“Building Bridges” Seminar a Success

August 24, 2008 in Business, Events, Government by allan | No comments

Last week brought 15 Chilean companies to Atlanta, culminating in a productive session on Wednesday between company and government officials from both Chile and Georgia.  The meeting took place at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and featured speakers including Mariano Fernández (the Chilean Ambassador to the US), Ken Stewart (Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development), Hugo Lavados (Chile’s Economic Minister) and Walter Bastian from the US Commerce Department.

I spoke on my successful experience establishing software development and IT operations in the country, and Mary Smith described Delta Airline’s experience establishing a call center in Santiago. Read the rest of this entry »

Americas Competitiveness Forum Underway This Week

August 19, 2008 in Business, Events, Government by allan | 1 comment

There are quite a few dignitaries in Atlanta this week, taking part in the Americas Competitiveness Forum. The conference is organized by the US Department of Commerce, the International Trade Administration, the City of Atlanta, and CIFAL Atlanta.

Notable speakers include…

Read the rest of this entry »

Finance minister announces capital market reforms

August 12, 2008 in Business, Government by allan | No comments

The Chilean government recently announced capital market reforms, the purpose of which is to "develop the securities market in order to assure complete integration with global markets and to make Chile a financial services exporter."

Details are here .

Where to locate a business in Chile

July 25, 2008 in Business, Travel by allan | No comments

When speaking with people about establishing operations in Chile, one question comes up often: Where in Chile should it be located?

Chile is larger than most people think. It occupies a land mass that is nearly twice the size of California. Traveling from north to south, the country is approximately as long as the US is wide.  As a result, there is a rich diversity in climate and terrain — from the worlds driest desert in the north to the glaciers in the south (and everything in-between). Read the rest of this entry »

Chilean Trade Mission to Miami and Atlanta

July 23, 2008 in Events, Government by allan | No comments

Those of you in the US may be interested in a trade mission taking place in Miami and Atlanta next month. Eighteen Chilean companies (focused primarily on software products and IT services) will be visiting these two cities, seeking US business partners and mutually-beneficial relationships.

I’ll be speaking on August 20th in a session that also includes the Chilean Minister of Economy. The details can be found here:

http://wapp.corfo.cl/chileanseminar

Getting there, and getting around

July 23, 2008 in Business, Travel by allan | No comments

Unless you’re part of the tourism or mining industries — or a scientist at one of the astronomical observatories deep within Chile’s Atacama desert — any “near-shoring” operation of significant size is probably going to happen in Santiago, Valparaiso, or Concepcion. Read the rest of this entry »

Italia, corporate legalities, and government incentives

July 23, 2008 in Business, Government by allan | No comments

At this point I should probably introduce my partner at Arcato Global. Italia is the company’s Vice President of International Operations. She is a native Spanish-speaker, and is instrumental with stuff like establishing the legalities of Chilean subsidiaries — and in working with the various government representatives when the time comes to apply for investment incentives. Read the rest of this entry »

My background with a Chilean software shop

July 23, 2008 in Business, Technology by allan | No comments

Earlier this year I established a new technology services company called Arcato Global, and one of the services we offer is a consultancy for helping organizations to get their own Chilean operations established.

I’m often asked how a technology guy living in Atlanta ended up with an involvement in a software and IT operation way down in the southern hemisphere. Here’s how: Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to CorporateChile.com

July 23, 2008 in Business by allan | No comments

You’re reading the inaugural post at corporatechile.com — a new website and blog dedicated to the topic of doing business in Chile. My name is Allan Metts, and I’ll be using these pages to share knowledge and experience from the perspective of a US-based Executive, who spent several years establishing and running an operation in Chile for software development and IT services.

I’m looking forward to a vibrant and interactive site — one that contains a vast storehouse of information for anyone considering initiating or expanding a business in Latin America.

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