“Taste of America” Showcases American

Spring 2015 Newsletter
“Taste of America” Showcases American-Lebanese
Commercial Partnership
The U.S. Embassy and the American Lebanese
Chamber of Commerce hosted the fourth “Taste of
America” lunch and exhibition on April 28 at BIEL’s
Pavillon Royal. “Taste of America” is a commercial
event designed to showcase the goods and services
of U.S. companies in Lebanon.
Over 500 guests, including Minister of Public Health
Wael Abou Faour, Minister of Economy and Trade
Alain Hakim, Minister of Culture Ronny Arayji, as
well as business leaders, attended the event. Twentyfour U.S. companies, including KFC, Hardee’s,
Burger King, Butterball, Chili’s, Clucksters, JBS,
Domino’s Pizza, Dunkin Donuts, Budweiser, Jack
Daniel’s, Patron, Southern Comfort, Pacific Seafood,
Jelly Belly, Magnolia Bakery, Frito-Lay, Ocean
Spray, Shake Shack, McDonalds, Miller Brewing,
Mountain Mudd, P.F. Chang’s, Creekstone Ranch,
Pepsi, Tropicana, and Subway, served delicious
American food and beverages to the guests. Products
from seventeen American companies represented in
Lebanon, including Ford, GMC, Cadillac, Corvette,
Dodge, Jeep, Harley Davidson, Polaris, Gap, Columbia,
Champions, 5-11, Apple, Segway, Mossberg, and
Oakley, exhibited their products at the event. Local
companies who represent those U.S. products include
Itani, Mefosa, Vresso, Mercantile, Teletrade, Mike
Sport, Azadea-Gap, Gargour, Rymco, Tewtel Group,
Sports Forever, and Impex.
Continued on P.3
Inside This Issue
2 New Members
4 Member News
6 U.S. Trade Fairs
7 Annual General Assembly
8 2015 AmCham MENA Regional Council
Conference Boosting Cross-MENA
Business Ventures and FDI from the US
9 2015 Interact Offers
This issue is sponsored by Hilton Hotels
Spring2015
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New Members
Georges Elias
Chief Operating Officer &
Share Holder
Robert’s Group sal
Tel: +961 9 211461
www.rgsal.com
Robert’s Group s.a.l. is based in Lebanon and was
founded in 1972 as Eliasco then renamed in 1991.
It is active in Lebanon, the Middle East, and Africa.
Its activities are specialized in family entertainment
centers with turnkey solution services in a onestop shop, including a franchise scheme. This
includes advisory, distribution, operations, design,
management, training and maintenance.
It provides machinery, games, merchandising, debit
card systems, management and F&B software for
theme parks, water pParks, toddler centres, activity
parks, bowling centres and malls.
Shadi Tabbara
Managing Partner
Operations and Marketing
Brate
Tel: +961 3 837353
www.brate.com
Brate is a discovery platform that reveals what
Things and Places are trending online using big
data analytics from 100 million online users. Once
trending Things are revealed, Brate guides users to
the nearest places where they’re available helping
businesses generate new leads, increase footfall and
drive sales. Brate also uses Business Intelligence
tools to help businesses understand market trends and
identify new opportunities. Brate is available in 10
markets across the MENA region including Lebanon,
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan,
Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Erbil (Iraq);
covers 300,000 places and is searchable in English,
Arabic and French.
Jamal Serhan
Chief Executive Officer Middle
East North Africa
Warwick International Hotel
Tel: +961 1 983799
www.warwickhotels.com
Warwick International Hotels (WIH) was launched in
1980 with the purchase of Warwick New York. The
WIH Group now includes more than 55 prestigious
Hotels, Resorts & Spas worldwide located in city
centers and resort destinations in the United States,
Caribbean, Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, the Middle
East and Africa. Mr Richard Chiu is the President and
Founder of WIH. WIH acquired a hotel in Paris, and
then expanded throughout Europe. It also owns famous
resorts in the South Pacific & Asia; WIH operates in
Bali and is still expanding in the Asia Pacific region.
