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In March 2004 New
Horizons, a colour glossy published in the UK, invited me to write an article about the work of the British Bureau. Since it gives the best detailed overview, here it is below. It all still applies in 2007---Patricia Kawaja, owner British Bureau.
The
British Bureau is a public relations/marketing business, focusing exclusively on
the British community in Florida: English, Scottish, Welsh
businesses or individuals. Established in 1991 by ex-Londoner Patricia Kawaja,
it fulfills three separate but interwoven roles: 1] As the Florida Association
of British Business office. 2] As the Florida office of Union Jack Newspaper 3]
Public/marketing relations work for clients needing to reach the British
community in Florida for various reasons.
The British Bureau
functions on many levels as a mini-British Consulate but much broader scope, little staff
and less money! A typical week is :
An American woman engaged to a
Jacksonville Brit phones me to get a real English wedding cake with marizipan. Another asks
where she can hire a real red London bus to drive guests to the Sarasota
reception. The British Consulate asks me to assist with British
business contacts here for an incoming UK trade mission and give a presentaion
about FABB.
I interview English actress Jane Seymour for Union Jack Newspaper.
I work with promoters Fantasma on publicising Rod Stewart's Florida shows.
I
get media tickets for Elton John's show at Miami's American Airlines arena.
An American man asks me how to sponsor his English wife's parents to emigrate here.
I
spend hours invoicing FABB members for annual renewal and Union Jack Newspaper
Florida accounts. I write more pages for the Bureau's hugely
popular website www.BritishFlorida.com
Through the British Bureau headhunting
service I locate British staff for American employers.
Or British
contestants for a BBC show.
In 1999, I was even asked by the top casting agent
in Hollywood to help find a British boy in the USA to play Harry Potter.
Mrs.
Julio Iglesias once phoned me to find an English nanny for the singer's children
in Miami.
I answer about 150 email enquiries a week from UK Brits trying to
emigrate here, a further avalanche of queries like Brits needing their passport
renewed, Americans asking how to emigrate to the UK or a myriad of other
British matters.
My Florida column for Union Jack Newspaper, focused on the activities of
its 500,000 strong British community takes 5 hours of research and writing each
month.
I organise, promote and run the British Network and Business Card
Exchange twice a month in Ft Lauderdale and Miami, for FABB members and guests
and on the publicity it always states A ROOMFUL OF BRITS IS NEVER DULL. It's
true and boosts attendance no end!
Several times a week I create and send out
the eBritNews to all the Brits in my database.
Recent ones invited Brits to The
British Invasion fundraiser in Palm Beach, the Beatles 40th anniversary tribute
show in Boca plus a trade email for the British Consulate's May 2004
Latin-American Conference.
I work a 60 hour week by multi-tasking and working
solo in my office with no interruptions.
How did the British Bureau start?
In 1990 while writing the South Florida column for the now
defunct Brit Magazine published in Kissimmee, I discovered the
growing British comunity in Ft. Lauderdale. From this work, I perceived a
need, a niche nobody was filling. I
realised that other newcomer Brits needed help, would enjoy social and business events to network with other birds of a feather,
need immigration advice and other services
geared to expats.
This would become my life's work-----helping and
promoting the British community in Florida. So I launched The British Bureau in 1991, creating the name and logo. It has been successful since day one, run as a one
woman business. Scores of newspaper and magazine articles, TV programmes have
since been written about my work with Florida's British Community.
FABB, the Florida
Association of British Business. In August 1997, with British
partner Mike Towner, I co-founded the Florida Association of British Business
[FABB], designing our logo, name and mission statement. In July 1999 we
dissolved [amicably] the partnership, and own and operate FABB alone. Am constantly swamped with applicants from UK,
the numbers swelling every year as apparent dissatisfaction with life in Tony
Blair's changing UK grows. Creating its marketing slogan Helping Brits
Make it in America, I built membership up from its original 20 to a current 450
with an associate network of thousands. FABB has members in every Florida city,
the UK, France and Span. Every member is British except our American medical
insurance agent. I work with UK-based Brits mainly to help them emigrate here
and established a team of experts to steer them through the whole arduous,
expensive and obstacle-fraught process. FABB also assists British professionals
already resident in Florida, organises meetings and events for them and markets
their businesses. We have British members and buisnessowners in all
professions, as you'll see by browsing through the FABB online directory on www.BritishFlorida.com I have so many
testimonials from thankful Brits, which I have started to archive to eventually
put on website. Those are what makes this infinite work worthwhile. My favourite,
framed on my office wall: November 3, 1996 Ft. Lauderdale. Indian man
phones me. HE: Patricia please. Oh hallo. I'm a cricket fan. I just called the
BBC in Miami , to ask how I could tune in my satellite dish to get their cricket
test match. The BBC told me: Call Patricia Kawaja. She knows
everything.
THE BRITISH BUREAU Marketing
services. The Bureau can access the British community for you, for
marketing, publicity services or employment headhunting services,since it has
the largest British contacts database in Florida. Sticking to my credo of
Helping Brits make it in America, the British
Bureau uses only British businesses and outsources work and jobleads only
to British professionals and FABB members. I work with the British
Consulate in Miami, am a local resource for them on UK trade missions,
information and sundry matters they refer to me. Many Brits call the
British Consulate on matters beyond their brief and Consulate staff get them out
of their hair by forwarding those requests to me, including the occasional
nutty Brit! People from all over Florida are referred to me if their
problem has a British thread. Nothing has stumped me, especially when their
call starts with "You are my last resort..." This week's example: Executive
chef of an exclusive private island resort phoned me to find out where he can
obtain a specific gourmet haggis for some visiting Scotsmen flying in from
Canada for a major lavish celebration.
