Article
Armenian Entrepreneurs Arrive in Cambridge

Public panel discussion on December 7

Armenian entrepreneurs arrived in Boston last month at the invitation of the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association. CAMBRIDGE, MA - The Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association (CYSCA) greeted eight entrepreneurs from Yerevan, Armenia at Logan Airport upon their arrival Nov 12, 2000. As part of their ongoing efforts to provide meaningful and sustainable economic development assistance to Armenia, the CYSCA team has successfully completed preparations for training this delegation of professionals, who will be in the area from November 12 to December 9, 2000.

These programs are hosted by CYSCA and are made possible by funding support under grants from the Community Connections program of the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Thus far, these grants have enabled CYSCA to provide a wealth of professional development experience and training to Armenian businessmen, educators, environmental specialists and employment specialists alike. The latter program was developed and implemented in partnership with the Middlesex Community College.


The Program

The program has been under development for the past several months, and its success is the result of the efforts of CYSCA's many dedicated volunteers, both inside and outside the Armenian community, who wish to lend the resources in Cambridge and the surrounding community to the developing world. As Armenia is emerging from decades of Soviet control and communist dictatorship into a free-market economy, CYSCA has provided meaningful partnerships, governmental, economic, educational and cultural, to aid its progress. The present program consists of individual internships aimed at providing practical "hands-on" business experience in the participants' respective fields of interest. Academic programs provided by Bentley College and other local institutions will introduce the participants to Western methods of marketing, financing, management and strategic planning. And through home-stays and excursions to local places of interest, the participants will be introduced to the rich history and culture of Massachusetts and New England. For four weeks, these eight businessmen and women will participate in an intensive training program custom tailored to their individual fields and needs. Encouraged by CYSCA's prominent standing in the Boston/ Cambridge area, their close relationship with the City of Cambridge and their leading role among local NGO organizations, many prominent businesses have come forward to volunteer their services and take part in this public-supported effort. Many businesses, such as The Yankee Group, Cameras Inc. and MGM Contractors, are participating for the second or third time. Berge Ayvazian, CEO of the Yankee Group, commented, "The candidates that CYSCA recruits for their programs are excellent. They give us as many ideas as we give them." CYSCA Program Director Jack Medzorian responded, "We're extremely proud of the participants we host. We do extensive research and accept only the most serious and promising candidates. We're in the midst of a fast- moving and increasingly global economy now. In the best interests of the Armenian economy and our own host businesses, we recruit people who have something to contribute. CYSCA is about partnerships and mutual gain." The CYSCA team that organized the activities, internships and other aspects of this program includes Jack Medzorian, Program Director; Taya Battelle, Project Administrator; Robert Price, Project Manager; Jirair Babikyan; Vartkes Karaian; Varujan Masrof and Sarkis Gennetian.


The Participants

Arriving from the airport to the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge, where they will spend two days of orientation activities, the participants were travel-weary, but also excited. Narine Chirkinian, who operates a crafts cooperative in Yerevan, said, "I was elated to be chosen for this program. I was also very surprised. There is always much competition for CYSCA programs in Armenia, and I'm flattered that they rated the work of our co-op so highly." Alexander Poghosyan, a bank consultant, agreed: "I was very happy when my application was chosen, I'm looking forward to my time here, at my internship and in this community in general. And I'm very happy for the chance to participate in your Thanksgiving Holiday and to watch more closely this very interesting election." As he has done for many times in the past and again this time, accommodations at the Sheraton Commander Hotel for CYSCA guests are generously provided and subsidized by Edward Guleserian, CEO of the hotel.

The participants were chosen across a wide segment of developing industries in Armenia, including marketing, computer networking, catering, photo processing, bank consulting, advertising, co-op and restaurant operations. They have a myriad of hopes and expectations for their stay here. Armen Tumanyan, director of a computer network design and integration, said, "Issues concerning customer relations and human resources are challenging to us. In the controlled economy, these issues were not so important to us. Now they are very significant." Karine Sargsyan, a marketing specialist, hopes to learn more about marketing concepts. "Marketing is a very recent industry in Armenia and there are many opportunities for skilled people. I hope that this program will teach me some secrets of good strategy."


Hosting

The internships are provided by local area businesses and the host families were recruited from Cambridge and surrounding communities. The host family experience is crucial to introducing the participants to the cultural side of American life that they might not have the benefit of experiencing otherwise. The host families were pleased at the prospect of hosting such visitors for the Thanksgiving Holiday. "It seems very appropriate that this program should take place over this holiday," said Sona Aslanian, who, together with her husband Charles, will be hosting CYSCA guests for the third time. The public is invited to a panel discussion titled "Armenia's New Hope: Economic Growth and Social Change" which will explore the blossoming opportunities in Armenia's new economy. This event is co-sponsored by CYSCA and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR). This event will be held at the NAASR Center at 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, on Dec. 7 at 8 p.m.


About CYSCA

CYSCA is a Sister-City association created in 1987 by concerned citizens of Cambridge to promote world peace through grass-roots involvement and support. Numerous citizens' exchanges since then have led to an enhanced sense of shared values through greater knowledge of one another's government, industry, culture, art and history.