Colombian leader Fredy Romero, spokesperson for the group of Colombians organizing the meeting / Courtesy

Organizations, groups, entities, businesses, and leaders Colombians in Charlotte, they are organizing the First Colombian Business Meeting of the Carolinas. The event will take place on Saturday January 20.

Initially the meeting was going to be held at the headquarters of the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte, but the organizers announced on Thursday, January 18, that “due to the reception of the event they were forced to move location.” Now it will be done at the headquarters of the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, at 5535 Albemarle Road, Charlotte, NC 28212.

According to organizers, it is the first event of its kind to be held in Charlotte. It seeks to bring together Colombian businessmen, entrepreneurs and professionals with various objectives in one place. 

Freddy Romero, spokesperson for the group organizing the meeting, said that one of the objectives is to establish a network or “Colombian business directory.”

“When talking about the establishment of a network of Colombian businessmen and professionals“We want it to help us record the magnitude of the entrepreneurial spirit of Colombians in the Carolinas and to be able to show our economic impact,” Romero commented to Enlace Latino NC. 

The meeting will be held simultaneously starting at 1:00 pm at the headquarters of the Latin American Coalition, in Charlotte, and at the Hispanic Center in Durham. 

The platform on which the directory will operate is yet to be defined, but Romero says it is expected to be dynamic and based on social networks. 

“We want to show what Colombians can offer, a product, a service or an orientation, to those who live here and to those who arrive. May it also serve as a reference for the community here in the United States and in Colombia,” said Romero.

Romero is also director of the Colombian-American Foundation (COAMFO). 

Support the petition of the consulate in Charlotte

Another of the objectives of the board is to support any emergency that represents benefits to Colombians in the United States. 

“The first thing we have is the petition that we have been promoting to have a Colombian consulate in Charlotte, that is now our priority,” noted the Colombian leader. “That is why we have expedited the holding of this meeting.”

La petition to open a consular headquarters It was created last July 20 on the Change.org platform, by the Colombian Leaders organization in Charlotte.

Addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, the petition was officially presented to Ambassador Luis Gilberto Murillo, who attended the event as a special guest. Colombian Festival held in Charlotte on July 22, and who in turn forwarded it to his government. 

Since then, the petition has been signed by 4,330 people, from a goal of 5,000. 

Romero stated that “it is urgent to show the Foreign Ministry the importance that Colombians have here, and for them to see that there are many of us who support the need to have a consulate in Charlotte.” 

One of these needs is humanitarian in nature. “Many Colombians arrive and have their passports taken away, or need a permission of a minor. There are many urgent things that arise, and people must travel eight hours round trip, and many must lose a day of work,” Romero said.

The group of Colombian leaders, who have already organized two mobile consulates of Colombia in Charlotte over the past two years, says the Colombian Consulate General in Atlanta “has done great work, but has been limited, for years, to a small staff serving seven states.” 

Consular appointments

How to request an appointment at the Colombian Consulate in Miami

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To attend to Colombian Business Meeting

Romero said that the meeting will be a space for Colombians who attend to exchange information. Also to make yourself known and ask questions regarding the objectives of the directory. 

“We are going to produce a document with a record of what we do and a link for people to register their businesses. Also see the strength of the support for the petition,” she indicated. 

• Where: headquarters of the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, at 5535 Albemarle Road, Charlotte, NC 28212.
• Satellite meeting: in connection with the Centro Hispano, at 2000 Chapel Hill Rd., Suite 26A, Durham, NC, 27707. 
• To attend you can register at: Liderescolombianoscharlotte@gmail.com
  For more information, you can call: 704-497-4626.