In the context of the visit of the President of the Azorean Government to the North American State of Rhode Island, where the President presided over the diploma awarding ceremony to the students of the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies of the Brown University and where he will meet tomorrow with the state Governor and the mayor of Providence, the Regional Secretary for the Economy visited one of the main Donkin Donuts factories, a chain of donut shops in which Portuguese emigrants from New England have a large stake through a franchising agreement.
Vasco Cordeiro had the opportunity of going on a guided visit to Ocean State, a factory belonging to a cooperative formed by twenty industrialists which manufactures uninterruptedly and employs 110 workers, supplying 155 establishments that are spread throughout three of the five states of New England.
The Regional Secretary for the Economy considered that the almost entirely automated manufacturing process is very interesting, as well as the way how shop owners organise themselves, “with a great entrepreneurial and initiative spirit, which is one of the most important features that distinguish our emigrants and all the Azoreans.”