IAEOZ Summit 2025 Puerto Rico

Prepare for the IAEOZ Summit 2025 Puerto Rico! Join us for three days of engaging sessions focusing on Agriculture and Energy sectors.

KDM & Associates will host the 6th annual IAEOZ Summit on October 13-15, 2025 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  The conference will be held in-person and livestreamed to a national and global audience.

Local Puerto Rican business and government leaders, along with U.S. Federal officials and international experts in energy and agriculture, commerce, technology, and capital investment will discuss the changing role of farming, ranching, food production and distribution, and energy generation and supply.  A major focus will be on U.S. Government contracting opportunities available for local Minority Business Enterprises, and how their growth can contribute to building sustainable communities. 

Puerto Rico represents a unique geographic and cultural crossroads between the continental United States and the Caribbean and Latin America, offering huge opportunities for expansion in trade and innovative technology transfer.  Moreover, nearly the entire island is designated as an ‘Opportunity Zone’ – providing special tax incentives for investment in industrial production and rural enterprises.  The Summit will spotlight, discuss and explore these opportunities, and lay the groundwork for new partnerships between local businesses, government authorities and investors. 

Puerto Rico’s energy challenges have long been a critical topic of concern. From devastating hurricanes to an aging electrical grid, the island has faced consistent power outages and energy insecurity.  These issues have not only impacted daily life but have also slowed economic progress.  With the goal of achieving 40% renewable energy by 2025, the island is at a pivotal moment in its energy transition.  This shift presents immense opportunities for alternative energy solutions – especially ‘micro-grids’ dedicated to serving specific communities and industry clusters – to ensure that Puerto Ricans enjoy uninterrupted power, foster economic growth, and create a resilient energy system. 

In the agribusiness sector, Summit speakers will share best practices on sustainability and carbon sequestration initiatives in farming, and examples of successful Minority-owned agribusiness enterprises.  Panelists will discuss Smart Farming, cutting-edge energy efficiency technologies in food production and food security, and strategies and programs to achieve rural community revitalization, job creation and workforce development. 

Puerto Rico contains a good number of significant U.S. Military bases, with most bases located in relatively rural areas – and they continually purchase a broad scope of goods and services, many of which rural based businesses can readily supply, from food goods and produce to construction materials, and from facility maintenance, landscaping and utility upgrades to infrastructure engineering.  Summit speakers will discuss how the FPC can help enable Puerto Rican rural businesses learn about, bid and win upcoming procurement/contract opportunities being issued by the Military bases and commands in their respective locales. 

The IAEOZ Summits have been strongly supported by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, Dept. of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, and other Federal agencies including HUD, NASA, and the Dept. of Defense.  The FPC has edited video content from the Summit panels to produce a series of podcasts and training presentations, which have been disseminated to an even wider audience, including the 140-plus MBDA Minority Business Development Centers around the country, HBCUs, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and other key stakeholders nationally and overseas.