Words Ambassador of the United States,
James W. Brewster
During the American Chamber of Commerce Dominican Republic Thanksgiving Luncheon.

Good afternoon. I am so pleased to be here today and to address this distinguished audience once again. This annual Thanksgiving luncheon is a tradition here in Santo Domingo, and I would like to thank Gustavo, Bill, and the members of the Council for giving me the opportunity once again to address you. Tomorrow, Bob and I will be celebrating the second anniversary of our arrival in this country. It has been a great experience. As you know, we asked President Obama to appoint us to the Dominican Republic because of the many years and emotional ties that united us to this country.

When we first arrived, we had many personal friends, but it was Maximo, Bill, and many other members of the American Chamber of Commerce in this room who, from the very beginning, reached out to us and welcomed us into the business community. Now many of you are our friends as well. I just wanted to express our sincere thanks.

    Thanksgiving is a very special holiday in the United States; in school, we're taught that it was first celebrated when Native Americans welcomed the Pilgrims, who shared their harvest in the New World. Well, Bob and I don't grow crops, and the Pilgrims we know are the baseball players who come from the United States to play winter ball for the Chosen One. So, for Bob and me, Thanksgiving is a time for families and friends, including those players from the United States, to gather and reflect on the accomplishments of the past year, to contemplate what remains to be done, and to ponder the opportunities that the coming year may bring.

    Before going into details, I'd like to talk about global competitiveness. As you know, my professional experience focused on consulting for large multinationals in developing their corporate strategies, where we evaluated consumer behavior around the world. I've always said that a strong company has eight basic elements.
First, a team with strong, visionary leadership that is transparent, supportive of innovation, and creative; with a strategic plan based on market research but not solely dependent on it. A management team as diverse as its clients is necessary. Second, an inclusive and skilled workforce that is motivated by its supervisors to be productive.

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