May the 30th, 2023 - The very first Croatian Infobip Shift conference across the pond in the US city of Miami has ended in success. This utterly remarkable domestic company has taken not only Croatia and the immediate region by storm, but the rest of the continent as well. It seems the United States of America is its next conquest for recognition.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the first Croatian Infobip Shift conference programme to take to US shores was opened by the talented and ever-innovative Silvio Kutic, the co-founder and executive director of Infobip.

The American Shift conference hosted an extremely diverse developer audience, and speakers from some of today's most prominent technology companies, as well as many of Infobip's North American partners. All of those involved in the organisation of the conference have confirmed a return to the US next year as well.

"The Croatian Infobip Shift conference here in Miami represents a significant step forward for Infobip on the American market, which is very important for us. Holding the conference on two continents in one year and the level of expressed interest from the audience have well and truly confirmed to us that the developer community recognises the quality of the conference", said Silvio Kutic.

Thematically speaking, the conference covered a wide range of topics of interest to the wider developer public, and will no doubt do exceptionally well in further positioning the truly innovative Croatian company Infobip on the demanding American market.

For more on Croatian companies, innovation and entrepreneurs, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

May the 28th, 2023 - The Maksim Mrvica North American tour concluded in New York City on Saturday. This was otherwise the first North American tour by the renowned Croatian classical crossover pianist who enjoys international recognition.

New Yorkers, including a lot of Croatian Americans and their friends, enjoyed an evening of unforgettable music as virtuoso pianist repeatedly caused stormy ovations from the cheering audience. New York concert took place in the United Palace, which is Manhattan’s 4th largest theatre featuring a distinctly unique fusion of decorative styles and symbolic motifs.

Maksim, who has made a famous name and reputation over the last two decades with his curated collection of crossover performances, started his North American tour on May 17^th in Vancouver, followed by concerts on May 19^th in Toronto, May 23^rd in Seattle, and May 25^th in Chicago.

With a crossover show, 'The Collection' showcased the greatest hits of all time by Coldplay, John Legend, and Queen, themes from movies like Godfather, Pirates of the Caribbean, Game of Thrones, some classical masterpieces by Liszt and Chopin along with the biggest pieces from his previous ten albums like Flight of the Bumblebee, Exodus and many more. Maksim performed with his full band and brought to North American audience a dazzling, overwhelming performance.

After a pause of almost 3 years, he started the world tour ‘The Collection’, which began in Australia in September last year, followed by tours in Asia, Europe, and in North America. It’s been more than 20 years since he started to play crossover music. During these years he has recorded 10 studio albums and with this tour ‘The Collection’ he has chosen some of his most popular and famous pieces to perform together with the band, all around the world. When performing crossover shows, he uses the opportunity to play one or two pieces from his classical repertoire. For this tour, Maksim has chosen Liszt Ballade No.2.

Maksim was born in Šibenik, Croatia, and has received numerous accolades for his music, including an MTV Award and a double-platinum album. He is currently in the process of recording a new album. He has already recorded a new song and now work on choosing and recording some new pieces for his next album, which is expected to be released by the mid of 2024.

May the 28th, 2023 - On Thursday, Congressman Dave Joyce (Republican, OH-14) announced the relaunch of the Congressional Croatian Caucus for the 118^th Congress of the USA. Rep. Joyce will serve as the Co-Chair of the Caucus alongside Rep. Nanette D. Barragan (Democrat, CA-44) and Vice Chairs Rep. Claudia Tenney (Republican, NY-24) and Rep. Dan Kildee (Democrat, MI-08). 

Rep. David P. Joyce | Rep. David P. Joyce Official Website

The bipartisan Congressional Croatian Caucus promotes bilateral cultural exchange between the USA and Croatia, seeking to expand the important friendship between our two nations by highlighting our shared values, engaging in cross cultural cooperation, and advancing business and trade opportunities across the Atlantic.

