Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan (AmCham-Jordan) recently celebrated its tenth anniversary with a gala dinner at the Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel & Towers. Attending the festive event were esteemed guests of honor, the Minister of Industry and Trade, H.E Engineer Amer Al Hadidi, and the United States Ambassador to Jordan, Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft.

During the celebration, an award ceremony was held as a tribute to former AmCham-Jordan Chairmen and CEOs, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director, and to the guests of honor, Minister of Industry and Trade, and the United States Ambassador to Jordan. The Chairman of AmCham-Jordan, Mohammad Sa’ad Al Bataineh, also gave a speech highlighting the Chamber’s accomplishments in Jordan over the past ten years.

“It is a great source of both pride and pleasure to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan. This is not only an exceptional achievement in and of itself, but also testament to the successful partnership between Jordan and the U.S. and another step forward on the path to increasing bilateral trade between the two countries. Over the past ten years, we have endeavored to initiate and grasp the trade and investment opportunities that arise, thereby cementing relations between the two countries, strengthening the capacity of the business community, and increasing the benefits for all involved,” he stated.

Mr. Bataineh stated AmCham’s accomplishments over the past 10 years. He said, “Early on in our history, under the patronage and presence of His Majesty, the first American Jordanian Expo (AJEX) was launched as a forum for trade and investment. During one such AJEX in 2004, we initiated the formation of AmCham Middle East and North Africa Council (AmCham MENA Council), under the initiative of former Chairman Azzam Shweihat, and co-signed with AmChams from neighboring countries. AmCham MENA became a strong player in promoting regional trade through the cooperation between Chambers in Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Bahrain, UAE and others.”

Mr. Bataineh added, “Some of our newest members who joined us this year include: Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel and Towers, Perot Systems, Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), Freightliner Trucks, Development Alternatives, Inc, United Airlines, Sterling Apparel Manufacturing LLC, Shakeeb Khirfan Group, COMCRA, Unified Transport and Logistics Co, Al-Bahith, Technologies (Younivate), Devosis, Al-Nakhil Jordanian Investment & Trading Co, and
SAMA Telecom Ethan Allen.”

The United States Ambassador to Jordan, Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft, gave a speech stressing on the developments of the Jordan-US relations over the past years.

“This year, the Embassy is celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Jordan – relations I know are warm and lasting because of the efforts of everyone in the room.” He added, “Jordan’s businesses, led by the American Chamber of Commerce, have a role to play in Jordan’s future and the region’s future. In the 10 years of AmCham operations, trade between the United States and Jordan has grown 500 percent and while 2009 will be a tough year for many businesses, I am certain the high-quality products and the strength of the relationship will carry us through.”

The Minister of Industry and Trade gave a speech emphasizing on AmCham’s activities.

“Throughout my career experience, I closely observed the various activities carried out by AmCham – Jordan in various fields of interest for the business community in Jordan, from promoting Jordan-US regional trade and investment, to business development, public policy advocacy, and training services and human resources development. The outcomes of which have contributed to the economic development of Jordan over the past years.” He stated.

It is worth noting that AmCham-Jordan is a voluntary non-profit member-based organization that contributes to economic development through the promotion of Jordan-US regional trade and investment, business development, public policy advocacy, human resources development, and business community outreach. The Organization officially became a member of the United States Chamber of Commerce in April 2004, thus becoming Jordan’s first and only American Chamber of Commerce.