When Inter-American Development Bank COO Jordan Schwartz traveled to Houston last week to try and sell Texas companies on investing in Latin America and the Caribbean, he had more on his mind than just the bottom line.
Right now, more than $17 billion in trade with Latin America moves through Houston, but doing business in Latin America requires an understanding of the region's bureaucracy and laws that many companies lack, said John Cypher, vice president of international investment at the Greater Houston Partnership, a trade group representing Houston companies. 'It's complicated dealing with these governments in Latin America.