InteRDom’s Networking Breakfast for Organizations: “Globalization and Development of Caribbean Cities”

The Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) and the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), through its program InteRDom, hosted a networking breakfast on Tuesday, November 25th, 2014 for organizations and companies entitled “Globalization and Development of Caribbean
Cities.” The breakfast was held at Café Filo of the Juan Bosch Library.

This was the third and final such networking breakfast of the year, and the first one geared toward architecture and engineering professionals. The objective of this initiative is to facilitate opportunities for professionals in the same sector to share the knowledge and experience that contribute to the organizational development of their companies. Each event in the breakfast series also
highlights the role interns play in contributing to the organizations’ goals.

Participants in the event included Mayobanex Suazo, architect, founder and president of DetArq, an architecture and construction firm. Mr. Suazo shared his experience as a professional in these areas and spoke to the theme, “Globalization and the Development
of Caribbean Cities.” Next, San Coffey, an InteRDom intern participant, who is seeking a BS in in Architecture and Civil Engineering with a focus on digital buildings at Drexel University in Philadelphia, took center stage.  Sean, who is doing a six-month internship with DetArq, shared his experience as an intern in the Dominican Republic from cultural, educational and professional perspectives. He urged other companies and organizations to open their doors to international
interns, who have fresh ideas and lots of energy to offer toward developing projects.

The event also provided an opportunity to recognize Elmer Gonzalez, architect and Director of UNIBE’s School of Architecture, who was the initial contact for attracting other organizations in the field and getting them involved in InteRDom’s programming and initiatives.

“InteRDom’s initiative of joining together important
national construction and architecture companies is very interesting and motivating and serves to benefit us with international young talent who are prepared to offer their energy, dedication and skills to help create fresh and innovative proposals,” said Juan Olivo, Architect and President of Olivo Contractors.

The event also served to create connections between organizations involved in construction and architecture as well as to provide practical information
about global approaches to the sustainability of Caribbean cities. Mr. Suazo referred to the importance of structuring further internship plans through InteRDom, to promote better professional practices in the Dominican Republic with the goal of creating inter-organizational civic and governmental awareness about the growth of Great Santo Domingo and the problems associated with such urban expansion.

The networking breakfast for organizations was organized by InteRDom, an
initiative of FUNGLODE/GFDD. InteRDom facilitates professional exchange between universities, international students and businesses and supports training initiatives that stimulate development, diversity, the culture of work and social commitment.