by Daniel Fumero Lázaro
Working as an intern from the Canary Islands within the United States has allowed me to directly participate in global commerce. The Canary Islands, a Spanish Territory 60 miles off the coast of West Africa, serves as a strategic business hub between African and European nations. I am now assisting my host firm, Visibility Marketing Inc. in Cleveland, Ohio blaze new trails as a U.S. firm seeking to develop new business within the Canary Islands. Visibility Marketing Inc. participated in a renewable energy and water trade mission to the Canary Islands last November. As a result, my coming to the United States to work at Visibility Marketing Inc. was a welcome, yet unintended consequence.
Connecting business opportunities between companies within the United States (such as Visibility Marketing Inc.) and within the Canary Islands is an integral part of diplomatic relations between nations. Conveying economic benefits such as a four percent corporate tax rate within the Canary Islands is attractive to American companies. However, it is my cultural competency relative to the Canary Islands that assists Visibility Marketing Inc. in integrating the cultural nuances that enhance business value propositions to firms within Europe and Africa. Gaining insight to the American business landscape is also allowing me to properly advise my colleagues within the Canary Islands as to what resonates with American business audiences.
Visibility Marketing Inc. has embraced the fact that strategic partnerships with West African and European organizations are integral to sustaining American business growth. Benefits to leveraging the Canary Islands as a business hub to Europe and West Africa include:
- It is a Spanish region, and therefore belongs to the Europe Union. So the quality of life and labor output meet European standards.
- The financial stability of Euro as currency
- An advanced telecommunications infrastructure that is ideal for health services, energy, education, and other technology-driven services
- An advanced transportation and logistics infrastructure that includes high-capacity shipping ports and global airline connectivity
I am proud to have been selected by Proexca, a publicly-owned economic development agency of the Canary Islands as an international intern. In addition to obtaining work experience within the United States, I am helping Visibility Marketing Inc. to establish a presence within the Canary Islands. As a result, I am contributing the attracting American investment to my home. The global economy is not an abstract concept. It is an intern, like me, making a difference.