I write this e-mail to support your nomination of Mr. Sam Taliaferro for the “Mover and Shaker” award. I am partner with an international Law Firm here in Panama (www.mossfon.com <http://www.mossfon.com/> ), an investor in Real Estate in Panama for several years and also a Business Observer for what has happened over the last 10 years in this country.
When I met Sam 7 years ago and I went to see his “Hidden Valley” projects in the Highlands of Panama, I was puzzled. There was an American buying a Valley, Master planning it and then thinking that somebody would actually go up to this remote place, spend several hundred thousand dollars to buy a home to retire and live up there.
Well, not only is the “Hidden Valley”, with over 200 units, completely sold out for quite some time, this project has also created an avalanche of follower-projects not only in the area but in the whole country. In the whole Boquete Area, which no accounts for over 10 Master developments that I know of, the unemployment rate has gone down to zero. Not only has everybody who wants to work the chance to do so, several locals have made considerable wealth selling part of their pastor-land to the developers.
I and several developers in Panama asked ourselves: why was Sam so successful in his project? The answer to this is: He first built infrastructure and he went straight to pursue his dream. He made it happen!
Now Sam is a very respected Expert here in Panama and I do not know of any development where he has not been involved in the initial planning phase for his advise and comments.
Panama has had a very interesting constellation of events that came together more or less at the same time. The Americans left by the end of year 1999 and gave to the Panamanian people several Military bases in prime location and with first class infrastructure. This – besides of the up-and-coming Babybommer-Wave that is coming to Panama to buy Real estate, together with a very stable and Business-Friendly Government has allowed for this Boom which is second-to-none in Latin America, to happen.
In other words, the boom that we see now in front of our eyes eventually would have happened anyway, but it was without any doubt Sam Taliaferro whose vision and insistence made the time for a countrywide boom right.
Kind regards,
Chris Zollinger
Partner Mossfon Group
Mossack & Fonseca Co.
www.mossfon.com <http://www.mossfon.com/>
Tel. +507 263 88 99
e-mail: Zollinger@mossfon.com
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