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Team Caribbean Establishes Puerto Rico Headquarters
St. Thomas, USVI-May 26-Team Caribbean announced today the opening of a Puerto Rican headquarters office in San Juan. This follows a major initiative by Team Caribbean to include Puerto Rican sailors and businesses in the challenger's campaign to win the America's Cup.
The office is located at Club Nautico de San Juan, an official "allied yacht club" of Team Caribbean, on San Juan Harbor. Commodore José "Pepe" Terrassa and Vice Commodore LeRoy Camero, key members of the Puerto Rican community supporting Team Caribbean, were instrumental in establishing the office. Michelle Rexach is the Assistant Manager and the main contact. Ivan Orlandi is the Director of Sponsorship Sales. The mailing address of the office is Team Caribbean, c/o Club Nautico de San Juan, P.O. Box 9021133, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00902-1133. Phone is 787-722-0177. Fax: 787-724-8059.
"The team and our concept have received a great deal of attention," said Steve Morton, vice president of marketing. "The interest among sailors and businesses has grown to such a degree that an on-site office has become imperative. We are greatly encouraged by how Team Caribbean has been embraced by Puerto Rico and we look forward to integrating this island and its people into the campaign."
Puerto Rico's population is 3.8 million people. The island's area is only 100 by 35 miles, but it has a Gross Domestic Product of $25 billion and is home to many triple-A corporations which have done business there for decades. For example, Puerto Rico produces about half of the medicines sold in the United States and many major U.S. mainland-based companies has a presence in Puerto Rico.
Team Caribbean in one of sixteen declared international Challengers for the America's Cup, to be held in Auckland, New Zealand with racing beginning in October 1999. Because of its proximity to the Virgin Islands and its wealth of sailing talent, Puerto Rico has become a major contributor to the campaign. By enlarging its geographic and financial base, Team Caribbean is better prepared to defeat the established sailing powers from Europe, Australia, the United States and Asia while remaining committed to the team's basic tenet of presenting the first America's Cup multicultural and multiracial challenge. Puerto Rico is a natural choice for strengthening the team.
The campaign is the first Caribbean-based challenge for the America's Cup, the only U.S. territory ever to challenge, and the only challenge ever made official by a woman commodore.
Several regional sponsors have been signed by the team over the last 18 months, including Cellular One of Puerto Rico and Texaco Caribbean Corporation. Other major sponsors include Topa Equities, Ritz-Carlton of St. Thomas, and GANT USA.
For more information: Paul Larsen, Larsen Media Group, 203-852-1779. |
