Dollars and Sense, a News is my Business podcast

Michael Sinensky is an entrepreneur who has founded businesses in a cross-section of sectors. He has been a long-time lover of Puerto Rico and recently moved his family to start a new life on the island. While he is an Act 20 beneficiary, he's branching out into areas outside the benefits of the statute, starting with a new restaurant venture, Sushi by Bou, in Carolina. In this episode, he discusses the benefits and challenges of doing business in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce (CofC) President Ramón Pérez-Blanco joins us to share his impressions of 2023 and to address what’s ahead, while making a call to action to the private sector to take active leadership roles in 2024, a pivotal election year in Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland.

In this episode we discuss the different forms of online scamming, phishing and smishing affecting consumers and how to prevent being a victim of fraud this holiday season. #newsismybusiness #dollarsandsense

The challenges of Puerto Rico’s real estate industry, including the possible elimination of licensing requirements and the need for new conditions to create more affordable housing on the island were some of the issues we discussed in this episode of Dollars & Sense with Melissa Montero, president of the Puerto Rico Association of Realtors.

In an exclusive interview with News is my Business, attorneys from Littler Mendelson, a global legal firm specializing on workplace solutions related to labor and employment laws, and its local partners at Schuster LLC discussed how the new labor trends are affecting not just companies across the US mainland, but also in Puerto Rico.

President Joe Biden visited Puerto Rico on Monday, Oct. 3 to get first-hand insight on the devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona and the federal government's plans to help in recovery efforts, specifically regarding the island's energy grid and other infrastructure.

During a recent visit, the US Department of Labor's Deputy Secretary, Julie Su, sat down exclusively with Dollars & Sense to offer her take on what needs to happen in Puerto Rico's job market, calling for an alignment among academia, the government and the private sector to make progress.

The Transportation Security Administration is implementing new logistics at the airport to speed passenger movement while keeping a tight watch on security.  What are the implications and benefits for travelers during this busy summer season? Take a listen! 

In this episode, Matt Miller, president of HMS Puerto Rico and Rick Newman, president of Puerto Rico Fast Ferries, provide their views on the status of the ferry service connecting Puerto Rico with Vieques and Culebra, and expectations for coming months. The Maritime Transportation Authority, the government entity responsible for the service, did not return requests for an interview.

In this episode, attorneys Vito Gagliardi, Bill Hughes and Luis Rivera-Marín discuss plans for the Porzio, Bromberg & Newman law firm, which recently opened a practice in Puerto Rico, where it plans to expand its reach and that of its Porzio Life Sciences subsidiary.  The firm seeks to provide legal, business and commercial compliance solutions in the region, zeroing in on the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry. The attorneys also said they will work with Act 20/22 beneficiaries in Puerto Rico in their affairs with the Internal Revenue Service.  Tune in!

We sat down with Jorge Pérez, regional manager of ASM Global, the company that manages four important entertainment venues in Puerto Rico — the Puerto Rico Coliseum (known as the "Choliseo"), the Convention Center, the majestic Antiguo Casino, and the soon-to-open Coca Cola Music Hall — about expectations of the restart of events as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are eased. TUNE IN! 

Check out our newest episode in which we chat with Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport CEO Jorge Hernández about the impact of COVID-19 on travel over the past year, and the road to recovery ahead. LISTEN! SHARE! RATE US!

It has been a little more than a month since the Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnership Authority announced that LUMA Energy had been chosen to operate, maintain and modernize the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s electricity transmission and distribution system for the next 15 years. Since then, there has been much talk from different sectors in Puerto Rico concerned about what’s to come. So, with that said, News is my Business sat down with LUMA Energy CEO Wayne K. Stensby to talk about aspects related to the agreement and how it will affect consumers, as well as the "behind-the-scenes" of the deal.

Ten days after Hurricane María slammed into Puerto Rico in September 2017, Paseo Caribe resumed operation of its oceanfront mixed-use complex. And despite challenges such as the exit of tenants from El Mercado food court and its retail areas, operator CPG Island Servicing continues to bet on the local market and is working again to establish a connection between the property and locals and tourists, through its entertainment and gastronomy options. Sam Kirschner, president of CPG Island Servicing, sat down with Dollars & Sense to discuss those topics, as well as Paseo Caribe’s expectations about the upcoming opening of the El Distrito entertainment venue across the way in Miramar.

Aurelio Alemán, CEO of First BanCorp., the parent company of  FirstBank, explained what the acquisition of Banco Santander’s assets in  Puerto Rico will represent for the market and the financial institution  he heads. He also went over aspects of the bank’s third quarter results, released a day after the deal was made public.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis is working on establishing a clear picture of Puerto Rico's economy, and laying down a uniform methodology in line with U.S. mainland states and territories, countries across the world. In this episode of "Dollars & Sense," Kristy Howell, economist with the BEA, provides more insight on the preliminary numbers released this week. Local economist Juan Castañer, from local analysis firm Estudios Técnicos, reacts to the findings.

The Federal Communications Commission today approved $950 million in  funding to improve, expand, and harden communications networks in Puerto  Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Chairman Ajit Pai, who has been front and center of the telecom  recovery efforts for Puerto Rico and the USVI since day one after  Hurricanes Irma and María hit in September 2017, discusses the historic  vote in an exclusive interview with News is my Business.

In this episode of "Dollars & Sense, a News is my Business podcast"  we sat down with Rod Miller, CEO of Invest Puerto Rico, the recently  launched independent entity responsible for promoting the island in the  international business community.

Today’s special episode features interviews with representatives from Puerto Rico’s private sector to discuss the events of the last week, when six people with ties to Gov. Ricardo Rosselló’s administration were arrested on corruption charges, as well as the contents of nearly 900 pages of a chat on Telegram involving the governor and a group of his tightest collaborators were revealed.  The lineup of interviewees is: Tomás Ramírez, representative of Puerto Rico’s small inns — or paradores — tourism sector; Jorge Argüelles, president of the Puerto Rico United Retailers Association; Jay Fonseca, attorney and news analyst; Kenneth Rivera, Certified Public Accountant and past president of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce; José Joaquín Villamil, economist and founder of the Estudios Técnicos analysis firm; and, José Ledesma, president of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce. At Dollars and Sense, we wanted to know the effects of these situations on Puerto Rico’s current and future business and investment climate. These were their thoughts.

In this special “Throwback Thursday” edition of our podcast series, we re-visit our exclusive  interview with Sir Richard Branson, who took shelter in Puerto Rico —  with most of his family and staff — after Hurricane Irma ravaged the  British Virgin Islands and his property on Necker Island in September  2017. This is the first time News is my Business has released the audio of this interview, done at a lobby of a hotel in Isla Verde.