From Melting Pot to Tossed Salad

"We are open for business!"

That was the message proclaimed by Ingrida Bublys, honorary consul general of the Republic of Lithuania, and echoed by many others at a reception at the Union Club in late October.

Nineteen honorary consuls and one official consul — Dr. Zvone Zigon, consul general of the Republic of Slovenia — make up the Cleveland Foreign Consular Corps. Michael L. Miller, honorary consul of Sweden, gathered the group together and invited the business community to "call on us. We're here to help."

The organization can arrange trade missions and cultural exchanges and encourages connections between the various communities, said Miller.
Bublys offered, "My country is economically stable, the government is stable, and all the manufacturing plants have the latest technology, quality of goods, good work habits and highly educated people."

Other than Zigon, the other consuls have "day jobs." France's Honorary Consul Stephen Knerly is also CEO and managing partner of Hahn Loeser + Parks LLP. He noted that France is already the third- or fourth-largest trading partner with the state of Ohio, adding, "There are real opportunities where Cleveland businesses are strong, such as health and biotech."

The newest member of the group is Alex Machaskee, honorary consul of Serbia. He joked that he is working harder now than at his last job (publisher of The Plain Dealer). "In Cleveland, we are much richer for having the diversity of 117 international groups here," Machaskee said. "I like to look at it like a salad. Carrots will be carrots, peppers will be peppers, tomatoes will be tomatoes. You put them together and you've got a great salad. That's the way I look upon the community in Cleveland."

Miller said, "The international community already knows about us."  Now, Cleveland businesses do as well.