Focusing on Georgia, Dominican Republic Aims to Seize Key Moment in Trade With U.S. 

Amid the trade skirmishes of President Donald Trump‘s 2.0 term, one Caribbean economy has been noticeably absent from the headlines: the Dominican Republic. 

That suits the country of 11 million just fine. The largest economy in the Caribbean and the seventh biggest in Latin America is seeking to quietly capitalize on this unique moment, as macroeconomic trends converge to benefit its position in U.S.-oriented supply chains. 

Played correctly, Georgia hgs the chance to be at the epicenter of this revitalized relationship, given the presence of a large Dominican diaspora here and the resulting emphasis being placed on the state from the Dominican government. 

“Our presence here today reflects our clear objective to deepen commercial ties, strengthen cultural bridges and promote bilateral opportunities between Dominican and American businesses,” said Consul General Rosa Yanina Torres Tamares as she opened a special edition of Global Atlanta’s Consular Conversations series presented by Miller & Martin PLLC at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. 

For now, the Dominican Republic faces the baseline 10 percent “liberation day” tariff on exports to the United States for goods under the DR-CAFTA free trade agreement enacted two decades ago. 

Contrast that with Mexico, which was threatened with a 30 percent levy before negotiating a last-minute 90-day reprieve last week. Or Brazil, with which the U.S. has a trade surplus: Mr. Trump hit the country with a politically motivated 50 percent tariff on July 30. 

That puts the Dominican Republic in a relatively privileged position. The Atlanta office of the New Orleans-based Dominican consulate, along with the trade promotion agency ProDominicana, has been recruiting companies to participate in trade shows like the May Agroalimentaria food fair and other events, offering incentives to cover some travel and lodging for qualified buyers. 

“We as a country in the last few years have been taking steps to change the perception of the Dominican Republic, not only to be seen as a tourist destination, which is great — we received 11 million tourists throughout the year. But we want others to see that the Dominican Republic is a great place to invest, to build, to grow,” said Miguel Santana, vice consul for trade and investment affairs at the consulate.

The country has averaged 5 percent GDP growth for 25 years thanks to its political and financial stability, Mr. Santana said, pointing to visiting representatives from Banreservas, an acclaimed state-owned bank, in the audience. The country has 17 ports, eight international airports and a well-developed network of free zones that allow for deferral or elimination of taxes for export-oriented enterprises, he added. 

And at a moment when companies are looking to diversify away from Asia, the Dominican Republic sits just few days’ transit from East Coast ports like Savannah.

Those trends — and Mr. Santana’s sales pitch — enticed Chuck Campbell, president and co-founder of At Work Uniforms, to take a fresh look at the Western Hemisphere. 

For Mr. Campbell, it’s a return to the Reagan-era Caribbean Basin Initiative, which helped apparel makers find cost savings on cut-and-sew operations across the Americas in the 1980s. That effort was eventually derailed, first by the North American Free Trade Agreement and then by China’s emergence as the world’s factory, he said. 

“It boomeranged right from Mexico over to China, and much of the manufacturing for work uniforms, or just about any apparel, comes out of China. There has been a shift, even prior to our President Trump, that almost all the Chinese manufacturers are shifting to Vietnam and Cambodia, and now the next shift is to Bangladesh in our industry. Eventually they say that apparel manufacturing will end up in Africa.” 

The Atlanta-born founder had prospected for business in Guatemala and Colombia before, but the Dominican Republic felt right, due to the warmth of the people and the quality of the products.  

Since traveling Santiago and Hato Mayor at Mr. Santana’s request — and navigating the harrowing DR traffic — At Work Uniforms has found a cut-and-sew partner that takes its fabric and designs and makes garments to At Work’s specifications. So far, many of those orders have been for one of Mr. Campbell’s biggest uniform customers: casinos. 

“Think of card dealers — they have different brocades here, and something here, and a logo here. So we’ve probably done maybe 15,000 or 20,000 shirts so far down there.” 

Having just renewed his passport, Mr. Campbell will soon head down on another mission to explore launching a line of work pants. 

Relative to Asia, the Dominican Republic is cost-competitive, he said. 

 “I really like doing business closer to home. It’s just quicker. And relatively speaking, on a work garment, if you pay $1 more and the shirt lasts two years, it’s not price sensitive.”

Tariffs, meanwhile, have put a drag on U.S. companies’ bottom lines, he said, pointing to the major haul the U.S. government coffers has pulled in from the heightened levies. 

“I can tell you who is paying for it — the American businesspeople. It’s happening so quickly you can’t pass it along,” he said. 

On the other side of the ledger is Brian Lee of Scratch Food Group, another panelist, who took his plant-based batters, seasonings and snacks down to the Dominican Republic on a U.S. Department of Agriculture-led trade mission aiming to boost sales.  

Like Mr. Campbell, Mr. Lee was hooked by the DR’s cultural charms, as well as its market potential.

“Just walking through Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo among the different bars, seeing the people, the merengue and salsa and bachata, you just love it,” he said. 

Perhaps more importantly, by layering international trade resources and grants from the likes of the USDA, the Southern United States Trade Association (also in New Orleans) and the Dominican government, Scratch was able to meet buyers in some ways more easily than in the U.S. ProDominicana helped with match-making for the USDA group. 

“I don’t want to say it’s easier, but I would say maybe with more support than you would get actually doing business in the U.S., if you’re trying to do business on a high level,” Mr. Lee said. 

He can foresee selling pancake mixes, breading and other products to not only the Dominican population, but also to chefs serving the massive hotels, and to other countries to which the Dominican Republic can be a conduit. 

“Logistics is high on the priority list,” Mr. Lee said, in part because the country is a hub for distribution to Haiti and Cuba, whose 20 million combined population have limited access to infrastructure.  

Two Dominican entrepreneurs —  RudHil Cos. CEO Hilda Abbott and The Cotto Law Group’s Juliana Melo — closed out the event, which attracted more than 100 guests for a lunch catered by Latin Fresh and sponsored by the Georgia State University Center for International Business Education and Research, or CIBER. 

“This event highlights a new generation of Dominican and American entrepreneurs who are building meaningful connections, creating jobs and driving innovation in our shared markets,” Ms. Torres, the consul general, said in her remarks, translated from Spanish. 

She added that the consulate is undertaking an initiative to catalogue all the Dominican-owned businesses in Georgia to showcase the economic heft of the community.

“I encourage you to make the most of this occasion, not just to listen, but to engage, ask questions, build relationships and explore how we can work together toward more dynamic and inclusive economy,” she told the assembled guests. 

To learn how to do business with the Dominican Republic or participate in future buyers’ missions, contact Mr. Santana at misantana@mirex.gob.do or call 678-427-0654.