Four years and counting!

This week we are celebrating 4 years of the start of the Colombia Texas Chamber of Commerce (“CTCC”). Four years of growth, learning, accomplishments and challenges. Four years of working with extraordinary people that have become family. Four years of gratitude to all of our members, speakers, volunteers, business and strategic partners and the outstanding CTCC Team.

TheCTCC is an independent, private, non-profit organization, established in Houston since 2012. Its main purpose is to assist Colombian and U.S. companies create and develop business between Colombia and Texas, by providing specialized market research, identifying business leads, reliable business partners, and access to high level business and governmental decision makers in Colombia and the U.S.

Some of the CTCC’s members are companies such as Anadarko, Technip, Coremar, Indequipos, Mayer Brown, Fugro, Wood Group Mustang, all of which are instrumental for the development of the industry and the economy of Colombia.

Acting as a bridge that connects the private and public sectors to facilitate processes and boost their development, the CTCC works closely with business associations in Colombia like Campetrol, Andi, Fedemetal, Asociación Colombiana del Petroleo (ACP), as well as promoting agencies such as Pro-Barranquilla, Invest in Cartagena, and Invest in Bogota amongst others. In the U.S., the CTCc works very closely with the U.S. Commercial Service , who has awarded the CTCC the “Strategic Partner” category; and with The Greater Houston Partnership, who commissioned the CTCC to organize the trade mission of the Mayor of Houston, Anise Parker, to Colombia in 2015.

The CTCC also contributes to solving industry bottle necks in Colombia by finding experts at worldwide level that can share best practices and lessons learned for the benefit of the country. A good example of this is the “Deepwater and Unconventional Forums” where the Chamber has brought together the pioneers of the Offshore in Colombia (Industry and Government agencies), leading worldwide Offshore operators, regulatory academic experts from the University of Houston, the law firm that process 80% of the licenses in the Gulf of Mexico, and strategy consulting companies like Wood Makenzie. The CTCC has been very successful in assembling all these entities together in one room to analyze the competitiveness of Colombia in the region, to describe how other countries have succeeded, and to recommend actions to improve our country competitiveness.

The CTCC counts with an outstanding Board of Directors and a very professional management team. The Chamber has adopted a series of procedures resulting from recommendations made by PricewaterhouseCoopers (one of the biggest consulting firms in the U.S.), which makes our organization follow stringent standards that are above the expected level for an organization of our size and age.

The CTCC has been contributing relentlessly to the development of Colombia for almost four years and will continue for many more with the same passion and energy that this amazing group of people has devoted to each of the projects, with the support and guidance of an outstanding Board of Directors and with the trust of our valuable members and business and strategic partners.

Looking forward, the CTCC will continue expanding and enhancing its services to more industry sectors and geographical locations, and it will also soon announce the creation of the Pacific Alliance Business Network that, with other bilateral Chambers of Commerce and Trade Promotion Agencies, will support and facilitate trade with Pacific Alliance Countries (Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Chile).

Thank you for your support and please remember that we are here to help you succeed!

Claudia Rojas
CTCC Founder and Executive Director
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