Larry Berger, Founding Member and 3rd AmCham President - 1981
Sometime ago, Amcham´s Executive Director Maurice Belanger asked me to write a piece on how and why Amcham Panama came into existence. To do justice in relating Amcham´s founding, I reached out to those Amcham founders and Ambassador Ambler Moss who played key roles in establishing Amcham. Unfortunately, Joseph Harrington and Fred Denton have passed on and I was unable to contact Steve Martin and Bill Cunningham; however, those who responded coincided on the major points.
Alexander Psychoyos President of Tagaropulos offers historical context by relating: “Going back to the seventies, Panama was in an economic stagnation and it was hoped that a Chamber could help attract outside investors and stimulate the introduction of new industries. Also, the (Panamanian) military were becoming more and more entrenched and abuses to private enterprise were becoming more and more frequent. The private sector was fearsome of reprisals if they reported these abuses. There was hope that the unification of businessmen into a Chamber would give us a collective mechanism to report and correct some of these abuses. Bill Cunningham, who had experience with the American Chamber in Venezuela, was most active in getting the chamber off the ground.”
Like Bill Cunningham President of Kraft Foods Panama, Robert Pesqueira General Manager of Becton Dikinson was a past President of the American society, and they just as the rest of the founders understood the need for a commercial representation, complementing the American Society´s social focus. At the time Panama and Uruguay were the only two Latin American countries without an Amcham. Pesqueira adds: “Luckily, Bill Cunningham was able to recruit you, me and others to help create it. Ambler was most helpful with the initial tasks needed to create AMCHAM. I don't recall any resistance; most of us were in favor and we just needed someone like Bill to drive the project. As second President, after Bill was unexpectedly transferred out of Panama, I received numerous visits from U.S. companies wishing to expand or start operations and our office was most helpful. I believe Fred Denton was Executive Director when we left Panama in 1990 and he was doing a great job.”
Lew Maviglia, then General Manager of Borden in Panama, intertwines events that made Amcham propitious because of the confluence of events while explaining how the founding was organized through multiple meetings and individual and group contributions: “I remember that Bill had good rapport with Ambassador Moss who was very supportive of the formation of Amcham. Also, we had some contact with an executive (Keith Miceli) from the U.S. Chamber who said that they had encouraged an AmCham in Panama for some time. With all the American presence in Panama and trade relations, how come there was no AmCham like the ones present in so many other countries in our region? The work of formation was quite a group effort….. to write our statement of objectives, draft the by-laws, set fees, design a logo. I had a hand in those things but can’t remember details of how we organized and divided the tasks. I recall efforts in recruiting our new members that first year, especially our interest in getting as many Panamanian businesses into the Chamber as possible, emphasizing that it was a PanamaAmCham which straddles the two countries and all who have any Panama-US business dealings should be members. It was well received and we quickly got over to our membership goal…..the number I can’t recall. (Footnote: seventy five member company or individual members.) The positive response was very gratifying. (I looked at the website today and it is an impressive organization.)
I recall that the “Torrijos-Carter Treaty" was a couple of years before the AmCham got off the ground and was operational. That was quite an exciting period (everyone I knew was following negotiation and ratification developments closely and was reading Path Between The Seas which had just been published and I think was the first big hit of the author, David McCollough). I understood (probably from Bill) that Ambassador Moss wished he had some organization like an AmCham to collaborate with during the Treaty negotiation and Senate ratification process. A number of us attended meetings at the Embassy and geared up to help receive/entertain the numerous U.S. members of Congress who came to Panama on their investigative missions. I was involved in entertaining a couple of them. One that I recall was Sen. Gravel of Alaska (who then lost his reelection). The businessmen I knew in the Republic were strongly in favor of a new treaty, though, naturally, there were differing opinions about what the content should be. As the Treaty passed U.S. Senate ratification by one vote, I like to think that our efforts in Panama were instrumental in that outcome.
U.S. Ambassador Ambler Moss when approached on his recollection of Amcham Panama´s founding when contacted by McLarity Associates President Nelson Cunningham (Bill´s son) noted: “Sure, I remember the event very well. During my Washington round of briefings before going to my post as ambassador ( I was sworn in on September 23), I met with Keith Miceli at The Chamber of Commerce of the U.S. We talked about the desirability of starting an AmCham in Panama. It had never been done during the period of high sensitivity over the treaty negotiations (from the Johnson to the Carter administrations and even higher sensitivity during the 1978 Senate ratification process.) But, the U.S. Chamber agreed, now was the right time. Soon after I arrived in Panama and the new presidency of Aristides Royo took over. Your father entered the picture to become founding president of a new AmCham. As he’ll remember well, President Royo came to the inauguration ceremony and made a very positive speech saying that the Chamber would not only be good for the American business community but also good for Panama itself. I don’t recall that he made any references to the stresses of times past but just optimism for the future.”
My own recollection coincides with those above, having worked with senators on their fact finding missions to Panama prior to the senate vote on the Torrijos – Carter treaty as well as the group effort hammering out our constitution, and the special experience of developing the Chamber´s By - Laws with Fred Denton.
In order to run Amcham successfully, we needed an Executive Director and were fortunate in contracting Linda Richa, who ably coordinated Committee and Board of Director meetings as well as supervised the small staff that membership revenues allowed. Steve Bavaria and, subsequently, Ben Moyer Presidents of Bank of Boston Panama generously offered their Board Room and an office area from which Amcham Panama conducted its business during its early years.
As Amcham Panama approaches its 40th Anniversary in a few short years, the organization has proven worthy of President Royo´s optimism for U.S. - Panama relations and the role Amcham and its members would serve to contribute to better understanding, cultural exchange, educational, and economic development, as well as promoting democratic principles.
To name a few institutions or areas in which Amcham or its members were instrumental:
- Cospae
- The International School of Panama
- Navigating the sanctions and Noriega years on behalf of U.S. companies
- Panama´s Tax Loss Carry – Forward Legislation
- Panama´s awakening in the early 90´s to the tourism industry
- Management, ecological, and a myriad of topical seminars
Anyone who has observed Amcham Panama´s evolution over the years, appreciates the rotation of leadership and participants who refresh the organization´s focus in a fast moving, globalized world which requires constant, rapid adjustment and alignment.
I am certain that I speak on behalf of all the original founders in thanking the membership over the years for carrying Amcham forward successfully to an even greater promise for the future.
Larry Berger