The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce (GCOC) and Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast (IACCSE) have agreed to participate in an alliance and made it official at the Gwinnett Chamber’s January board meeting. This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is meant to encourage and further collaboration between the two parties to best serve their members.
“This is our first of many Memorandums of Understanding in 2021, and we are excited about the possibility of partnerships to come,” says Gwinnett Chamber Board Chair Doug Jenkins. “This agreement formalizes the mutual commitments to each other, which in turn, will benefit our members and the region. Working together gives us strength in numbers and a unified voice to protect our pro-business environment.”
In addition to a collaborative partnership, this alliance is formed to develop a mutual understanding and working relationship between the two chambers.
“We are very pleased to partner with the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and to establish a collaboration that is mutually beneficial for our respective members,” said Eugenio Fumo, Vice President of the Georgia Chapter, Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast. “More Italian companies call Gwinnett County home than any other county in Georgia and we are confident this important partnership will allow our members even greater access to participate in events and to connect with the local business community in Gwinnett County. At the same time, this exciting collaboration will also offer a unique opportunity to the members of the GCOC to learn more about existing and future opportunities with one of the main economies in the world. Entering this Memorandum of Understanding is definitely a significant step in the development of closer and even more substantial business ties between Gwinnett County, Italy, and our respective members.”
Also in attendance was Filiberto Calascibetta, Honorary Consul General of Italy in Atlanta, and a member of IACCSE.
Partnership Gwinnett, the Gwinnett Chamber’s public/private community and economic development initiative, annually leads multi-organizational delegations abroad to recruit and retain foreign companies to locate and expand in Gwinnett County.
“The Gwinnett Chamber and Partnership Gwinnett look forward to advancing our relationship with Italian businesses here and in Italy,” said Nick Masino, President & CEO, Gwinnett Chamber and Partnership Gwinnett. “Honorary Consul General Calascibetta is already an effective partner in our recruitment efforts, and even joined us on our 2017 recruitment trip. This MOU between our chambers should accelerate the results between Gwinnett and Italian companies.”
It reads as follows:
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce (GCOC) and Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast (IACCSE) have agreed to participate in an alliance.
WHEREAS, the purpose of this MOU is to encourage and further collaboration between the two parties to best serve their members and the diverse community.
WHEREAS, GCOC and IACCSE acknowledge that the majority of Italian-owned businesses in Georgia reside in Gwinnett County.
WHEREAS, it is recognized that there are abundant and exceptional resources for both parties to grow their membership and support their members.
WHEREAS, this agreement and any information concerning its terms and conditions is Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast’s proprietary information. This agreement is made in English and is effective on the date it is signed by all parties (“January 21, 2021”).
GCOC and IACCSE cooperate to achieve the following purposes:
- GCOC and IACCSE will participate in a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony on the twenty-first of January two thousand twenty-one, with the event planning led by the GCOC and the event promoted by both organizations. GCOC will draft a joint press release to be approved by IACCSE and will distribute it to appropriate media outlets.
- Both will partner on at least two events per year. GCOC will partner on the content and speaker selection for any partnership event.
- Encourage and promote exchanges of visits by delegations and business persons of the two party’s regions and extend cooperation and assistance to the visitors.
- Trade membership: IACCSE executive leadership and GCOC staff will receive the other organization’s membership rate to attend events.
- GCOC has agreed to promote any joint events through social media and will promote IACCSE as a partner when appropriate.
- GCOC and the IACCSE will include the other organization’s logo on their respective websites as an affiliate partner organization when promoting joint events. The two organizations will promote the other’s news as appropriate.
