the Food and Beverage Show is not open
to the public. Last year we had just over ten
thousand people attend the show. And you have to be
in the food and beverage industry. So what does that mean?
You can You can be a food and beverage exporter, importer,
a chef, a restaurant order, a wholesale, a restaurant owner,
a wholesaler, a distributor, or a service provider in the

(39:05):
food and beverage industry. So if you make palettes or
if you haven't been refrigeration, all of that, those are
the types of people that attend the show. And last
year we partnered with Informal Markets to have the Food
their Food Hospitality Show in Miami for the first time.
So the America's Food and Beverage Show focuses on food
and beverage products, while the Food Hospitality latt Ham Show

(39:28):
by informer Markets focuses on food and beverage, food and
hospitality equipment.

Speaker 2 (39:35):
So all right, so you got all these people coming
here Now that's important for Miami, that's important for South
Florida because that's a lot of room nights, isn't it.
And that's a lot of cargo that's coming in for
the show. And that's a lot of people getting tickets
to come in for the show. That's a lot of
food nights and restaurants that are here for the show.
That's a lot of servicing those people to get them

(39:57):
around for the show, renting cars or you know, uber
listy and things like that. I mean, the filter down,
you know of what happens to a local economy as
a result of these shows is something to be coveted
by other cities, would you say?

Speaker 4 (40:13):
Right?

Speaker 5 (40:13):
So rich not to cut in, But we we did
an economic impact study in twenty twenty three and the
direct impact of those two shows that we have created
two hundred and forty three jobs that were supported by
World Trade Center Miami Trade shows had a total economic
impact of twenty one point one million and a total

(40:34):
personal income and local consumption of eleven zero point three million.
And you can go to our website at Wtcmiami dot
org and you can see our economic impact study there.

Speaker 2 (40:45):
Well, and if you think about it, this is sort
of like when we were trying to sell the FTAA,
the Free Trade Area of the Americas. We were trying
to get it here, the mysterial here out of Latin America.
Didn't work. It got a little confused. I think, one minute, what, Yeah,
it didn't work. But on the other hand, what we
did learn is that everybody benefited from the international trade.

(41:06):
Everyone benefited by if the ministerial was here. You know,
those even those selling pizzas and restaurants sold more pizzas.
Those who were having office supply, mom and pops were
selling more products, chairs, furniture, you know, the whole real
estate sold because these things were here. Because people want
second or third homes as a result of coming here
so well top So it was just just so enhances

(41:31):
an economy that people want what we have and very
often they can have it because they don't have the wherewithal,
they don't have the they don't have the history yet
to create and think the way we do in Florida.
But it's it's good to look at because we're good
case studies and how you want to do it, and
I know that's that's exactly what's happening. Okay, So Ivan,

(41:52):
I want to thank you very very much for being
on the show. We're delighted to have you again. If
people want to reach you, they can reach you at
the World Trade Center in Miami.

Speaker 5 (41:59):
How at you go to our website Wtcmiami dot org,
or you can call us at three oh five, eight seven,
one seventy nine to ten.

Speaker 2 (42:11):
Okay, So that's it for our show today. I want
to thank everybody was on the show. Gary Goldfarmer, I
have to tell you Gary is everyone comes to Gary
Goldfarb for advice. Everyone in Miami and anyone in the
business market knows that we're delighted to have him here.
Intoport is just remarkable. He really defines the significance of
those who understand international business and trade. Ivan Barrios and

(42:33):
the World Trade Center. I mean, I'm a former chair
of the World Trade Center and vice chair, so I'm
very knowledgeable of what these organizations do for a local market.
And the World Trade Center is way out in front
bringing the business here and re enhancing the business.

Speaker 4 (42:48):
You know.

Speaker 2 (42:49):
The point is, if you can talk to people overseas,
you can make a good case for yourself. They make
a good case for themselves. That develops two way trade,
two way trade, liberate. It just freeze people intellectually, financially,
and actually makes autocratic governments irrelevant. Remember that it makes

(43:14):
them irrelevant. When people have a taste of the good life,
they don't want to go back any other way. It works.
Take a look at that sometime in Latin America, what
they did with the privatizations that came in the late eighties,
early nineties. Well, that's just for today. Delighted to have
been here with you. I'm excited what we're doing. I
think Made in America is going to make a very
very important statement for all of us here in the

(43:34):
United States. Certainly we want to put America first. I
think we're demonstrating that we'll see you next week right
here on Made in America.