Categories: Business in Cuba

International Port Corp is the First US Company to Open Office in Cuba

Brian Bandell, Senior Reporter at the South Florida Business Journal | March 28, 2016

Miami-based International Port Corp said it’s the first U.S. company to open a staffed office in Cuba.

Several companies have received licenses from the U.S. government to start operations in Cuba since President Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations with the communist country yet they haven’t opened facilities yet. IPC Owner and President Larry Nussbaum said his shipping firm has leased warehouse space in Havana from the Cuban government and staffed it with six employees. The Cuban workers were hired by a Cuban government employment agency, which IPC pays.

“The opportunities are great. Cuba is open for business,” Nussbaum said. “Now we need the American legislation to make it legal for companies like mine to expand what we can legally do in Cuba.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

IPC first received a license to conduct shipments between Miami and Havana in July 2012 on humanitarian groups. It’s since expanded that to include commercial shipments and cargo for diplomatic purposes, both by air and sea, he said.

Having daily representatives in Cuba will help his company ensure shipments reach customers and go through customs properly, Nussbaum said.

“It’s a matter of properly respecting U.S. and Cuban law and building a relationship with them,” Nussbaum said.

Full Report at South Florida Business Journal

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
Share
Published by
Cuba Business Report Staff

Recent Posts

Cuba Joins the BRICS New Development Bank

In a move with both economic and geopolitical significance, Cuba has officially joined the New…

2 weeks ago

Cuba’s International Tourist Arrivals—June 2025

Cuba’s tourism sector, long a vital part of the island’s economy, is experiencing mixed fortunes…

2 weeks ago

Cuba Amplifies Voice of the Global South at BRICS 2025 in Brazil

Cuba took center stage at the 17th BRICS 2025 in Rio de Janeiro this weekend,…

1 month ago

FIHAV 2025 Set for this November

Cuba has confirmed the 41st edition of the Havana International Fair (FIHAV 2025) will take…

1 month ago

WestJet CEO Meets with Cuban President Amid Hopes for Expansion of Passenger Flights to Havana

WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech met Wednesday with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel in Havana, a high-level meeting…

2 months ago

Cuba Expands Solar Parks as Energy Deficits Persist

Cuba is ramping up efforts to address energy shortages through the expansion of photovoltaic solar…

2 months ago