(Sept. 21) – The Italian-American Chamber of Commerce of Texas (IACC), in the 20th anniversary of his foundation, celebrated the opening of a new branch in Austin. Beside the headquarters in Houston and the Dallas branch, the IACC has now a new office in Austin, State capital and fourth largest city of Texas (the metropolitan area counts round 1.8 million people) and 13th in the USA, and whose economic growth stood at third place in the Country. The city, which is one of the most important centers in the world for IT, hence the nickname “Silicon Hills” due to the presence of companies such as Dell, IBM, AMD, Intel, Apple, Google, Samsung and 3M, is at the forefront of green energy development and the research for alternative energy sources, counterbalancing the nearby Houston, undisputed world capital of oil. The main objective of the new branch is to implement the capacity to help members of the Chamber and to support Italian companies operating in Texas as well as to deepen relations with government offices and numerous political and cultural institutions in the capital of the State. The inauguration ceremony was held last night at the Fiat dealership in Austin, which boasts the record of sales of the new 500 in the USA. The event was also attended by the Consul General of Italy, Fabrizio Nava. The new structure will also be able to offer new opportunities for internships for students studying Italian at the renowned University of Texas UT or their Italian colleagues who wish to make an experience in an international context. (red)
