The Latvian Chamber of Commerce in the Americas (LatCham) launched its New York/New Jersey Chapter on November 21, 2009.  The festive event was held in New York's famous Estonian House located in downtown Manhattan.  Twenty-eight attendees gathered for an evening of lively business and social discussions.  Brigita Rumpeters (Merill Lynch), LatCham Board Member and Director of the NY/NJ Chapter was the Master of Ceremonies. 
The evenings first speaker was Gustav Plato (iiGrowth LLC), Founder of LatCham, who welcomed the NY/NJ Chapter into the LatCham community.  He also announced that Stelpes Mineral Water had been a sponsor for the evening's event and had provided samples of its famous Latvian Spring Water.
Next up was the Republic of Latvia's Ambassador to the United Nations, Normans Penke.  HE Normans Penke shared his experiences regarding his different duty stations and related his own experiences with Chambers globally indicated that the Chambers that are successful are the ones that are active.  He encouraged LatCham to be very active.  He also said that he looked forward to working collaboratively with the Chamber in the future.
He was followed by Mr. Rudolf Bremanis, 2nd Secretary of the Republic of Latvia's Embassy in the United States.  Mr. Bremanis, who has been stationed at the Embassy for two months stated that he is now the primary point of contact for economic issues.  Mr. Bremanis said that he looked forward to working with many members of the Chamber in the coming years.
Mr. Bremanis was followed by Rudis Berzins, President of the Apex Benefits Group.  Mr. Berzins, has been closely following the Health Care Bill.  He provided many insights on the Health Care Bill, Medicare, and discussed options for businesses with respect to health care in the new economic climate.
Mr. Berzins was then followed by Consul General Mr. Jaanus Kirikmae of the Consulate General of the Republic of Estonia.  Mr. Kirikmae congratulated the Chamber and shared his vision of a collaborative Baltic Partnership to promote trade and growth for the Baltic region and the United States.
The meeting presentations continued and included Mr. Gunars Berzins, who provided additional information regarding Medicare and Insurance options from the perspective of the Latvian Relief Fund.  Mr. Armands Buks Vaivads,  a representative for Advaita, discussed the founding and rapid growth of their firm an their rapid entry into new markets, such as the United States.  Ms. Ilona Vilcina, founder of LatvianUSA portal spoke about the development and future plans for the portal.  Ms. Krista Tassa, of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry congratulated LatCham on launching its New York Chapter.
The evening closed with a business matchmaking which allowed participants to meet one another and exchange business cards, opportunities, and ideas. 
The evening was a great success and many of the attendees said they could not wait for the next meeting in NY scheduled for February.