Members of the Caye International Bank (CIB) senior management and its board of directors traveled to Council Bluffs, Iowa USA on Sunday, July 21st to Tuesday, July 23rd to meet with their counterparts at Treynor State Bank, one of the only US Correspondent Banks presently serving banks here in Belize. The three-day trip included formal management and board meetings, as well as informal discussions about improving communications, compliance interface, operations, and profitability. The team also took time out of their meetings to visit the nearby Ethanol plant called “SIRE” (Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy) one of the largest facilities in the US converting corn into ethanol fuel.
Joining Chairman Nagel on the three-day trip was Caye Bank’s Managing Director Josh Guttau, Executive Vice President Dean Roches, Chief Operating Officer Gladys Urbina, Senior Vice President for Client Relations Luigi Wewege, President Emeritus and Director Peter Zipper, Director and Loan Committee Chair Mike Cobb, and Director Eddie Littlefield. “The people of Iowa and Belize share the same traits for friendliness and hospitality…They just couldn’t do enough to make us feel at home and the opportunity for Caye Bank’s ability to continue growing and expanding its services will be meaningfully impacted by the trip,’’ said Nagel.
Nagel added that the trip was a great opportunity for constructive dialogue and to build business and personal contacts beyond the bank’s normal day-to-day activities. “Although Caye International Bank has remained in good standing, many Belizean banks and financial institutions have come under US and European pressure and have even been cut off from the global financial community. In the current financial climate, it is more important than ever to cultivate business and personal relationships between banks in Belize and those abroad. It is important for us to share our business goals and vision and to ensure that our counterparts know that our clients have been well vetted and operate within acceptable norms in Belize, the United States, and the other parts of the world where they conduct their business,” he said.
The trip concluded with an impressive home-style Iowa barbecue featuring the corn raised beef steaks and local corn on the cob, which the Caye Bank team thought was absolutely the best! The TS Management and Board promised to hold one of its own meetings next winter on Ambergris Caye so that Caye Bank could return the hospitality and continue building important business and financial bridges between Belize and the USA.
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