Established in 1994, the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council provides an efficient and sustainable educational structure in which the United States business community may access accurate, consistent, and timely information and analysis on matters and issues of interest regarding United States-Republic of Cuba commercial, economic, and political relations. The U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council does not take positions with respect to United States-Republic of Cuba political relations. The organization is a private, not-for-profit, membership-based corporation that accepts neither United States government funding nor non-United States government funding. The organization does not believe appropriate for a director, officer, employee, or advisor of a not-for-profit organization to seek, provide, or direct revenue producing activity to an entity controlled or affiliated with a director, officer, employee, or advisor of the organization. Relevant agencies of the United States government believe such activities inconsistent with not-for-profit purposes. Members of the organization have included Decatur, Illinois-based Archer Daniels Midland Company; Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Carlson Companies; Detroit, Michigan-based General Motors Corporation; Schaumburg, Illinois-based Motorola, Inc.; New York, New York-based American International Group; Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods; Memphis, Tennessee-based FedEx Corporation ; Stuttgart, Arkansas-based Riceland Foods, Inc.; Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; Greenford, United Kingdom-based GlaxoSmithKline plc; Indianapolis, Indiana-based Eli Lilly and Company; Cleveland, Ohio-based The Sherwin-Williams Company; St. Paul, Minnesota-based 3M; Cincinnati, Ohio-based Chiquita Brands International; Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Medtronic; Oak Brook, Illinois-based Ace Hardware Corporation; Greenwood Village, Colorado-based First Data Corporation; Houston, Texas-based Enron Corporation; Berkshire, United Kingdom-based Cable & Wireless plc; London, United Kingdom-based Barclays Capital PLC; Wiltshire, United Kingdom-based Burmah Castrol Ltd.; and Paris, France-based Credit Lyonnais S.A. amongst other automotive, energy, financial services, healthcare, communications, entertainment, publishing, transportation, real estate, retail, consumer product, and other types of companies from the United States and other countries. The U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council was the first and only organization within the United States to have received letters of cooperation from the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Cuba, the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the Republic of Cuba, the Ministry for Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation of the Republic of Cuba, the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Cuba, the Ministry of Public Health of the Republic of Cuba, the Ministry of the Steel-Mechanical and Electronic Industry of the Republic of Cuba, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, and the National Assembly of the Republic of Cuba. The U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council is the source of record of the United States business community for nonpartisan commercial information and economic information relating to the Republic of Cuba. The organization is referenced every day by media, companies, governments, academics, and individuals from throughout the world. The U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council interacts with officials of The White House, United States Department of State, United States Department of Commerce, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Department of the Treasury; and with members and staff of the United States Congress. The organization also interfaces with representatives from other country governments. The U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council has a focus on issues including United States law and United States government regulations relating to commercial activities within the Republic of Cuba by United States-based companies and travel to the Republic of Cuba by representatives of United States-based businesses. There continue to be changes relating to the export of food products, agricultural products, healthcare products, advertising, travel, promotion, exhibitions, and the entertainment industry. The ECONOMIC EYE ON CUBA©, provided to members of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, has a readership that includes senior-level executives of United States-based companies, senior-level executives of non-United States-based companies, government officials (United States, Republic of Cuba, and other countries), organizations, and newspaper, magazine, television, and radio journalists from throughout the world. The ECONOMIC EYE ON CUBA© is one of the most widely-sourced publications for commercial information regarding the Republic of Cuba. The Internet site of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, www.cubatrade.org, is accessed daily by companies, individuals, and journalists from throughout the world, and by the representatives of governments of more than one hundred and fifty countries.