“Northeast Ohio is home to roughly 15,000 Americans whose primary ancestry is Croatian, representing the fourth largest concentration of Croatians in the United States,” said Rep. Joyce. “Today, Croatian Americans continue to make critical contributions to our community, strengthening our state. I am proud to co-chair this caucus and look forward to working with my colleagues to advocate for the Croatian community.”

“San Pedro is considered the heart of the Croatian American community in Los Angeles and home to the largest Croat population on the West Coast. I am honored to represent such a strong community that has contributed to the vibrancy and development of California’s 44^th Congressional District in Congress,” said Rep. Barragán. “I am proud to relaunch the Congressional Croatian Caucus as its Co-chair with my colleagues and will continue to advocate for the interests of the Croatian community in my district.”

“With its rich history, vibrant culture, and strategic location, Croatia plays a vital role in the region and beyond,” said Rep. Tenney. “Croatia holds a special place in my heart, and I am honored to be named Vice Chair of this caucus alongside my colleagues. By re-establishing the Congressional Croatian Caucus, we aim to strengthen the ties that bind our two nations, promote cooperation in various areas of mutual interest, and foster a deeper relationship between the U.S. and Croatia. Together, we will work to promote the welfare and interests of Croatians while providing a voice for the vibrant Croatian diaspora.”

“Croatia is an incredible partner and ally with the United States, and Croatian Americans have made incredible contributions to our country,” said Rep, Dan Kildee. “In Congress, I will continue to look for ways to strengthen the relationship between Croatia and the United States.”

“The Croatian American community is very grateful that so many congressional members belong to our caucus and are interested in issues that affect the Republic of Croatia and the Southeast Europe region. We especially want to thank the four leaders of our caucus led by Rep. David Joyce (OH) and Rep. Nanette Barragan (CA) and with newly added Vice-Chairs Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY) and Rep. Dan Kildee (MI) for their support of this congressional coalition,” said Steve Rukavina, President of the National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

March the 12th, 2023 - TCN New York correspondent Srecko Mavrek, a man born in Varazdin who has spent his time living, studying and working around the world, gains recognition for his promotion of Croatian culture abroad.

Last week in Bad Homburg, Germany, the winners of the 17th Vecernjak’s selection of the most popular Croats in the diaspora were announced in the categories of sport, music, acting and showbiz for the 2023 Vecernjakova Domovnica Award. This year’s “Vecernji list” newspaper awards ceremony was also held under the sponsorship of the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and the Croatian Heritage Foundation.

Srecko Mavrek, TCN correspondent from New York and one of the hosts of Croatian Radio New York "Voice of Free Croatia", also received special recognition.

Srecko Mavrek was born in Varaždin in 1969, and his origin is from Ivanec. He studied in Zagreb, Pecs, Graz and New York, and was one of the prominent student leaders at the University of Zagreb, where he was elected to the presidency of the Student Union and served as a representative for the social-humanistic-theological field in the university senate.

Before leaving for the USA, he worked as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Udine in Italy, the Karl-Franz University of Graz in Austria, the University of Augsburg in Germany and the University of Pécs in Hungary. He currently works as a swimming and physical education teacher for the New York City Department of Education.

He is also an adjunct lecturer at Hostos Community College, the City University of New York. As an internationally recognised expert in education, he was the official representative of the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education at the United Nations Department for Global Communications.

He received several prestigious professional awards and recognitions, such as the 2016 President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Community Leadership Award. Mavrek sings tenor in the well-known New York klapa Astoria, which became famous by performing the American national anthem at the Croatian Heritage Night in Madison Square Garden on January 11, 2019. In Science of Music, he composes folk and world music and plays various instruments. He is also a correspondent for the Croatian Information Agency (HIA).

Srecko Mavrek is a highly respected Croatian lobbyist and promoter of Croatian national heritage and culture in America and around the world. For this reason, last Sunday he received one more recognition from the American-Croatian Congress at a ceremony held at the famous Dubrovnik restaurant in New Rochelle, New York, owned by Zeljko Tomic from the island of Lopud.

