Island Business Link: 675 members and counting!

BY DEBBIE WISSEL
Special to the Saipan Tribune

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Since my two-week visit to the Northern Marianas, over 675 members have registered on Island Business Link! As a 2008 Island Fellow with the U.S. Department of the Interior I traveled to Saipan, Tinian and Rota to introduce the new networking site and business tool. Now, back in Washington DC, I hope that island businesses continue to use the site so that international partners are aware of the many business opportunities available in CNMI!

Island Business Link was developed by the U.S. Department of the Interior to connect business owners in the Freely Associated States and territories to off-island partners seeking to invest in businesses on the islands. This site builds upon the DOI’s successful “Secretary’s Fourth Conference on Business Opportunities in the Islands,” but unlike the Conference, Island Business Link is available year-round, is free and readily accessible to those not able to travel.

“This site is much more than a yellow pages. It provides two major advantages over a mere internet business listing site,” says Angela Williams, Economic Policy Advisor for the Office of Insular Affairs. “It allows business owners to describe their opportunities and put them right in the investor’s line of sight on our opportunities list. However, because it is free, people sometimes underestimate the power of the networking link.”

That could explain why there are far fewer opportunities posted on the site than there are registered island members. The business opportunity list is designed to introduce business ideas that are ripe for partnerships and investment. Partner members appreciate the convenience of it and enjoy searching those listings. Many island members need to take the next step and post their opportunities in order to be seen on the list.

Though the Island Business Link is primarily targeted toward small- and medium-sized business owners, there are already large contracting and investment partners registered who are able to work on larger scale projects—illustrating that more technical and higher dollar opportunities can also benefit from being listed on Island Business Link.

In fact, the secret to the Island Business Link’s success is that its partner list is primarily drawn from the past attendees of the Department of the Interior’s Annual Conference on Business Opportunities in the Islands and those who traveled on business opportunities missions to the islands. The next conference will be held in Honolulu on April 6-8, 2009, and more information can be found at www.islandbusinessopportunities.com.

Island Business Link is being rolled out to interested partners worldwide. For example, it will be introduced to the Australian and Asian markets this week. In addition, the DOI is actively targeting new companies and industries that would be interested in opportunities in the islands. If you have a specific business or partner you would like to see listed, please email us at info@islandbusinessopportunities.com and we will contact them for you.

The Department of the Interior is working to improve Island Business Link and welcomes your feedback and suggestions. Directions for registering and posting opportunities, as well as giving feedback, can be found below, and, for more information, go to www.islandbusinesslink.com.