American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce
Director Paola Chakhtoura
Address 1153 Foch Street
Beirut Central District
P.O. Box 175093 Beirut, Lebanon
Phone/ Fax +961 1 985330-1
Web www.amcham.org.lb
E-mail info@amcham.org.lb
Board of Directors and Officers
Salim J. Zeenni Chairman
Maher Y. Beydoun VP for Public Relations
Arslan M. Sinno VP for Membership
Richard A. Haykel VP for International Affairs
Walid T. Assaf Treasurer
Nadim Kassar Secretary General
Rabah Jaber Board Member
Carol Chammas Kareh Board Member
Nadim Romanos Board Member
Hani Raad Board Member
Barbara Batlouni Board Member
Gaby Tamer Board Member
Fady Khayat Board Member
Elissar Farah Antonios Board Member
Jean Riachi Board Member
Bana Akkad Azhari Board Member
Fadi Saab
Board Member
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In his remarks, American Ambassador David
Hale highlighted the Taste of America as a perfect
example to show American companies are eager to
do business in Lebanon. He invited the Lebanese
and American private sectors to work together to
establish more partnerships which will help bring
prosperity to Lebanon. Ambassador Hale also praised
the Lebanese for being resilient entrepreneurs who
Continued from P:1
have succeeded and shined in places where challenges
and risks are much higher than in Lebanon.
In addition to this 2015 event, “Taste of America” was
organized three times in recent years. This year’s Taste
of America has been organized with the support of
Boecker, Pepsi, Ocean Spray, Dekerco, the U.S. Meat
Export Federation and U.S. Beef.
Spring 2015
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Member News
Lufthansa’s Travel Experiences
Lufthansa will be offering you a new travel experience
between Business Class and Economy Class on longhaul flights from Frankfurt: the Premium Economy
Class. Whether you are travelling for business or
pleasure, you will enjoy more personal space, more
service and more extras. So you’ll be able to enjoy a
thoroughly relaxing journey – both on the ground and
on board.
And of course, not to be missed is our brand new First
and Business Class on long-haul flights from Frankfurt.
Contact Lufthansa Beirut via beyteam@dlh.de or
01 347 007.
Enjoy Lufthansa’s daily flight to New York,
Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles and many
other destinations in North America - with punctual
departures and convenient connections by choosing
one of our great deals.
Enjoy Lufthansa’s Inflight Entertainment on mediumhaul routes: on the Beirut Frankfurt flights, you
can watch movies, listen to music and browse the
Lufthansa World Shop – directly on your smartphone,
tablet or notebook via the latest streaming technology.
BBAC Celebrated Women throughout the Month of March
In appreciation of their valuable contributions in
all that they offer to the community, BBAC (Bank
of Beirut and the Arab countries) put into action its
slogan of “Your Caring Bank” and stepped forward
to celebrate women throughout the month of March,
the month that includes both International Women’s
Day and Mother’s Day. Throughout this month,
BBAC presented all women in Lebanon a bouquet
of special offers on a variety of products. Women
were able to take advantage of the exclusive offers
whenever they used their Diamond Card during the
month of March or opened a Mother Account for their
children. Moreover, they also enjoyed special benefits
whenever they applied for the BBAC Personal loan,
Car loan or Appliance loan.
BBAC offers the full range of banking services and
products, all of which are tailored to the needs of its
clients to make their lives easier and financially more
planned and secure. The bank has made it a priority
to effectively provide all necessary services in the
communities it serves, reaffirming BBAC as “Your
Caring Bank.”
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Project Management Postgraduate Diploma - Health Focus
• Dr. Shadi Saleh, Founding Director of CLI in the
Health Systems AUB
• Mrs. Helen Samaha Nuehid, President of the Order
of Nurses
• Mrs. Claude Khalil, President of PMI Lebanon
Chapter
Afterwards Dr. Joseph Helo, Director of Medical Care
at M.H., Representing H.E. Wael Abou Faour, Minister
of Public Health, announced the ongoing projects by
the Ministry to support the health sector in Lebanon
Under the Patronage of H.E. Wael Abou Faour, like this one. Then Dr. Helo closed his note by stating
Minister of Public Health. The Continuing Education that he will be an ambassador for this valuable program.
