General News

EPM Restarts Guatapé, Wins ‘Positive’ Outlook from Wall Street

Medellin Herald April 25, 2016

Medellin-based public utility EPM announced April 23 that it partially restored output from its 560-megawatt (MW) “Guatape” hydroelectric plant in Antioquia – more than a week earlier than planned. As a result, 140-MW of power supply has now returned to Colombia’s national grid, with the

Congresses & Conferences

Medellin Hosts International Astronomical Union Congress May 16-20

Medellin Herald April 25, 2016

Medellin’s Parque Explora and Planetarium announced that they will host the International Astronomical Union (IAU) annual congress May 16-20 with delegates from more than 40 countries. According to Parque Explora, “this is the first time that the international conference of the IAU will take place in South America.” Delegates include astronomical researchers, space-agency

Companies

ISA Offsets 100% of Greenhouse Gases with Antioquia Reforestation Project

Medellin Herald April 25, 2016

Medellin-based power transmission giant ISA announced April 14 that it managed to offset 100% of its total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions via a reforestation project in Bajo Cauca, Antioquia. The company won a “Carbon Neutral Certificate” from Switzerland-based GHG emissions-credit trader and environmental consultant South Pole Group. ISA and its InterColombia power

Companies

JP Morgan, Endeavor Colombia, Corporacion Las Mercedes Team-up on IT Development

Medellin Herald April 25, 2016

U.S.-based JP Morgan Chase Foundation, entrepreneurship developer Endeavor Colombia and Colombia-based educational institute Corporation Las Mercedes jointly announced April 21 that they’re teaming-up on a new program that will train 130 local information technology (IT) programmers and software developers.  “The three non-profit organizations share a mission to

Colombian economy

Foreign Direct Investment Grows in ‘Other’ Sectors as Petroleum, Mining Decline: Banco de la Republica

Medellin Herald April 19, 2016

The latest quarterly report from Colombia’s currency regulator (Banco de la Republica) shows that foreign direct investment (FDI) in petroleum and mining in Colombia during first quarter (1Q) 2016 dropped sharply year-on-year (y-o-y), to US$1.2 billion, from US$3 billion in 1Q 2015. However, FDI in “other” sectors (outside of petroleum and mining) rose sharply y-o-y, to

General News

Medellin’s Downtown Olaya Herrera Airport Starts International Executive-Jet Flights

Medellin Herald April 15, 2016

Colombia’s national infrastructure agency (ANI) announced April 14 that just-completed upgrades to Medellin’s downtown Olaya Herrera airport enable the start-up of international executive-jet flights in May 2016 — just before the World Economic Forum (WEF) conference. The airport upgrades (costing COP$21 billion/US$7 million) include a new control tower (30 meters

General News

Colombia Industrial Production Jumps; Medellin Leads Nation in Retail Sales Growth

Medellin Herald April 15, 2016

Colombia’s national statistical agency (DANE) announced April 14 that industrial production jumped 8.2% year-on-year (y-o-y) in February 2016 — the latest month for which statistics are available — versus a 1% y-o-y net decline in industrial output in February 2015. It’s another sign indicating that Colombia is starting to rebound from the global collapse in

Opportunities

Samsung, CorpBanca, Philip Morris, Fortinet, Wipro Seeking Bilingual Execs, Techs for Medellin

Medellin Herald April 13, 2016

An ever-growing list of major international and national companies is on the hunt for bilingual (English-Spanish) executives and technical workers for Medellin. An ever-growing list of major international and national companies is on the hunt for bilingual (English-Spanish) executives and technical workers for Medellin. Among recent Medellin job postings to LinkedIn: 1.

Companies

Argos to Get Bogota’s Used Tires for Antioquia Cement-Plant Combustion Fuel

Medellin Herald April 13, 2016

Medellin-based multinational Grupo Argos announced April 11 that it just signed a deal with Bogotá Mayor Enrique Peñalosa to receive all 2.5 million of Bogotá’s used tires — which will be used as combustion fuel for the Cementos Argos cement plant at Rioclaro, Antioquia. “Cementos Argos uses this [tire combustion] technique in its three cement […]

Colombian economy

Colombia High-Tech Services Ranking Jumps for Foreign Investors: ProColombia

Medellin Herald April 13, 2016

ProColombia – the national government agency promoting foreign trade – announced April 12 that Colombia rose to fifth place in the latest ranking of all 55 nations in the Americas in information technology (IT), software and business process outsourcing (BPO). Citing the latest AT Kearney Global Services Location Index report, “Colombia was the country that