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RUSSIAN AMERICAN CHAMBER CONTINUES BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER
FROM RUSSIA WITH BUSINESS.
With its spectacular weather and extraordinarily diverse culture, South Florida has long been a magnet for foreign visitors throughout the world. In recent years, one of the most dynamic and growing communities is the more than 400,000 Russian-speaking people who include many professional and business people as well as leaders in dance, art, music and other elements of the entertainment world. Until 2014, South Florida was a favorite venue not only for residents and tourists but also for investors from Russia.
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The strong growth in business opportunities between Russia and America met a new challenge with U.S.-imposed sanctions in 2014. With the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency, many observers concluded that there would be a resurgence in business opportunities for the Russia-American community. To discuss the latest political developments as well as the potential change in the business climate, a forum was conducted by the Russian American Chamber of South Florida ("RAC"), the most important organization in the Russian-American community. The catalyst for the forum was a panel including Michael Caputo, a long-time Trump political advisor, and Max Slyusarchuk, a community leader whose company, A&D Mortgage, is a major business force. Moderating the panel was Kendall Coffey, the former United States Attorney in South Florida who is the legal advisor to the Russian American Chamber. Among the many important points of discussion were the results of a survey among guests. According to those polled within the Russian American community, forty percent have already seen an increase in business since Trumps' election, more than fifty percent expect U.S.-Russia relations to improve, and by a more than 5-1 margin, more people expect business opportunities to improve than those who expect things to worsen.
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"From Russia With Business" was an unprecedented event which took place on May 4, 2017 at Adena Grill and was hosted by Coffey Burlington, a prominent Miami law firm. This special event not only featured an expert panel discussion, but provided nearly 250 guests comprised of South Florida's top business professionals and industry leaders the opportunity to develop relationships. As their tag line states, Russian American Chamber of South Florida prides itself on "Bringing People Together". RAC's purpose not only focuses on bringing unity to the Russian speaking local community but also concentrates on bridging relations between the Russian and American communities in South Florida.
The expert panel included the following guest speakers:
 KENDALL COFFEY FROM COFFEY BURLINGTON
Kendall Coffey is a founding member of Coffey Burlington, PL, based in Miami. Appointed by both of Florida's U.S. Senators, Mr. Coffey also currently serves as the Chair of the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission that selects those individuals to be considered by the White House to become U.S. federal judges in South Florida. During the 1990s, he served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, one of the nation's largest federal prosecution offices.
Mr. Coffey has written several books as well as three dozen articles on legal topics in publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, to the Yale Law and Policy Review. Mr. Coffey serves as a part-time professor in several of Florida's top law schools and is currently a legal analyst for a leading U.S. television network NBC as well as MSNBC. He is general counsel to the Russian American Chamber of South Florida ("RAC") as well as a sponsor.
 MAX SLYUSARCHUK FROM A&D MORTGAGE
Max Slyusarchuk serves as the CEO of A&D Mortgage and has been in the financial industry for over 17 years. His expertise in a broad range of financial spectrum allows Max to serve as a Vice Chairman of Home Federal Bank and as a Director of Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals. In addition, Max is a Managing Director of Imperial Fund, a financial institution involved in acquisitions of financial instruments including commercial and residential mortgage obligations.
Max is a highly regarded leader in the local Russian community and is known for his company's efforts in serving the needs of the Russian speaking community and for the large number of jobs his company brings to South Florida. He has a wealth of knowledge about foreign buyers and a solid sense of what's going on in the economy both nationally and internationally. Max is a member of Russian American Chamber of South Florida Advisory Panel as well as a sponsor.
 MICHAEL CAPUTO FROM ZEPPCOM
Michael Caputo is the Managing Director of ZeppCom and provides strategic counsel to ZeppCom clients. Michael has 30 years of global communications experience with government, political campaigns, trade associations, and Fortune 500 corporations. Lauded by New York Times for his "high octane brain", he is also the only executive in history who has worked for both the White House and the Kremlin. Michael's work has been commended by reporters across the spectrum for spirited, creative and unrelenting advocacy of his clients. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Pravda, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and many other global media outlets.
Michael worked with field grade Army officers as a young public affairs specialist for the 25th Infantry Division and has counseled senior leaders ever since. After majoring in journalism and foreign affairs at SUNY Buffalo, he worked with presidential candidate Jack Kemp, Hollywood director David Lynch, MTV's Rock the Vote, US President George HW Bush, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and the US, Russian and Ukrainian national legislatures. He also served in 2015-16 as a senior campaign adviser to President Donald Trump. He has advised leading corporations like Mercedes Benz, Koch Industries, Merrill Lynch, Amway, Best Buy, Las Vegas Sands, and more. He resides in Buffalo, NY and Miami Beach.
Thank you to all our members and guests who joined us for another great evening among friends. Personal relationships are still the number one reason why people do business together!
This event was another great example of how Russian American Chamber continues bringing people together for the purpose of bringing unity to the Russian community, bridging ties between Russian and American businesses and creating an entrepreneurial environment where companies grow, individuals succeed and the community benefits.
A very special thank you to Coffey Burlington for hosting From Russia With Business. This event couldn't be more timely. A special acknowledgment to our event partner, Adena Grill & Wine Bar.
As always - a huge thank you to our incredible photographer, Alexey Olivenko, for the amazing photos and who is always there to capture our special memories. He's the best photographer in the business and has RAC 's highest recommendation for all your photography needs.
CLICK HERE to view more amazing photos from the RAC - From Russia With Business Event. CLICK HERE to view photos from prior RAC events.
If you're not a member yet and are looking to attract new clients and brand your company name in the Russian American community, we invite you to join the RAC family!! Memberships begin as low as $275 for the entire year. On average over 5,000 people visit the RAC website monthly searching for services they need. Are you listed among your competitors? Visit www.racsouthflorida.com and join today or email
info@racsouthflorida.com
for details.
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