Center at the American University of Beirut headed
by H.E. Dr. Hassan Diab Vice President of AUB For more Information:
Regional External Programs and in collaboration with Call CMCS: 01-345111 or 01-346111
CMCS Lebanon launched on Mar 26 the “Project Email: pmd@cmcs-mena.com
Management Postgraduate Diploma- Health Focus.”
This Diploma focuses on advanced knowledge and
skills in PM in relation to the health sector. Mr.
Ziad Shaaban, Director of AUBCEC, presented
the ongoing cooperation with CMCS Lebanon on
this program. Eng. Saadi Adra, Managing Partner
at CMCS Lebanon, praised the cooperation with
the AUBCEC and discussed the importance of this
program for all employees in the health sector. The
conference included several words by lecturers in the
program:
Teetanium Dental Implant now in Lebanon.
From Medibrex Inc. (a division of the Librex Group
of companies), a new and revolutionary Teetanium
Implant system is born and will soon be available
around the world. The innovation in its design and
the high quality materials used for Teetanium will be
the luring strength to many professionals and patients
alike in this field.
Spain. When no compromise on quality and innovation
is allowed, each Teetanium implant undergoes a severe
quality test and laboratory inspection with a step-bystep control over the entire manufacturing process.
Before being packaged, a certified sterilization method
is applied to ensure the patient’s safety.
The Teetanium motto is “Trying is Believing” and we
Medibrex is keen on making a difference in the take this opportunity to invite you to try it for yourself.
industry far beyond the laboratory, and into the hands
of its clients. Thus, it has assigned the best and most
experienced designers and engineers from Europe to
help develop the Teetanium implant system, and the
result was a remarkable system that will soon make
other implants seem too conventional. This cuttingedge implant with its comprehensive surgical tools is
a world-class product that simplifies the clinician’s
work and improves the patient’s life.‎
The Teetanium system made of German Titanium
grade 4, is produced under the strictest supervision in
Spring 2015
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Building and Implementing a Balanced Scorecard: Nine Steps to SuccessTM
The balanced
scorecard is
a
strategic
planning and
management
system used
extensively in
business and
industry
to
align business
activities to
the vision and
strategy of the
organization,
improve
internal and
external communications, and monitor organization
performance against strategic goals. It was originated
by Drs. Robert Kaplan (Harvard Business School)
and David Norton as a performance measurement
framework to give managers and executives a more
‘balanced’ view of organizational performance.
The Balance Scorecard Institute’s award-winning
framework, Nine Steps to SuccessTM, is a disciplined,
practical approach to developing a strategic planning
and management system. Emphasis is placed on
“teaching clients to fish, not handing them a fish,” so
the scorecard system can be sustained.
A key benefit of using a disciplined framework is
that it gives organizations a way to ‘connect the dots’
between the various components of strategic planning
and management, meaning that there will be a visible
connection between the projects and programs that
people are working on, the measurements being used to
track success, the strategic objectives the organization
is trying to accomplish and the mission, vision and
strategy of the organization.
For information:
info@newhorizons.com.lb
US Trade Fairs
Listing for International Buyer Program (IBP) 2015
http://export.gov/static/2015%20IBP%20TradeShow%20Flyer_Latest_eg_main_076522.pdf
Event
WasteExpo 2015
InfoComm International® 2015
2015 International Franchise Expo
Fancy Food Show (Summer) 2015
2015 Annual Meeting and Clinical Laboratory Expo of the
American Association for Clinical Chemistry
Outdoor Retailer Summer Market
WEFTEC® Water Environment Federation Technical
Exhibition and Conference 2015
PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2015
ASIS 2015 International 61st Annual Seminar and Exhibits
Greater New York Dental Meeting
Location
From
To
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
New York, NY
New York, NY
6/1/2015
6/17/2015
6/18/2015
6/28/2015
6/4/2015
6/19/2015
6/20/2015
6/30/2015
Atlanta, GA
7/26/2015
7/30/2015
Salt Lake City, UT
8/5/2015
8/8/2015
Chicago, IL
9/26/2015
9/30/2015
Las Vegas, NV
Anaheim, CA
New York, NY
9/28/2015
9/28/2015
11/27/2015
9/30/2015
9/30/2015
12/2/2015
Spring 2015
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AmCham 2015 Annual General Assembly
The American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce held
its ordinary general assembly meeting on March 19,
2015 at Le Vendome Hotel. After a welcome word
from AmCham Chairman Salim Zeenni, Secretary
General Nadim Kassar presented an overview of the
2014 activities. Treasurer Walid Assaf then reviewed
the financial status of the Chamber, followed by
Nazih Borghol from Ernst and Young who presented
the auditor’s report which was distributed to all
attendees.