The ceremony was preceded by the premiere of the HRT documentary "Ana Mljecka", which promotes Croatia, the island of Mljet and the Mljet National Park around the world, and is dedicated to the traditional way of life on the Adriatic and the Croatian islands, showing the cultural heritage of the island through the biographical story of Ana Strazicic Rodriguez, a well-known Croatian expatriate who has been living and working in America for decades.

During his speech at the award ceremony, Srecko Mavrek thanked the entire American-Croatian Congress, which recognised his contribution to the Croatian community in New York, and he also said that it was a really great honor for him personally to be among other award winners such as Jere Kursar, Zvonko Crnogorac and all others who for many years have been contributing to the promotion and reputation of Croatia and the Croatian community in New York and New Jersey with their voluntary and humanitarian work.

As a respected member and journalist of the American-Croatian Congress, he also announced that after this recognition, he will become even more involved in a series of projects at the local community level and globally.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

February 8, 2023 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic announced on Tuesday the continuation of the strengthening of relations between Croatia and the USA, especially in the Global Entry program after visas for Croatian citizens to enter the USA were abolished, assessing that Croatia has become the most reliable American partner in the region.

As 24Sata writes, visiting the business breakfast of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCam), Bozinovic assessed that the strengthening of relations with the United States of America fell into the background in the public space but that the process of cancelling visas was demanding and conducted in parallel with the entry into Schengen.

From October 23, 2021, Croatians can travel to the United States without a visa by applying to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for tourist and business trips of up to 90 days.

"Not only did we enter the list of countries whose citizens no longer need a visa to enter the USA, but we also entered the privileged club of only a few European countries that will be part of the Global Entry program," said Bozinovic.

The Global Entry program is a program of the US government that allows pre-approved travellers from countries with the highest level of trust to quickly clear customs upon arrival in the US, explained Bozinovic.

"The program will help those who travel often, and it means a lot in terms of reputation at the state level as well," he said.

He emphasized that it was this "invitation letter" for entry into the Global Entry program that helped with the completion of negotiations and entry into Schengen and that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is connected daily in real time with institutions such as the FBI, the US Border and Customs Agency and the Ministry of Homeland Security, through the program of tracking passengers in the airspace.

He pointed out that Croatia concluded agreements with 190 airlines whose planes arrive or depart from Croatian airports in only a year and a half and that it signed 14 international agreements with the USA.

Croatia has positioned itself as the most reliable partner of the USA in this part of Europe, said Bozinovic.

The executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce, Andrea Doko Jelušić, said that last year had brought outstanding achievements for the business community, important for the business community, such as entry into Schengen and the introduction of a practically visa-free regime with the USA.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.

February the 2nd, 2023 - The Croatian Highlander brand has done excellently on the demanding American market, with five events this year alone across the pond in the USA.

As Ana Blaskovic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, many might have knocked on it, but very few have actually managed to successfully open the door to the challenging and fast-paced American market. That's why the fact that the obstacles in the trek ''across the pond'' are being unstoppably demolished by a group of innovative mountaineers from the Slavonian Plain is so astonishing. With the now very well known Croatian Highlander brand, they have created a global business in as many as twenty countries - from nothing but a love of nature and mountaineering.

After breaking the ice last year with their very first event in Big Bear Lake, California, this year they, the Croatian Highlander brand is organising five hiking events from the west to the east coast of the expansive USA.

"Our main goal is to conquer the American market, we're proud that the very first American Highlander was done in San Bernardino County, California, one of the most regulated countries for business in the USA," stated Jurica Barac, the executive director of Avantura zivota (The adventure of your life), the company behind of this wildly successful brand.

The rapid growth of the Croatian Highlander brand is also reflected in their number of employees, which has grown from seven to an impressive thirty in the last year and a half alone. The story of the Croatian Highlander brand began as a local hiking adventure more than six years ago. Fascinated by the rugged and imposing beauty of Velebit, a group of enthusiasts created an adventure that combines the natural beauty of those mountains and the ultimate long-distance hiking experience - Highlander Velebit.

