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On October 26, 2021, the Oman American Business Center (AmCham Oman) hosted its annual Taco Tuesday Networking event at the DCM Jay Munir residence.

There were representatives from over 50 companies. OABC’s members networked, and of course enjoyed delicious tacos!

The team would like to thank Amigo’s Kitchen, Jarritos, and OUA for sponsoring the food and drinks. Taco Tuesday would not have been a success without them!

On October 20, 2021, members of the OABC attended the virtual event “How to do Business with the U.S. Military”, followed by a workshop. This virtual event was co-hosted by the AmChams in the GCC, led by American Business Council Kuwait.

This event enabled vendors to understand more about procurement opportunities with the U.S. Military, and how to register their companies through their systems in order to start doing business with the U.S. Government.

Click here to watch the event recording.

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On September 15th, 2021, the Oman American Business Center (AmCham Oman) hosted its first in-person event since January 2021 at the Sheraton Oman Hotel Ballroom. 

As Oman’s largest and most active business networking group and the official affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Oman, the OABC has held many online events throughout the pandemic and even added over 70 new member companies to the community since January 2020.  With Oman’s borders and event spaces reopening, the OABC plans to host many in-person high-level networking events and informational sessions this upcoming year. 

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“While the OABC worked tirelessly to keep members connected, and utilized technologies like ZOOM to keep members connected during Covid-19, there is nothing like face-to-face business networking,” says Rebecca Olson, Executive Director of the OABC. “I’ve seen members meet new contacts at in-person events, then watched these connections grow over time into strong business relationships. The entire team and the Board of Directors are so happy to see a return to physical events and wish the whole OABC community many more times of effective and enjoyable networking.”

Olson continues, “Like many ‘normal’ things that disappeared during the darkest months of the pandemic, we will never again take physical events for granted — after spending so much time isolated, online and remote, we are grateful for opportunities to meet with others, and have plenty to catch up on!” 

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As the official affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce in Oman (AmCham Oman), the OABC promotes understanding, partnerships & other matters of mutual economic interest between business communities in Oman and the United States. 

Formed in 2003, the OABC’s mission is to foster the development of commercial activity between Oman and the United States.  With 30 events annually and over 160 member companies, OABC is Oman’s most active business council and networking group. 

The Oman American Business Center (OABC) is best known for hosting high-level professional networking events and informational sessions for professionals across the Sultanate.

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On August 24, as the affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce in Oman, the OABC was honored to invite its members to the Role of Business in Ending the Pandemic hosted by Center for International Enterprise, AmCham MENA, the U.S Chamber of Commerce, and Business Partners to Convince.

The session featured leading public and health pharmaceutical experts to discuss the critical role of business in countering the vaccine hesitancy. They discussed the critical role of businesses in countering vaccine hesitancy in the workplace and provide related information resources with featured presentations from Samir Khalil , Executive Director of Middle East and North Africa Research at Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), and other leading public health and private sector representatives.

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On June 8, the OABC together with the U.S. Embassy in Muscat organized a private roundtable discussion with Rick Anguiuoni, Business Development Specialist and Regional Director of Africa at the Export-Import Bank of the United States, via zoom.

The roundtable discussion introduced key stakeholder and heads of corporate working in the top banks of Oman to the mission and services of Exim Bank. Attendees also discussed the statues of financing opportunities already provided by EXIM Bank in Oman and discussed new ways to facilitate additional trade collaboration between EXIM Bank and Omani banks and companies.

The session featured opening remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Oman Leslie Tsou and a presentation by Rick Angiuoni followed by a time of discussion.

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On May 25, OABC in partnership with Cigna, the global health services provider hosted a webinar on ‘The Impact Of COVID-19 On Employees’ Wellbeing And Solutions For Employers’.
This webinar was dedicated to helping members and their teams manage changes and challenges faced over the past year. Raed Labaki, General Manager at Cigna, walked attendees through the impact of COVID-19 on employee’s mental health and shared powerful tools and practical guidelines to help members manage their team’s wellness.
Cigna also shared the results of their COVID-19 Global Impact Study, pointing out trends specific to Oman and the Middle East.
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On April 19, OABC partnered with AmCham Kuwait in collaboration with Microsoft for a live webinar on ‘Achieving Growth with Microsoft for Startups’. The virtual webinar was organized with the support of AmCham Abu Dhabi, AmCham Bahrain and AmCham Qatar.

