by HalloCasa SocialTeam | Jul 17, 2016 | All Articles - English, Colombia English
HalloCasa is proud to host Richard McColl, professional journalist and hotel owner in Colombia.
HalloCasa: “Good afternoon Richard, thanks a lot for being our guest today. For the ones who might not know you, can you introduce yourself quickly?”
Richard McColl: “Yes, sure! I am Richard McColl a journalist and conflict resolution specialist here in Colombia who has fallen into additional trades such as those of travel guide and hotelier.”
HalloCasa: “Ok, interesting, what brought you to Colombia?”
Richard McColl: “Colombia has always been of interest to me even from before I moved here full time in 2007 I had been sent here by the environmental NGO WWF.
My father had worked here in the 1970s and had warned me away and so being the black sheep of the family, I suppose, it was even more enticing!”
by HalloCasa SocialTeam | Jul 16, 2016 | All Articles - English, Colombia English
HalloCasa invited Stefan Burkart who gave some interesting insights about the agricultural sector in Colombia.
HalloCasa: “Good morning Mr. Burkart. Thank you very much for taking the time and to talk with us about your experience in Colombia. To initiate, why don´t you introduce yourself quickly?”
Stefan Burkart: “Good morning. Thank you very much for the invitation. Originally, I am from Germany where I completed my bachelor and my master’s degree in “Agricultural Economy” at the University of Stuttgart.
The connection to Cali arose a few years ago. That was between 2009 and 2012 when I wrote my dissertation in the field of development of agricultural value chains and business models. I had drawn this up in cooperation with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia, and in Managua, Nicaragua. After that I really wanted to work directly with the CIAT, but I got an offer of the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart.
by HalloCasa SocialTeam | Jul 16, 2016 | All Articles - English, Colombia English
This time we are happy to introduce Jonathan Castro, a Colombian-American real estate agent based in Bogotá. Jonathan will give us his view about the real estate market in Bogotá and will talk about trends in Colombia.
HalloCasa: “Good evening Jonathan. Thank you very much for taking your time and talk with HalloCasa about the Colombian real estate market. Before digging into the topic itself, could you quickly introduce yourself and give us an overview of your background?”
Jonathan Castro: “Thank you very much for the invitation. I am happy to give potential investors an overview about the real estate market in Bogotá.
Introducing myself, I was born in Florida, USA, where I studied Psychology at the Miami Dade College.
In fact, I lived in Miami for about 15 years.
During the last years I was very active in marketing, high end retail, and real estate investments and could gain a broad experience in those fields. The fact that I was in Miami when the real estate boom occurred and when the bubble burst gave me first-hand experience. This was an impressive situation which I will never forget, especially since Florida was hit tremendously.”
by HalloCasa SocialTeam | Jul 12, 2016 | All Articles - English, Colombia English
HalloCasa conducted the third interview with Benita Glück, the founder and managing 
partner of CafeteraTours, a travel agency based in Pereira, Colombia. CafeteraTours offers both individual trips and group travels. Benita will also talk about real estate investments in Pereira, Colombia.
HalloCasa: “Good morning, Ms Glück. We are happy to host you to talk with us about your story and how you ended up creating your own business in Colombia. Could you tell us how everything started?”
Benita Glück: “Thank you very much for having me. I am happy to give you an interview and to tell you about my story with all my impressions and experiences in Colombia. Introducing myself, I am originally from East Germany in Thuringia and moved to West Germany in 1989. I settled in the Hohenloh region around Crailsheim where I stayed for around a decade. Conducting my formation to become a formal healing practitioner I moved to Ulm in Germany. Then, I went directly to Colombia.”
by HalloCasa SocialTeam | Jul 12, 2016 | All Articles - English, Colombia English
HalloCasa conducted its second interview with David Feldsott, the Founder / CEO of PanTrek Inc. based in Medellin. 
PanTrek is a free online search engine for booking inter-city bus and ferry tickets in Latin America. The platform provides in-depth company profiles, user reviews, ratings, amenity listings, photos, and other qualitative information to help backpackers, tourists, and locals book the best route for them. The startup comprises a team of 5 employees and is currently building out its beta with the a
spiration to launch in October, 2015. David will also talk about International Real Estate Investment in Medellin, Colombia.
HalloCasa: “Good afternoon, Mr Feldsott. Thank you for taking the time and to talk with HalloCasa. First of all, in order to introduce your startup properly, could you give a short description of how you came up with the idea of PanTrek?”
David Feldsott: “Thank you very much for having me! I am happy to give you an interview about opportunities in Colombia and insights about Medellin.
by HalloCasa SocialTeam | Jul 11, 2016 | All Articles - English, Colombia English
HalloCasa conducted an interview with the Director for Colombia and Venezuela at Germany Trade & Invest. Germany Trade & Invest is the economic development agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization promotes Germany as a business and technology location and supports companies based in Germany with global market information.
HalloCasa: “Good afternoon, Mr Schuh. Thank you for taking the time and to talk with HalloCasa. First of all, in order to introduce you properly, could you give a short description of how you came to be working for Germany Trade & Invest in Bogotá.”
Edwin Schuh: “Thank you very much. I am pleased to be able to give you an interview about this exciting market. Originally I’m from Munich and did both my Bachelor and my Master in Economics at the University of St. Gallen. Now, I am working for the German Foreign Trade promotion organization, Germany Trade and Invest in Bogotá.