"Five days in the mountains with no phone signal, with nothing but your backpack on your back and 100 kilometres of trail ahead of you. No suits, no stress, everything is up to you - it's a total 'reset' for the head. To put it bluntly, you feel as you once did as a child; dirty, under the stars, free, carefree... For people, it's a dopamine hit in a healthy way," they stated.

The success behind Highlander is a consequence of the wave of turning to a healthier life and escaping out into nature that has been strong as a human desire for the last ten years. Although when it comes to the Croatian national level, the statistics on obesity are devastating (two-thirds of Croatian adults are overweight), the number of people who play sports of some kind has grown tremendously in this country as well. This is reflected in the registrations for Highlander Velebit, which grow year after year, with last year having more than 650 participants.

In a short time, this Croatian mountaineering adventure crossed local and regional borders, and coronavirus pandemic restrictions provided an unexpected spring in their step. In the year 2020, dominated by the novel coronavirus, the rights for the event were sold in a number of countries. With that, the Croatian Highlander brand really came to life, and in addition to Croatia, on 12 mountains in Austria, Greece, Portugal, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Spain, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, the idea was born.

That was the moment when the company began to think about a further business step forward, searching for a fund or a bank that would finance their expansion. The choice, unexpectedly, fell on a strategic partner, the world's leading event brand Spartan Race, which became a global partner back during the summer of 2021. That investment amounted to more than one million dollars for a 20 percent ownership stake. It marked a turning point for Highlander and a key recipe for their entry to the USA.

"The American market is highly specific, you need a strong partner, otherwise everything takes a long time and the costs overwhelm you. Americans like to be sold things by Americans, be it a product or a service. Everyone advertises their products as the best, that's marketing, so it's extremely important that what you offer has a story behind it, especially if it's sustainable. "Sustainability" is now a hit among consumers there," they explained.

Highlander's target audience is very specific; athletes, recreationists and enthusiasts who love being out in nature and destressing by pushing their own physical limits. Managers and politicians are often found among them, such as Gordan Kolak (Koncar), Damir Djurovic (of the video game fair Reboot Infogamer), and former minister Josip Aladrovic have all passed through gorgeous Velebit several times, and allegedly in enviable physical form.

The franchise for the Italian Highlander was bought by the former leader of the Giro d'Italia. American consumers, noted Barac, are very engaged, they read reviews, ask and check, because compared to Croatia's typical three or four weeks of annual time off, the average American only has eleven days off and they want to make the most of them.

Armed with plans and with the help of Spartan Race, last year they organised the Big Bear Lake Highlander event with more than 250 participants from 31 states turning up, and some even came down to California from Canada as well.

"It's easier to work in the USA, the way a job looks is a big deal there, what kind of numbers you have counts for a lot and making sure the maths holds water is important. At first, everyone is skeptical, especially of someone who comes from Eastern Europe, but when you do what you promised you'd do, the door is swung open for you," Barac said.

"Given the positive feedback we had, we decided to put our feet to the pedal this year and arrange five events. Big Bear Lake remains the flagship event, and in 2023, North Lake Tahoe in California, Ogden in Utah, Kalispell in Montana and Shawangunk in New York are all on the calendar," stated Barac.

They carry out the entire organisation process themselves, and one event takes about six months to set up on average. While the overall impression is that the USA is more open to entrepreneurial ideas like these, that doesn't mean it's easy to wade through the paperwork involved. Environmental protection, for example, is very high on the list of priorities of the local authorities.

"You need to secure a number of permits, for example, a botanist went out into the field where we planned the trail to determine if there could be any threats to the flora there, if there is a risk of fire etc, there are a lot of little details like that to take into account," he said. The costs of the organisation rose to about half a million dollars in total, and most of it was covered by the registration fees for the 500 or so participants at an average of around 650 dollars each. Their sponsors and the local tourist board also gave their share, but at Highlander, they look at that amount as an investment in breaking into a new market.

