01 June 2016 – In a bid to highlight the IT-BPM sector and create linkages with US companies in the New England states, Philippine Consul General to New York Mario De Leon, Jr. accompanied by Economic Officer Felipe Carino III, met with Topologe CEO Alejandro “Ali” Sarmiento at the latter’s office in Burlington, MA.
Topologe is a fast-growing IT consultancy company providing technical support and management solutions to US government agencies in areas spanning technical and engineering services, total information assurance, and business management. Recently, Topologe was awarded the Inc. 5000 for being one of the top 5000 private-owned companies in the US. Mr. Sarmiento is a Filipino-American who started the company in 2002 alongside his business partner and wife, Margie. Both of them are BS Mathematics graduates of the University of the Philippines, with Ali proceeding to get his MS in Computer Science and MBA from Boston University.
During discussions, Consul General De Leon gave a presentation on the background and demographics of the more than 3.4 million Filipino-American in the US of which 340,000 live in the US Northeast. He observed that many Filipinos in the US Northeast have branched out to high-growth and highly-specialized areas such as IT, healthcare and biomedicine. Meanwhile, the Philippine economy, growing an average of 6.2% for the past 64 quarters, is well-positioned to take advantage of opportunities in the global market, including the IT-BPM sector which is a growth driver of the PH economy, generating 1.3 million jobs and $22 billion revenues to date, he added.
Mr. Sarmiento welcomed the visit of Consul General De Leon and said that Topologe is open to working with the Philippines and that it has gained experience in the public sector working in USAID-funded projects and handling US government contracts. The company is looking closely at opportunities in Subic, which is attractive because of its business climate. He advised Filipino entrepreneurs to study the US minority program for businesses which gives a leg up for ethnic minority-owned businesses in terms of attractive offers and preferential treatment in some contracts.
Consul General De Leon conveyed that he is pleased with the success of Topologe and agreed with the company’s plan to promote the improvement of public high school education, particularly in the provinces of the Philippines, in preparation for the ASEAN Economic Community which will open the service sectors in the ASEAN region to skilled workers. Topologe can also take the lead among Filipino businesses in the New England states to come together in cooperation to share best practices and think of ways to contribute to the improvement of the Philippines, he added.
The Consulate General conducts outreach to Fortune 500 companies and rising corporate institutions in order to enhance economic diplomacy efforts and promote Philippine trade and investment and Filipino-American businesses in the US Northeast. In pursuit of this mandate, the Consulate General taps local community resources, Filcom members and entrepreneurs, Phil-Am Chambers of Commerce, which serve as important resources and provide assistance and critical information. END