The Website www.BritishFlorida.com.
I created, designed and launched this in June 2003 to provide a central
reference source for the British Bureau and provide a membership directory for
FABB members. I write and edit the whole website, which FABB's British webmaster
maintains. LOGOS: I designed the British Bureau logo, The FABB logo and the BritishFlorida.com logo. I create and write all marketing materials for my business, just giving the final execution of course to a printer or graphic artist.
----Patricia Kawaja, The British Bureau in Miami [305] 371-9340 
 ABOUT PATRICIA KAWAJA---by herself! Born In
Germany, raised in UK. German mother, English father. Lived in France.
Spent 5 years in Nassau Bahamas working for Bahamas Government at a
college there. [English language and literature tutor]. Had column on
the Bahamas national newspaper, the Nassau Guardian. Married an
American businessman who I met in Bahamas [NOT for a Green Card!]. He
brought me to USA as his wife. Have since divorced. We settled in Ft.
Lauderdale in 1988. Worked in my ex-husband's company until the
divorce, specialising in PR/Marketing. Became Vice-President of
Marketing. Took various PR courses here and became freelance writer for
Hallmark, American Greetings, Russ Berrie and 7 other greeting card
companies. American Greetings editors put me on their list of Top Ten
copywriters in USA. After the divorce, I was unemployed with 2 months
rent left in bank. I decided to keep husband's name Kawaja because it
was on my USA documents and articles since my arrival in USA. I had a
Green Card and a strong determination to Make it in America--[later the
marketing slogan I created for FABB. ]
Then a major turning point. In 1990, my Britpal Mike Corcoran, who was
with the Ft Lauderdale British-American Chamber of Commerce [now
defunct], handed me a copy of FLORIDA BRIT Newspaper. This was a
Florida imitation of the national Union Jack Newspaper. So I approached
Brit Magazine publishers and offered to be their South Florida
"office". From my Ft. Lauderdale 2 bedroom condo, with a computer, FAX
machine and photocopier all charged to my creditcard, I established a
home office. For the magazine, I wrote the British news column for
South Florida, handled advertising accounts and promoted the magazine.
Paid on commission only, no expenses paid, for a whole year I had to
survive on my wits to pay the bills. So I just got in my car and drove
everywhere locating every single British business in the area, giving
them copies of the paper, featuring them in my BritNews column and
selling them an ad. This was 1990-91 and there were  few
Brits in Ft Lauderdale. I worked so hard to pay the bills my weight
dropped to a bony 116 pounds. Current prosperity means my skinny days
are gone-----alas! From this pioneering work, I perceived a need, a
niche nobody was filling. I realised that other newcomer Brits needed
help, would enjoy social events to meet other Brits, immigration advice
and more.
This would become my life's work from 1991---helping and promoting the British community in Florida.
So The British Bureau was born in 1991. [I created the name and
designed the BB logo]. More----just highlights. Have had scores of
newspaper and magazine articles and TV programmes etc done about my
work. See more on other pages on this website.
- 1990 Hosted 2 radio shows at a Miami AM radio station: The British Breakfast Show and The Florida Welcome Show.
- 1992-----present: Florida Editor of Union Jack Newspaper national publication for the USA's British community
- Member British-American Chamber of Commerce since 1991,BACC Director 1992-95
- 1991-present: owner of British Bureau PR/Marketing business. Miami, which has the largest British database in Florida.
- September
1992: Established BritSingles...the Lovable Limeys Network. That later
became The British Network. Still organise the occasional soiree for
British Singles to meet each other. Many marriages and longterm
relationships have resulted, I'm pleased to say.
- Over 100 Florida TV appearances as spokesperson for local British community.
- Featured and was consultant on "Florida Folk" UK programme about successful Brits. (BBCI TV. Aug. 96.)
- Often
quoted as British source by Miami Herald, Sun-Sentinel, Sarasota
Herald-Tribune, Florida Trend Magazine, UK-USA magazine and other
publications.
- Became a US citizen in February 1996.
- In
August 1997, with British partner Mike Towner, founded the Florida
Association of British Business [FABB]. Designed FABB logo and F.A.B.B.
name. In July 1999 we dissolved [amicably] the partnership, so since
then I have run FABB myself.
- In June 2002, I moved to
Miami --the Magic City, seeking a more sophisticated lifestyle and a
new mission to raise the profile of Miami's considerable but ignored
British community.
- Education: London University [first
degree--French Language/Literature and Education]. Years later took
second Honours Degree from Leicester University in English Language/
Literature and Education/Psychology. Also got associate degree from
Royal College of Preceptors in London and few other academic
qualifications which are a FAT lot of good in Florida. 10 O Levels, 3 A
Levels and a one mile Hertfordshire school swimming certificate! Voted
the most popular teacher [out of 150 staff] in Nassau, Bahamas School I
taught at. Voted Most Beautiful Teacher [out of all 50 female staff] at
my Kettering, England I taught at. Other academic accolades too...won't
list here.
- In England I was Head of Modern Languages in a
London secondary school. Then took up promotion doing same in a
Kettering school---as sole female applicant, I beat out 57 male
applicants for Head of Department position--yessssss! Moved to Bahamas
in 1983. PERSONAL: Divorced, no children.
--Patricia Kawaja.
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About the BRITISH BUREAU 
