Baltic businesswomen strengthen ties in U.S.

NEW YORK

With their economies booming, business opportunities for young Baltic entrepreneurs are on a definite upswing, and Baltic women leaders in particular seem to be getting more than their usual amount of attention in North America.

The Estonian House in New York has been attracting more and more Baltic women entrepreneurs who want to enjoy Tuula Malmi's Estonian/Finnish cooking, Estonia's Saku beer, and the newest addition to the cheery wood paneled bar - Turi vodka.

Managed by Ell Tabur, New York's Eesti Maja has been the meeting place for everyone from former Estonian President Lennart Meri to conductor Neeme Jarvi to Krista Altok Tassa, the newly elected president of the Estonian American Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Centrally located at 243 East 34th Street near the corner of Second Avenue, this 1899 Beaux Arts style landmark is also home to the Estonian newspaper Vaba Eesti Sona (Free Estonian Word) published by Nordic Press.

Lately, however, the Estonian House has been the meeting ground for the Baltic state's new class of jet-setting entrepreneurs, highlighted by the opening of the EACCI last November.

As the first woman president of the New York-based organization, Tassa is encouraging other women to get involved in an organization that focuses on business, trade and investment in the Baltics.

"[EACCI] offers members a variety of opportunities to meet other individuals and companies involved in the Estonian and American business communities, and more and more women have expressed interest in joining the EACCI," said Tassa, who is also president of the Baltic Business Information Network, a full service consultancy business.

"Activities for members include business forums, investment seminars, product presentations, industry briefings and social gatherings throughout the year," she said.

Baltic women had a noticeable presence at the recent business seminar on Estonian commercial law presented by William Cronenberg III, director of the American Chamber of Commerce Estonia.

Among EACCI members present was Linda Pakri, who is in charge of the Estonian Cultural Days held each Easter at the Estonian House, and Eve Saar, managing director of Amest Travel in New York City.

Saar is a good example of the class of young Estonian entrepreneurs making their mark in business.

"We specialize in servicing clients to and from Estonia and Scandinavia," said Saar, who works closely with Finnair and Estonian Air, both of which are corporate members of the EACCI.

More proof that Baltic women are playing an active role in promoting business interests abroad was the recent Helsinki Women's Business Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., where 50 women entrepreneurs from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, northwestern Russia and Finland exchanged ideas with 50 women business leaders from the U.S.A.

The next noteworthy calendar event for EACCI, according to Tassa, will be the the Estonian Independence Day Ball,.to be held in New York on or Feb. 24, the 85th anniversary of the declaration of Estonian independence.

The event will be co-sponsored by the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce.