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Enterprise Florida to lead first-ever Service Export Trade Mission to Brazil

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Enterprise Florida will lead its first-ever Service Export Trade Mission to Sao Paulo, Brazil, from June 23 – 27, 2018. The mission will allow Florida small and mid-sized professional, transportation and financial service providers to meet with pre-qualified Brazilian companies and market their services. Brazil is Florida’s largest trade partner with bilateral trade of $19.8 billion in 2017, an increase of 9.4 percent over 2016.

“This is a new and innovative type of mission for us as it allows eligible Florida businesses to showcase their services,” said Manny Mencia, senior vice president of international trade and development for Enterprise Florida. “The Brazilian services sector accounts for two-thirds of their GDP and employs more than 65 percent of the country’s workforce. As the biggest sector in the country, services represent an excellent opportunity for Florida companies.”

Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America and the eighth largest economy in the world. It is ranked as the United States’ tenth-largest export market. With their strong preference for doing business with Florida, service providers are ideally positioned for growth.

The industries listed below provide the best opportunities for Florida’s service sector companies to do business with Brazil. Other opportunities available may not be listed. If your industry is not mentioned below, please contact us for a no-obligation assessment:

  • Accelerators, Incubators, Innovation Companies
  • Agribusiness Services
  • Architecture & Engineering Services
  • Aviation & Aerospace Services
  • Commercial Real Estate
  • Education & Training
  • Environmental
  • Financial Services
  • Information & Communication Technology & Software
  • Insurance
  • Legal Services
  • Logistics/Transport/Warehousing
  • Marketing/Advertising
  • Medical Services
  • Safety & Security Services
  • Tax & Auditing
  • Telecommunications Services
  • Travel & Tourism

Participation Option:

As part of EFI’s Gold Key Package, participants will have the opportunity to take advantage of the unparalleled trade facilitation services provided by the U.S. Commercial Service (USCS) in Sao Paulo. The USCS offers a variety of products and services designed to facilitate U.S. exports and foreign direct investment opportunities and will coordinate all one-on-one Gold Key Service appointments for this mission.

The U.S. Commercial Service will schedule one-on-one appointments with pre-screened Brazilian companies that have expressed an interest in the services of Florida companies in attendance. Gold Key participation will be limited to Florida service companies that best meet the participation criteria.

Selection of these firms will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Final selection will be determined by the U.S. Commercial Service Officer after the application is reviewed to ensure market suitability. The price of this service is $1,300 for the first company representative. Additional company representatives will be charged a $500 fee. This option is limited to 25 companies.

Florida service companies that best meet the participation criteria may qualify for a Gold Key Grant, which will offset 100 percent of the Matchmaking Registration fee for the first company representative. A separate application process will be required for this grant.

The Gold Key registration deadline is April 27, 2018. To register, please contact: Carlos Guerra | [email protected] | (305) 808-3590 or Joseph Bell |[email protected] | (813) 276-9430.

EFI maintains an extensive schedule of overseas trade missions and exhibitions worldwide. In Fiscal Year 2016-17, more than 500 small and mid-sized Florida businesses reported $738 million in total export sales following EFI international events.

Florida Poly seeks joint opportunities in Brazil

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A Florida Polytechnic University delegation is in Brazil this week looking to build strategic alliances with universities and high-tech companies in South America’s largest country.

The contingent includes Dr. Randy K. Avent, president of Florida Poly, Shahram Taj, professor of logistics and supply chain management, Dr. Mustafa Ilhan Akbas, professor of computer science, and Mustapha Achoubane, associate director of international students.

Brazil is one of the largest emerging economies in the world, according to a report from Forbes magazine, and is driven by extensive industrial, engineering and technological sectors.

During the seven-day trip, the Florida Poly contingent will interact with more than 2,000 engineering students to highlight the university’s programs and will also connect with international research centers and educators in order to join forces for future research collaboration.

“We look forward to strengthening our ties in Brazil through key partnerships with high-tech industry leaders and other universities that will increase international opportunities for our students,” said Avent. “This trip will enable us to develop strategic relationships between faculties.”

The delegation will meet with the founder and other top leaders at Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that provides aeronautical services and produces commercial, military, executive and agricultural aircraft. The main goal is to explore manufacturing connections between the company and the university, as well as potential project funding.

They will also visit two universities in Sao Paulo – FACENS and FIAP — that focus mainly on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines. They will discuss a variety of topics including programs for graduate students, joint venture research, the diverse education models in the U.S., and the uniqueness of Florida Poly.

Avent and Akbas will be panelists at FIAP alongside leaders from IBM, Microsoft and Oracle, to talk about how artificial intelligence will impact every industry. Taj will be a guest speaker at FACENS, where he will discuss the effects of big data analytics in the global supply chain.

“This visit is a golden opportunity for Florida Poly, and for us as faculty, to be able to develop a rich collaboration with Brazil in academia, as well as in industry,” said Taj.

Fulbright scholar from Brazil visiting Flagler College to study Deaf Education program

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Dr. Margaret Finnegan with Fulbright visiting scholar Dr. Maraisa Lopes

For the first time ever, Flagler College is hosting a Fulbright scholar. Dr. Maraisa Lopes, from the Federal University of Piaui Teresina, Brazil, is working with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program in the Education Department to study differences between Brazilian and American higher education experiences in the field.
She is working closely with Professor Dr. Margaret Finnegan, Deaf Education coordinator — from now until June and again in the fall — to examine teacher education experiences, which include the structure and impact of student practicums, coursework, curriculum, internships, testing practices and state and federal standards. The aim of the cross-cultural collaboration is to share expertise and improve deaf and hard of hearing programs.
“Dr. Lopes is a consummate professional, asking questions and making observations about our program that prompt me to reflect on my practice and our course of study,” Finnegan said. “This has been an unexpected benefit, encouraging me to look at our D/HH program and to view our courses with an eye on how we might improve them.”
Lopes received a Fulbright “Junior Faculty Member Award” from the organization’s Core Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, which provides grants to 800 faculty and professionals from around the world for advanced research and university lecturing in the United States.
The Brazilian scholar said she chose Flagler as a host site for two reasons: place and people.
“I was looking for a university with a long history of experience in the deaf education field,” Lopes said. “Other universities in the U.S. could have offered that, but then I came upon Dr. Finnegan’s name. She is very involved in the deaf community, and leads a deaf education program.”
Flagler College, she concluded, was the right place.
As part of her studies, Lopes is currently observing and examining various elements of Flagler’s teacher education program. One of the difference she’s already noticed is the emphasis on practical experience at Flagler, and the benefits it offers students. When she returns to Brazil this summer, she will administer a questionnaire to her colleagues and students at Federal University in Piaui to gauge their experience in their teacher education program. When she returns to Flagler in the fall, she will do the same and compare the results of both groups in a final report.
In addition to research and collaboration, the Fulbright grant has encouraged cross-cultural exchange.
“This kind of program is really good because beyond having a project, having people from different cultures and places interact is really important,” Lopes said.
Finnegan agreed. “I believe Fulbright scholars can bring not only their knowledge and skill, but also energy, intellectual curiosity and new cultural perspectives,” she said. “It is a very real benefit to our department and to the college. We are so fortunate to have Dr. Lopes. I am learning from her every day.”
The Fulbright Scholar Program oversees the visiting scholar program and is organized by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.