Small business owners welcome COCI effort to open more doors abroad through “Island Roots to Global Routes”

GREAT BAY--Small business owners who attended the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s “Island Roots to Global Routes” Pre-Mission Assembly on Friday said the event gave them a better understanding of how local businesses can enter the United States market and welcomed the Chamber’s effort to create broader access to international business opportunities.

An estimated 200 people attended the event at the JW Marriott Beach Resort and Spa in Dawn Beach. The gathering brought together entrepreneurs, professionals and other members of the business community interested in expanding beyond St. Maarten. The event also served as an introduction to COCI’s Caribbean Business Expansion Mission and Expo, which is scheduled to take place from November 16 to 19, 2026, in Miami, Florida.

Speaking with The People’s Tribune after the event, business owners said they knew that similar opportunities and connections already existed on the island. However, they felt that these were often available only to certain people. For that reason, they said they were pleased to hear COCI speak openly about widening access, opening gates and moving away from gatekeeping.

They said many small businesses have ideas and ambition, but do not always know who to contact or what steps to take when trying to enter a larger market. The business owners said the United States market is large enough to create opportunities for businesses from across the Dutch Caribbean and other islands.

They noted that St. Maarten, Anguilla, Aruba and Curaçao for example represent only a small part of that market. In their view, even when businesses from the islands enter the United States together, there are not enough of them to create serious competition among themselves. Instead, they believe businesses from the region can work together, support each other and still find room to grow.

The entrepreneurs said they received useful information about licences, permits, legal requirements and other steps involved in setting up or expanding a business in the United States. They said this type of information is important because many business owners may be interested in expanding, but are unsure about the rules or afraid of making costly mistakes.

They also welcomed the chance to speak directly with business professionals and attorneys from the United States who were invited by COCI. According to the business owners, having direct contact with these professionals was one of the strongest parts of the event. It gave participants the chance to ask questions, make connections and better understand what is required before entering the U.S. market. They also noted that they also secured the direct contact information for the invited professionals.

Addressing the longstanding critique about the COCI not doing enough for local businesses, they said they are finally seeing COCI create a clearer gateway for St. Maarten businesses to earn money through new markets, partnerships and international connections.

The “Island Roots to Global Routes” initiative is aimed at connecting Caribbean businesses with the United States market. It is expected to offer access to business advice, investors, trade opportunities, legal support, strategic partners and other resources. The initiative is being developed with Chambers of Commerce and partners from Anguilla, Aruba, Curaçao, French Saint-Martin and St. Maarten.

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