Sister Cities — Pro Paraguay USA | 17 Departamentos Trade Bridge

English

The most durable trade relationships are not built in boardrooms. They are built through shared culture, mutual trust, and genuine human connection. Risso Holdings LLC has understood this principle since 2011, when it first produced Paraguayan cultural events at premier U.S. venues including the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College in New York, and the Maurice Gusman Hall at the University of Miami.

Over a decade of concerts, festivals, independence celebrations, and cultural exchanges across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast built something no trade mission alone could create: a community of Americans who know Paraguay, like Paraguay, and are ready to do business with Paraguay. Pro Paraguay USA's sister city strategy is the natural commercial evolution of that foundation.

Español

Las relaciones comerciales más duraderas no se construyen en salas de juntas. Se construyen a través de la cultura compartida, la confianza mutua y la conexión humana genuina. Risso Holdings LLC ha comprendido este principio desde 2011, cuando produjo por primera vez eventos culturales paraguayos en reconocidos recintos estadounidenses, incluyendo el Kimmel Center en Philadelphia, el Kupferberg Center for the Arts en Queens College en Nueva York, y el Maurice Gusman Hall en la Universidad de Miami.

Más de una década de conciertos, festivales, celebraciones de independencia e intercambios culturales construyó algo que ninguna misión comercial puede crear por sí sola: una comunidad de estadounidenses que conocen Paraguay, aprecian a Paraguay y están listos para hacer negocios con Paraguay. La estrategia de ciudades hermanas de Pro Paraguay USA es la evolución comercial natural de esa base.

The Three-Step Process / El Proceso de Tres Pasos

Culture First. Institution Second. Commerce Third.

Cultural Exchange

Intercambio Cultural

Sports events, concerts, festivals, art exhibitions, and student exchanges introduce both communities to each other. People meet, share food, music, and stories. Paraguay becomes familiar, not foreign.

Eventos deportivos, conciertos, festivales, exposiciones de arte e intercambios estudiantiles presentan a ambas comunidades entre sí. Paraguay se vuelve familiar, no extranjero.

Institutional Partnership

Alianza Institucional

A formal Sister City MOU is signed between the two municipalities. Educational cooperation, tourism promotion, and civic engagement create ongoing reasons to maintain and deepen the relationship.

Se firma un MOU formal de Ciudades Hermanas entre los dos municipios. La cooperación educativa, el turismo y la participación cívica crean razones continuas para mantener y profundizar la relación.

Commercial Collaboration

Colaboración Comercial

With trust established and institutions aligned, Paraguayan companies enter the U.S. partner city's market with a built-in advantage. Local government supports their arrival. Local consumers already know the flag.

Con la confianza establecida y las instituciones alineadas, las empresas paraguayas ingresan al mercado de la ciudad socia estadounidense con una ventaja incorporada.

Flagship Case / Caso Insignia

Chester, Pennsylvania & Salto del Guairá, Paraguay

Sister City signing ceremony Chester Pennsylvania

Official Signing Ceremony — Chester City Hall, 2025 Ambassador Gustavo Leite, Mayor Stefan Roots, and City Council President Claudio González Areco sign the Sister City MOU. Will Risso receives certificate of appreciation.

Donation of an ambulance by FIXX Foundation and the HERO Foundation, facilitated by Risso Holdings LLC.

How a Soccer Permit Became a Sister City Agreement

Cómo un Permiso de Fútbol se Convirtió en un Acuerdo de Ciudades Hermanas

In 2025, what began as a routine permit request for a Paraguay versus USA soccer watch party in Chester, Pennsylvania transformed into something far more significant. Risso Holdings LLC proposed that the City of Chester meet with the Ambassador of Paraguay to the United States.

En 2025, lo que comenzó como una solicitud rutinaria de permiso para un evento de watch party del partido Paraguay versus Estados Unidos en Chester, Pensilvania, se transformó en algo mucho más significativo. Risso Holdings LLC propuso que la Ciudad de Chester se reuniera con el Embajador de Paraguay.

That conversation led to a formal Sister City Memorandum of Understanding between Chester, Pennsylvania and Salto del Guairá, Paraguay, signed in an official ceremony at Chester City Hall attended by the Ambassador of Paraguay, Chester's Mayor, and the City Council President of Salto del Guairá.

Esa conversación llevó a un Memorando de Entendimiento de Ciudades Hermanas entre Chester, Pensilvania y Salto del Guairá, Paraguay, firmado en una ceremonia oficial en el Ayuntamiento de Chester.

The agreement established a framework for cultural exchange, educational cooperation, tourism, and economic collaboration between the two cities. It is the first formal sister city relationship between a U.S. city and a Paraguayan city facilitated by Pro Paraguay USA.

El acuerdo estableció un marco para el intercambio cultural, la cooperación educativa, el turismo y la colaboración económica entre las dos ciudades. Es la primera relación formal de ciudades hermanas entre una ciudad estadounidense y una ciudad paraguaya facilitada por Pro Paraguay USA.