This year's events, from mid-August to mid-October, are now all planned. The investors, including Barac himself and former minister Ivan Vrdoljak, invested over one million euros in the company, and last year's revenue roughly amounted to that amount as well. This year's finances reflect their expansion with a planned income of three million euros.

The global partnership with Spartan Race, whose events are attended by 1.5 million participants annually, and the cooperation with this Croatian company was evaluated as an opportunity to expand their "tough fitness" portfolio to include mountaineering. It brings them into Croatia as well. In Sveta Nedelja near Samobor, a Spartan Race will be held, races with obstacles (such as crossing a net, fire or mud), and a large Spartan trail event is planned on the rugged hill above Dubrovnik for October 2023.

"We intend to do 70% of our business over in the USA, that's our target market. Not only because they do good work there, but because their feedback is extremely good. We already have 150 applications for this year, our goal is to reach between 1,500 and 2,000 participants", Barac explained in an optimistic tone. In two or three years, he can see the Croatian Highlander brand becoming even more global and being present in 45 countries.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

January 15, 2023 - After losing to Egypt on Friday, Croatia found their rhythm and beat the USA 40:22 in the second match of the 2023 World Handball Championship.

Croatia was after their first victory against the USA in Group G of the World Handball Championship on Sunday in Sweden. Recall Croatia lost to Egypt in the first round on Friday 22:31. 

The USA defeated Morocco 28:27 on Friday to earn its first World Championship win, breaking their 25-game losing streak.

Before tonight's game, Croatia played one match against the USA at the World Championship, in 2001 in France, when they won (41:12).

Losing to Egypt did not threaten Croatia's chance for a spot in the second round of this competition, but it made the path to the quarter-finals a bit more difficult, which was the first goal of this new Croatia team.

Josip Šarac was in the lineup for tonight's match, while Zvonimir Srna watched the match from the stands. 

Match recap

The USA did not take advantage of their first attack, but Croatia did. Karačić scored for 1:0. Blanco leveled the score for 1:1 in the 3rd minute. 

Musa scored after a nice assist from Šarac. Ian Hueter scored, but Šarac quickly countered. The USA took the lead at 4:3 in the 6th minute. 

Musa made it 4:4 two minutes later. After goals from Jelinić, Šarac, Glavaš, and Karačić, it was 9:5 for Croatia in the 12th minute. And it was 12:5 for Croatia in the 14th minute. 

After a few goals from the USA, it was 13:7 for Croatia in the 17th minute. Glavaš scored a penalty for 14:7 in the 19th minute. 

Jelinić scored for 15:7 in the 22nd minute. In the 26th minute, Šarac made it 17:8. Cindrić scored his first goal of the game in the 29th minute. 

The first half ended 20:10 for Croatia. 

A nice play and goal by Karačić opened the second half. Šarac scored his 5th goal of the game in the 34th minute and scored again for 25:12 in the 36th minute. 

Mihićev scored his first goal of the game one minute later. Karačić scored his 5th goal in the 43rd minute for +15 - 30:15.

With 10 minutes to go, Croatia was up 32:18. 

Karačić scored for 33:18 in the 52nd minute. With this result, Croatia has mathematically secured their spot in the second round. 

With five minutes to go, Croatia led 37:20. 

And with a minute left, it was 39:22 for Croatia. Mihić scored the final goal for the game for 40:22. 

Croatia's next game is against Morocco on Tuesday, January 17, at 20:30. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

December the 8th, 2022 - Croatian innovator Albert Gajsak's product, which is made right here in Croatia, has ended up across the pond on the shelves of American stores.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, young Croatian innovator Albert Gajsak of Circuitmess was a recent guest on N1 television where he talked about breaking into the challenging American market of educational toys. This rather remarkable entrepreneur explained how his Croatian product ended up on the shelves of one of the largest US retail chains of all - Walmart.

"We produce electronic devices that serve to educate children, such as legos with electronics. So, people receive it when it's disassembled and have to put the toy back together, while the children get to learn something about electronics along the way," explained Gajsak.

