This tool, developed and promoted by Colmena66, a program of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Trade and Export Company, responds to the request of our diaspora, which seeks to buy products and services of merchants on the Island to boost our economy.

November 20, 2017 San Juan, P.R. – As part of its strategy to support and strengthen entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico, particularly after the landfall of Hurricane Maria, Colmena66, a program of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, announced today the launch of a new tool: Shop & Hire Puerto Rico. Shop & Hire Puerto Rico is an online directory of stores through which users can browse and make purchases among a wide variety of products. In addition, people will be able to connect with ‘freelancers’ and Puerto Rican professionals who can work remotely from Puerto Rico.

Starting today, people all over the world will be able to access the website: http://www.shopandhirepr.com/  using the Internet and make Christmas gift purchases or identify a talent to work remotely from Puerto Rico. This initiative will be strategically promoted in markets where there is a high concentration of the Boricua diaspora, who have already been very generous in helping the Island and now seek to continue contributing. The efforts are also aimed at offering people from all over the world, another way to support Puerto Ricans in the long-term recovery of the Island.

The website was developed by Colmena66 with the support of parallel18, both under the direction of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust and in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Trade and Export Company. In addition, this initiative is supported by key partners such as: Brands of Puerto Rico, San Juan Freelance, Solidarity Showcase, Puerto Rico Creative Economy Initiative, Bien Cool, Clickup and the Argentine startup Clinc, a parallel18 alumni.

According to FEMA, 40% of small businesses do not reopen after a natural disaster like the one caused by María and of those that do manage to reopen, only 29% survive two years after the disaster. Denisse Rodríguez Colón, director of Colmena66 points out: “Shop & Hire Puerto Rico arises thanks to our diaspora, who have been asking us how they can buy from local entrepreneurs online and how they can get talent for remote work. We decided to facilitate these connections to facilitate the long-term recovery of our entrepreneurs. “, Rodríguez Colón concluded.
Lucy Crespo, Chief Executive Officer of the PR Science, Technology and Research Trust adds: “This new tool is perfectly aligned with our mission to invest, facilitate and develop the capabilities of the economy of Puerto Rico, especially in this moment where we have identified the need to adapt to a new reality. We need to be facilitators for those entrepreneurs who need to expand their businesses and Shop & Hire Puerto Rico is an excellent example of how to do it.”
Ricardo Llerandi, executive director of the Puerto Rico Trade and Export Company, says: “Micro and small companies have a very important role in the economy and the export of their products in the Christmas season represents an opportunity for them to recover faster from the impact of the hurricane, but also so that they see the foreign market as a necessary long-term strategy for the sustainability of their businesses. We know the quality of Puerto Rican talent in professional areas, and this is the time for the rest of the world to know it also.”
Among the local products offered in this directory of virtual stores are:  handcrafts, handmade apparel and accessories, beauty products such as creams and body oils, music, books, home decor and Puerto Rican ‘gourmet’ food, such as baked goods and coffee, to mention just a few. While in the “Hire” section, people may hire services from expert professionals and “freelancers” (free agents) in areas such as: design, accounting, sales and marketing, creative services, web developers and programmers, translators, etc.  The list can be seen on the website, which has an attractive design and presents an easy-to-navigate format. All in one place.
Shop & Hire Puerto Rico is available at: http://www.shopandhirepr.com/.  Stores or professionals interested in being part of the platform can register on the page. If a merchant wants to participate, but does not have an online store, Colmena66 will provide a workshop, along with allied resources, this Tuesday, November 21 at 8:30 a.m. in the offices of parallel18 in Santurce. For more information, email to [email protected] or call (787) 525-4111.

Click here to see video message from Denisse Rodríguez Colón, director of Colmena66: https://www.facebook.com/colmena66.

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About Colmena66

Its mission is to help entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico grow and prosper by providing easy access to the necessary resources. Colmena66 also analyzes the gaps in the business ecosystem and works with its partners to address those needs.

About the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust:

The Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, as described in Public Law 214, is a nonprofit organization created in 2004 to promote the participation and creation of jobs in the Island in the global knowledge economy by promoting investment and the financing of research and development of science and technology. By investing in technology research and commercialization, the Trust serves as a catalyst for the creation of jobs and the retention of highly qualified and often bilingual residents of the Island. He is also responsible for the public policy of Puerto Rico science, technology, research and development. For more information: www.prsciencetrust.org.