New Jersey Technology Council is heading to Cuba

New Jersey Technology Council is heading to Cuba
IN THE MONEY BLOG
Michael L. Diamond, @mdiamondAPP 11:52 a.m. EST February 13, 2015

Cuba may be a hot button of political debate, but a group of New Jersey
business leaders sees nothing but dollar signs.

The New Jersey Technology Council said it will lead a delegation to Cuba
in April to talk to Cuban officials and business people about partnerships.

James Barrood, the trade group's chief executive officer, said the
potential is enormous. Cuba's infrastructure, from its electrical grid
to Wi-Fi, is behind the times, and he thinks New Jersey companies could
lend a hand - and find a windfall.

(I say, as I navigate our potholed roads to the coffee shop, where my
Wi-Fi is cutting in and out. But, apparently, it could be worse. I could
be in Cuba.)

President Obama opened the door to the trip, when he announced in
December that he would lift travel restrictions to Cuba in a bid to
improve relations.

The trip, April 12 through April 18 via a charter flight from Miami,
might not be embraced by everyone. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and a
Cuban American, has been among the most outspoken critics of the shift,
saying it would reward a repressive regime.

His constituents, though, risk losing business to other states that no
doubt are preparing their own trade missions.

Barrood is leading the contingent that includes:

* Gene Waddy, CEO of Diversant, the Middletown-based staffing firm.

* Scott Megill, president and CEO of Coriell Life Sciences in Camden.

* James M. Golubieski, president of New Jersey Health Foundation.

* Monica Smith – Chairwoman, Founder Marketsmith Inc., a marketing firm
in Parsippany.

* David Shulkin, CEO of Morristown Medical Center.

* Venu Myneni, CEO of Radiant Systems Inc., an energy company in South
Plainfield.

* Darren Hammell, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Princeton
Power Systems, an energy management company in Lawrenceville.

*Luiz Iole, director of Latin America at Sharp Electronics Corp., whose
U.S. headquarters is in Mahwah.

I'm curious to know what you think. Good idea? Inappropriate?

Source: New Jersey Technology Council is heading to Cuba -
http://www.app.com/story/inthemoney/2015/02/13/new-jersey-technology-council-is-heading-to-cuba/23347799/