One of the products that will be on shelves across the USA is Cheter. "It's a set of devices that look like small mobile phones, through which children can send messages to each other, but in doing so they create their own "network" while the kids learn a thing or two about encryption," stated Gajsak. When parents buy it for them, it comes in parts and then the children have to put it together themselves.

"The children can exchange messages between two or more devices and connect to a chat group. But the point is that it can be connected to a computer and programmed, which is what our application (app) exists for," he said.

Croatian innovator Albert Gajsak produces his devices right here at home in Croatia, and said that it's great that he not only produces it here, but also designs the hardware, software, appearance and packaging within Croatian borders as well, making it a true Croatian-made product.

He explained how Walmart contacted him during a campaign, adding that it took three years to assemble so many devices to enter the American market and explained that he had to solve a lot of administration issues and logistical problems in order to be able to place the product successfully on the American market.

"It's interesting to note that our campaign was covered by numerous American media such as Forbes, and that's probably when they saw our product in Walmart, which caught their attention," explained the talented Croatian innovator Albert Gajsak.

"The whole point of our brand is that we create different electronic devices that teach children about all kinds of different topics, from wireless communication, computer vision and so on," he explained, adding that the plan is now to continue cooperation with Walmart. The US retail price is otherwise, $99, a price recommended by Walmart itself.

He explained that they manage to withstand the shortage of chips and semiconductors on the market and added that the problem is, as it is with most other companies at this moment in time, finding labour.

"It's always difficult to find people who are professional, hardworking and want to work, but we do manage somehow. The best thing is that we have full creative control over the production process. From the idea to the final product itself, it's all our own,'' noted Gajsak, who added that he tries to be competitive with the wages he pays his staff in order to attract good employees.

For more, check out our business section.

October the 5th, 2022 - The Croatian Highlander brand which started right here in Croatia and refers to itself as the ''Adventure of a lifetime'' and a ''global series of long-distance hiking events which will take you on hikes to some of the most iconic mountains'' has crossed the pond.

This Croatian-made event which centres around physical fitness and giving yourself a true challenge has taken many countries by storm, and now it has headed across the Atlantic Ocean and found a home in the United States of America as well, marking an important step forward for the brand.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Mladen Miletic writes, the Croatian Highlander brand, which is already very well known among walkers and hikers now, entails mountain adventures which aim to connect man and untouched nature. As touched on above, it has already very successfully managed to spread to fifteen countries around the world, and for the first time it was successfully held on the trails of the stunning Big Bear Lake located in the mountainous region of Southern California.

The first arrival of the Croatian Highlander brand in the wild and beautiful nature of the United States was marked by the performance of 260 participants in sections of 60, 30 and 15 miles. Many brought of these keen hikers had their dogs join them on the walk, the youngest participant was a seven-month-old baby, and the oldest was a 65-year-old woman who managed to hike the 60-mile-long trail in a five-day adventure.

"The United States of America is the world's largest outdoor market and our arrival here is a major milestone for the brand and the fulfillment of our wishes," said Highlander CEO Jurica Barac. The next adventure is scheduled for October the 28th 2022 much, much closer to home on Zagreb's Medvednica.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Made in Croatia brand.

October the 1st, 2022 - Relics of the former Yugoslavia still stand despite the fact that that era has long since been over, one of those relics is the luxurious former Yugoslavian Consulate building in New York City, which has now been sold off. Croatia, as a former socialist Yugoslav republic turned independent state, is owed a cut.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, a luxurious villa on sparkling Fifth Avenue in the heart of New York that once served as the embassy of the former Yugoslavia has now been sold, Dnevnik reports.

The sale of the former Yugoslavian Consulate building on Fifth Avenue in New York was reported by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and according to the succession agreement, part of the money made from the sale is set to go to the Republic of Croatia as a former republic which belonged to the now defunct Yugoslavia.

The luxurious three-story building on Fifth Avenue in question was built back at the beginning of the last century was sold for fifty million euros, and the Republic of Croatia should get a cut of the sale amounting to little more than eleven million euros.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business and politics sections.