Foundation for Puerto Rico, CofC unite to boost Culebra growth
The Foundation for Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce held the event “Transforming Challenges: Barriers to Doing Business and Human Capital Development” in Culebra, Puerto Rico, as part of the Community Innovation Hub initiative.
Developed under a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant, the project aims to foster collaboration to address systemic barriers that limit participation in the visitor economy across Puerto Rico’s eastern region.
During the event, participants focused on two issues affecting Culebra and nearby municipalities: the barriers entrepreneurs face in operating businesses and the shortage of skilled workers needed for sustained economic growth.
Representatives from nonprofit organizations, local entrepreneurs, community leaders and government agencies took part in site visits and discussions to identify solutions.
“This visit allows us to examine key factors such as access to financing, mobility and transportation, permitting processes, business operating costs, service culture, and destination development,” said Javier De Jesús-Martínez, innovation strategist at Foundation for Puerto Rico.
“We also seek to identify local initiatives generating concrete results that can serve as models or inspiration to design scalable and replicable solutions in other municipalities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chamber of Commerce President Margaret Ramírez-Báez highlighted entrepreneurship as a force for transformation.
“By supporting initiatives that foster creativity, innovation and the creation of new local businesses, we are contributing to a stronger, more inclusive, and sustainable business ecosystem for Puerto Rico,” she said.
The work in Culebra will continue in two additional phases: an ideation session, during which strategies will be validated and co-designed based on the findings of the visit, followed by a regional call to action, when a work plan will be formalized and implemented to address the identified challenges.