Chairman Zeenni discussed the upcoming 2015 events
and explained the reasons for the postponement of
the 2014 “Lebanon Day in the USA” which has now
changed direction to focus on promoting Lebanese
start-up companies and the thriving start-up
ecosystem. Mr. Fadi Saab gave a presentation about
the postponed event which is now entitled, “Start
Up Lebanon” and will be held at The Plaza Hotel
on May 21, 2015, followed by a gala dinner at The
Rainbow Room of the Rockefeller Center. Members
were invited to save the date and try to join the trip.
Director Paola Chakhtoura then gave a briefing about
the AmCham MENA Council conference in Abu
Dhabi on April 8, 2015 and invited members to join
the delegation from Lebanon. She then updated the
members about the AmCham Lebanon website which
is in the process of being revamped and upgraded to
become much more user- friendly. All members will
be sent an email to check and edit their profiles on the
new website to make sure all data is up-to-date.
The meeting was then opened for questions and
suggestions from members. At the end of the meeting,
attending members unanimously agreed that they
had no objection or opposition to the current Board
of Directors and the activities conducted and being
organized.
Spring 2015
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2015 AmCham MENA Regional Council Conference
Boosting Cross-MENA Business Ventures and FDI from the US
if business leaders followed long-term strategies and not daily headlines - in accessing these lucrative
markets. This conference surely will have a positive
impact on commercial relations between the U.S., the
U.A.E., and the wider MENA region.”
AmChams from the MENA region including Lebanon,
as well as leading business executives, entrepreneurs,
thought leaders and government officials gathered on
March 8, 2015 at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi - Grand
Canal, for the 2015 AmCham Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) Regional Council Conference. The
AmCham MENA Regional Council represents nine
AmChams: Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., Algeria, Bahrain,
Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and
Tunisia. This year, the event was hosted by AmCham
Abu Dhabi, the AmCham MENA Council Chair, and
it provided a platform to strengthen business ties
between MENA region markets and the U.S. and is
an annual highlight of the MENA business calendar.
The four interactive sessions of the Conference, led by
top industry executives, were:
• Where are we now: Cross-MENA Trade &
Investment: Present Realities-Future Potential;
• Angels, Accelerators, VCs & Private Equity: Hype
or Viable Funding Sources?;
• U.S. Investment in the MENA Region: Boosting
Intra-regional Business Cooperation through
Enhanced Supply Chain Systems; and
• U.S. & Regional Government / Private Sector
Initiatives for Economic Growth.
The conference discussed the promotion of trade and
investment between the United States and the Middle
East North Africa region, advancing cooperation
between these countries and the U.S., fostering increased
collaboration amongst members, and institutionalizing
their ongoing coordination with the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce. Featured speakers included senior officials
from regional trade and investment ministries, senior
U.S. government officials from the region, presidents
Hisham A. Fahmy, CEO of AmCham Egypt, which is and chairs of MENA region AmChams, and heads of
AmCham MENA’s Permanent Secretariat, remarked, multinational companies, angel investor networks,
“This year’s MENA Council Conference has been venture capital and private equity institutions.
successful in looking at some of the ways in which
the region’s private sector can work together and Top corporate sponsors of the event were the Abu
contribute positively to economic growth and to face Dhabi Convention Bureau, Abu Dhabi Tourism &
commonly known realities. U.S. businesses operating Culture Authority, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi,
in the region have an increasingly important role to Etihad Airways, General Electric, MetLife, Middle
play as real engines for growth, as they continue to East General Enterprise, PepsiCo, Sultan International
hire and expand within our growing region. We as the Holding, The Coca-Cola Company, and The
MENA Council of regional AmChams will continue International New York Times.
to advocate for an enhanced commercial relationship
between the region and the United States.”