We give special thanks to Mr Roberto Croci, Managing Director of Microsoft for start-ups Middle East and Africa Region, for his insightful discussion.

Thank you to everyone else who participated in this event.

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On April 7, OABC partnered with AmCham Kuwait and Dubai for a live webinar on How to Franchise U.S. brands, the Legal Aspects of Franchising, and Investing in the USA.
Presenters:
Joel Stewart- Founder of International Franchise Marketplace
Fady Ghanem- Partner, Corporate Restructuring, Al Tamimi & Company
Shari Stout- Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Commercial Service-Kuwait
We would like to thank all of the participants, and we hope you found the discussion to be fruitful to your own investment goals!
Please reach out to us if you would like to get in touch with the presenters.
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The April 6 event connected Omani and U.S. companies with information on Oman’s new economic stimulus plan and answered questions from U.S. investors interested in Oman

 

MUSCAT, OMAN: On April 6th, the Oman American Business Center (OABC) hosted a Virtual Majlis with Oman’s Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion, H.E. Qais Al Yousef.

The session presented a unique opportunity for members of the OABC to engage and ask specific questions to better understand the vision and future plans of MOCIIP.  His Excellency Qais Al Yousef discussed incentives for foreign investors and other key information about how the plan will impact the future and Oman’s Vision 2040. The session also addressed business continuity and steps to mitigate the challenges faced by companies due to the pandemic.

OABC President and Chairman Ali Daud opened the session and thanked the official guest of honor: U.S. Ambassador to Oman, Leslie Tsou, before introducing His Excellency and the session’s moderator, OABC Board Member and Treasurer, William Crew of Inspired Solutions.

OABC compiled a list of questions received from its member companies, and during the event, executives were also given the opportunity to ask questions directly via chat.

“We commend His Excellency’s willingness to sit down together and engage with questions from the business community,” says Daud. ”We trust that this first virtual majlis may pave the way for more interaction, discussion, and future sessions between the public and private sectors within Oman.  We would also like to thank our partner, the Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce, who supported the invitation of their membership as well to this event.”

 

“It is notable that in spite of, and even because of, the difficult and unique situation the world is facing today, U.S. companies can learn about what Oman has to offer through an online platform rather than physical travel,” continues Daud. “We hope that new opportunities and connections will be made through these efforts and initiatives during this time, as well as the future, as Oman moves towards its Vision 2040.”

 

As the official affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce in Oman (AmCham Oman), the OABC promotes understanding, partnerships & other matters of mutual economic interest between business communities in Oman and the United States.

 

Formed in 2003, the OABC’s mission is to foster the development of commercial activity between Oman and the United States.  With 30 events annually and over 160 member companies, OABC is Oman’s most active business council and networking group.

 

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Thank you to each of our U.S. Chamber of Commerce affiliates in the GCC who attended our Regional Speed Networking event on Monday, April 5.

The evening was a fun and relaxed way to network and meet with dozens of other professionals in the GCC. Every attendee was given the opportunity to share their business with others.

The event also celebrated the launch of the Regional Linked In group: “Members of AmChams in the GCC”. This group will serve as a professional development and networking group where current AmCham members may post articles, questions, opportunities, promotions, job postings, and discussion topics.

As a bonus, Mr. Tamami offered free consulting sessions for all attendees and their sales and marketing teams.

Last, we give special thanks to Del Monte for sponsoring the event’s raffle – 3 lucky members are going to win a box of their incredible dates, or a gorgeous, healthy fruit basket, depending on the winner’s country of residence. All attendees are entered to win, and we will announce these winners on our LinkedIn group on Thursday, so please make sure you request to join the group!