Officials from the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce met with delegates from the United Arab Emirates on Monday and discovered more similarities than differences in their approaches to economic development.
Colorado and the UAE foster development of industry clusters, including energy and biosciences, said Tom Clark, executive vice president of the chamber’s Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. Both also focus on helping connect startups with capital sources rather than providing direct financing, he said.
“Their approach is so similar to ours,” Clark said. “What struck us was the common ground we had and the common frustrations we have in doing our daily business.”
But there are important differences. The UAE economic-development officials who visited Denver on Monday represent the Jebel Ali Free Zone, a trade zone in Dubai where companies aren’t subject to corporate or individual income taxes. Denver Chamber president and chief executive Kelly Brough met Ibrahim Al Janahi, chief commercial officer of the free zone, during a recent trip to the UAE.
The UAE accounts for just 3 percent of the state’s exports, and the chamber wants to increase that. Dubai port is the gateway to markets serving 2 billion people. Several Denver companies, including RNL Design and Burkett Design, do business in the UAE.
The chamber is trying to persuade Lufthansa German Airlines to reinstate nonstop flights between Denver and Munich, which would allow one- stop travel to Dubai.
Greg Griffin: 303-954-1241 or ggriffin@denverpost.com