“AmCham Abu Dhabi is honored to host this year’s
AmCham MENA Regional Council Conference,”
said Matthew E. Byrd, Chairman of AmCham Abu
Dhabi and Chair of AmCham MENA. “The MENA
region accounts for less than 5% of total U.S. trade.
AmCham members living across this region know
well the rewards of doing business here. We are
convinced that this trade number could skyrocket
Spring 2015
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Interact 2015
Interact is intended to promote business between AmCham members and to stimulate intra-AmCham
business relationships. The program allows you to inform fellow members in Lebanon, as well as
members of the AmCham MENA Regional Council (AmCham Abu Dhabi, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt,
Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia) of any business offers or benefits you are willing to give
them exclusively. AmCham members are privileged to benefit from other MENA AmChams’ offers,
making this an opportunity for members to present each other with products and services at favorable
terms and conditions, hence increasing business between them.
Send your offers for 2015 to info@amcham.org.lb... and begin to interact!
Le Gray
We are happy to offer our below promotions to AmCham members and their esteemed companies.
Weekend escape (valid until 16 July 2015) (Valid on Saturdays and Sundays only)
Beirut is one of the most dynamic cities in the world and what better way to enjoy the weekend
groove than from the most centrally located spot in town!
Book a Deluxe room with us at USD 325 + 10% VAT and benefit from a generous double upgrade
to an Executive Suite. That’s not all. We will also include complimentary buffet breakfast for up
to two people and a guaranteed late check-out.
Whether you’re looking to party it up or simply wind down, it couldn’t be a more perfect package.
Spring into Summer (valid until 21 June 2015)
In ancient Greece, April marked the celebration of spring and the blossoming of flowers and trees
in preparation for summer… Make Le Gray, Beirut your threshold to spring into summer in the
most welcoming Mediterranean country of the Middle East – Lebanon! Let the beauty of the
awakening nature revive your spirit while you enjoy the warming breeze, the outdoors, the sea,
the heritage, the art and the nightlife!
Book our Deluxe Room 40 sqm, and benefit from an upgrade to our comfortable large Premium
Room 50 sqm for USD 320.00 + 10% VAT room only, per room/per night.
Book our Premium Room 50 sqm, and benefit from an upgrade to our wonderfully large
Executive Suite 60 sqm in addition to your daily breakfast with our compliments.
USD 370.00 + 10% VAT Room and Buffet Breakfast for one/two persons, per room/per night.
Suite Stay: (valid until 16 July 2015)
Book a Terrace Suite 60sqm and get upgraded to our very spacious Corner Suite 90sqm in
addition to your breakfast offered with our compliments. Package at USD 595.00 +10% VAT
Room and Buffet Breakfast for one/two persons, per room/per night.
Spring 2015
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Hilton
Lufthansa
At Hilton Hotels Beirut you can unwind in
our exquisite restaurants, invigorate your
body and mind in our 3,500 sq. Elixir Spa &
Health Club, and spend memorable nights in
our elegant guest rooms and suites.
Reach North American destinations with a short
connecting time and special economical fares
for AmCham members with Lufthansa to North
America:
As a special offer to AmCham members
we are extending a 15% discount in all our
restaurants -- Le Ciel, Jazz Bar and Venezia –
in addition to Elixir Spa. You can also ask for
the AmCham corporate room rates and benefit
from additional discounts.
For more information, contact Georges
Karam, Director of Business Development,
at georges.karam@hilton.com or +961 3
874849.
Terms and conditions apply. This offer is valid
until the end of August, 2015.
Destinations
NEW YORK BOSTON
MONTREAL
DETROIT
MIAMI
Prices with Taxes
$ 942.00
$ 956.00
$ 965.00
$ 1,116.00
$ 1,035.00
For more information, please don’t hesitate to
contact us:
Phone: 01-347007
Email: beyteam@dlh.de
Read this space in the upcoming issue of the newsletter...
BBAC HOUSI LOAN Eng A5.pdf
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