This agreement stands as a working proof of concept for the partnership model Pro Paraguay USA intends to replicate across the Mid-Atlantic region — city by city, departamento by departamento.

Este acuerdo representa una prueba de concepto funcional del modelo de alianza que Pro Paraguay USA pretende replicar en toda la región del Atlántico Medio — ciudad por ciudad, departamento por departamento.

A Decade of Cultural Diplomacy / Una Década de Diplomacia Cultural

The Foundation Was Built Long Before the MOU

Since 2011

Desde 2011

Risso Holdings LLC has been producing Paraguayan cultural events at premier U.S. venues since 2011 — long before Pro Paraguay USA existed as a formal initiative. These events built the trust, the relationships, and the community that make the trade platform possible today.

Risso Holdings LLC ha producido eventos culturales paraguayos en reconocidos recintos estadounidenses desde 2011 — mucho antes de que Pro Paraguay USA existiera como iniciativa formal. Estos eventos construyeron la confianza, las relaciones y la comunidad que hacen posible la plataforma comercial hoy.

Featured artists and performers across these events have included some of Paraguay's most celebrated cultural figures, from classical musicians and folk artists to athletes and performing arts companies.

Los artistas y artistas destacados en estos eventos han incluido algunas de las figuras culturales más celebradas de Paraguay, desde músicos clásicos y artistas folclóricos hasta atletas y compañías de artes escénicas.

Kimmel Center — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2011)
Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Queens College — New York (2012)
Maurice Gusman Hall, University of Miami — Miami, Florida (2013)
Expo Paraguay USA — New York City (2022)
Paraguay Independence Week — New York metro area (ongoing)
Uncle Marcos Express Grand Opening — Gaithersburg, Maryland (2026)

The Vision / La Visión

Replicating the Model — City by City

English

Chester and Salto del Guairá is the first link in a chain. Pro Paraguay USA's vision is to replicate this model city by city, departamento by departamento, across the Mid-Atlantic region. Each new sister city relationship follows the same sequence: cultural exchange and community events first, institutional relationship second, trade and economic collaboration third.

The communities we are targeting share a common profile: mid-sized U.S. cities with existing Hispanic populations, proximity to Paraguayan diaspora communities, and local governments open to international partnerships. Each Paraguayan departamento has its own identity, products, and strengths. Matching them with the right U.S. city creates a bilateral relationship with natural commercial logic built in from the start.

Español

Chester y Salto del Guairá es el primer eslabón de una cadena. La visión de Pro Paraguay USA es replicar este modelo ciudad por ciudad, departamento por departamento, en toda la región del Atlántico Medio. Cada nueva relación de ciudades hermanas sigue la misma secuencia: primero el intercambio cultural y los eventos comunitarios, segundo la relación institucional, tercero la colaboración comercial y económica.

Las comunidades que estamos identificando comparten un perfil común: ciudades estadounidenses medianas con poblaciones hispanas existentes, proximidad a comunidades de la diáspora paraguaya, y gobiernos locales abiertos a alianzas internacionales. Cada departamento paraguayo tiene su propia identidad, productos y fortalezas.

Washington D.C. Metro

Área Metropolitana de Washington

Home to the Paraguayan Embassy, IDB headquarters, and the largest concentration of Paraguayan diaspora professionals in the United States. Natural anchor for government-to-government sister city relationships.

Maryland Counties

Condados de Maryland

Montgomery County alone has over 22,000 Latin American community members engaged through the MoCo Foodies network. Multiple county governments actively seek international sister city relationships.

New Jersey Cities

Ciudades de Nueva Jersey

New Jersey has one of the largest Paraguayan diaspora concentrations in the United States, centered in Hudson and Union counties. Natural cultural connection already exists and can be formalized.

Pennsylvania Cities

Ciudades de Pensilvania

Chester, Pennsylvania is already our flagship. Additional Pennsylvania cities with Hispanic populations and international openness are being evaluated as second-phase targets.

New York Boroughs

Boroughs de Nueva York

Queens and the Bronx have established Paraguayan community organizations, prior cultural event history, and borough governments actively engaged in international exchange programs.

Virginia Cities

Ciudades de Virginia

Northern Virginia's rapid growth and international business community, combined with proximity to the University of Virginia partnership, makes this a strategic corridor for sister city development.

The Closing Principle / El Principio Final

"The door always opens with culture. The rest follows naturally."

"La puerta siempre se abre con la cultura. El resto sigue naturalmente."

Pro Paraguay USA is actively seeking U.S. cities and counties interested in establishing sister city relationships with Paraguayan departamentos. If your community has a Hispanic population, an interest in international partnerships, or simply a desire to connect with one of South America's most promising countries, we welcome the conversation.

Pro Paraguay USA está buscando activamente ciudades y condados estadounidenses interesados en establecer relaciones de ciudades hermanas con departamentos paraguayos. Si su comunidad tiene una población hispana, un interés en alianzas internacionales, o simplemente el deseo de conectarse con uno de los países más prometedores de América del Sur, agradecemos la conversación.

Is your city ready to build a bridge? / ¿Está su ciudad lista para construir un puente?

The Sister City Model