The recently reorganized Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta invites Georgia companies doing business in Colombia and Colombian business executives here to join in its efforts to promote business ties between Georgia and Colombia, said Rafael J. Maldonado.

Mr. Maldonado, marketing director of international trade banking at Summit National Bank, is the chamber’s new president and chairman as of July 29.

“We want this chamber to promote and enhance commerce, trade information, and business opportunities of its members. We will integrate the executive talent within the business communities of both countries in order to facilitate trade relationships,” Mr. Maldonado told GlobalAtlanta in an interview. “The chamber will build strong business support services for the continued development of our members,” he said.

Support services, he explained, will include carrying out activities ranging from small business guidance to supporting lobbying on behalf of member companies that are looking to expand their trade between the two countries.

The chamber will give Colombian entrepreneurs here the tools they need to incorporate and start a business. “We want to help them start out on the right foot,” Mr. Maldonado said, adding that the chamber plans to tap into the historic long-standing relationship between United States and Colombia through the international business experience of the Colombian business community here.

The chamber also aims to assist Colombian companies in Georgia to export, as well as facilitate partnerships between Georgia firms and companies in Colombia. The Atlanta chamber’s ties with business associations in Colombia may prove useful for increasing cross-border trade, Mr. Maldonado noted.

The reorganized chamber will be working closely with Colombian Consul General Camilo de Bedout, as well as Colombian businesspersons in Atlanta such as Hemisphere Inc. Executive Director Jose Ignacio Gonzalez, to develop the chamber’s business agenda.

The chamber plans to host a reception in early October to officially celebrate its reopening.

For more information about the Colombian chamber or to become a member, contact Mr. Maldonado at rmaldonado@summitbk.com or (770) 454-0444.