Our History
A group of businessmen interested in the development and expansion of trade relations between the United States and Venezuela, and dedicated to the Pan American ideal, met on the 9th day of July 1936 at the India House on Hanover Square in downtown New York. The purpose of their meeting was to form a nonprofit organization pursuant to the Membership Corporation Law of the State of New York which they named the Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce of the United States, Incorporated.
John L. Merrill was chosen as President, Herman G. Brock, Carlos A. Scholtz, and James S. Carson were elected Vice Presidents, and Amos B. Foy,Treasurer.
The first Board of Directors was made up as follows:
| Carlos Adrianza C. | Adrianza & Co. |
| Herman G. Brock | Guaranty Trust Co. of New York |
| James S. Carson | American Foreign Power Co. |
| Fred De Sola | De Sola Brothers |
| Amos B. Foy | Chemical Bank and Trust Co. |
| H.E. Henneman | The National City Bank of New York |
| G. Hintz | Wessels, Kulenkampff & Co. |
| John L. Merrill | All America Cables |
| W.S. Morrison | U.S. Steel Products Corp. |
| Hendrick S. Muller | Royal Netherlands S.S. Co. |
| F.W. Nichol | International Business Machines Corp. |
| Pedro R. Rincones | Atlas Trading Corporation |
| M.V. Rodríguez Llamozas | Federated Metals Division |
| M.M. Upson | Raymond Concrete Pile Co. |
| Carlos A. Scholtz | Scholtz & Co. |
| Louis M. Vidal | Krajewski Pesant Manufacturing Corp. |
| Evan E. Young | Pan American Airways System |
At the 39th Annual Meeting held May 28, 1975, the members voted to change the name of the chamber to Venezuelan American Association of the United States, Incorporated, to reflect more accurately its present-day activities and purposes.
Past Presidents
Over the years our Presidents have provided leadership and inspiration, contributing to the prestige and the growth of our organization. We are grateful to them for their vision and their hard work, and we are proud to recognize them below:
| John L. Merrill | All America Cables | 1936-1938 |
| Herman G. Brock | Guaranty Trust Company | 1938-1940 |
| Chester R. Dewey | Grace National Bank | 1940-1941 |
| Maxwell M. Upson | Raymond Concrete Pile Co. | 1941-1943 |
| Thomas W. Palmer | Standard Oil Co. of N.J. | 1943-1945 |
| C.W. Hamilton | Venezuela Gulf Oil Co. | 1945-1946 |
| M.V. Rodríguez Llamosas | Federated Metals | 1946-1948 |
| Godfrey MacDonald | Grace Line, Inc. | 1948-1952 |
| Lloyd G. Smith | Creole Petroleum Corp. | 1952-1957 |
| Robert R. Ellis | Frederick Snare Corp. | 1957-1958 |
| Ralph E. Kimpel | Guaranty Trust Company | 1958-1959 |
| Godfrey MacDonald | Grace Line, Inc. | 1959-1960 |
| J.J. Dempsey | Armor Products, Inc. | 1960-1961 |
| G.A. O’Connor | Raymond International Inc. | 1961-1963 |
| Norman Maxon | Grace Line, Inc. | 1963-1966 |
| Francis E. Grimes | Chase Manhattan Bank | 1966-1967 |
| Frank De Sola | De Sola Brothers, Inc. | 1967-1969 |
| William J. Paden | Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co. | 1969-1972 |
| Pedro M. Rincones | Creole Petroleum Corp. | 1972-1977 |
| Gilberto M. Rincón | Zoom International Courier, Inc. | 1977-1985 |
| Kevin Corrigan | Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. | 1985-1988 |
| Robert Y. Stebbings | Marks & Murase | 1988-1994 |
| Dean D. Bishop | Empresas Polar | 1994-1996 |
| Alfredo J. González | Banco Unión, C.A. | 1996-2007 |