Florida Governor Crist Tours Embraer Headquarters In Brazil

By newsdesk - Posted on November 8th, 2007

Discusses aviation industry and future investments in Florida

November 7, 2007 -- RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On the one-year anniversary of his election, Florida Governor Charlie Crist today toured the Embraer headquarters in São Jose Dos Campos and met with Embraer Air president and chief executive officer Frederico Curado. Embraer is the world’s third largest manufacturer of commercial jets and one of Brazil’s leading export companies. The visit is part of a five-day trade and economic development mission, during which the Governor will meet with Brazil’s top business leaders and senior government officials.

“Embraer is one of the world’s leading producers in the aviation industry, and I am honored to tour their facilities and learn from their successes,” said Governor Crist. “I look forward to strengthening their presence in Florida.”

Later in the day, Governor Crist will travel to Rio de Janeiro where he will meet with business executives. The goal of the meeting is to identify strategies for expanding trade opportunities with businesses in Rio de Janeiro. Later this week, Governor Crist will also meet with business leaders in Argentina and Chile.

About Embraer

The United States headquarters for Embraer is located in Fort Lauderdale and operates commercial and executive aircraft marketing, customer support, product support and external relations. Embraer Florida sales reached $176 million in 2006, generating exports of $118 million and imports of $110 million. Since 1979 Embraer has expanded its business and created jobs in Broward County through direct investment in the local economy and now employs 282 individuals.

About the Trade Mission

Brazil is Florida’s number-one international merchandise trade partner, with two-way trade valued at $11.3 billion in 2006; an increase of 3.8 percent from 2005. Trade between Florida and Brazil from January to June, 2007, has increased 10 percent from the same period in 2006. Brazil ranks first in total exports from Florida, valued at roughly $8 billion, half of which are goods manufactured in Florida. With a gross domestic product of approximately US$700 billion, Brazil represents roughly half of the South American territory and economy and is the largest country in terms of population in Latin America and the Caribbean.

During the five day mission, Governor Crist will meet with the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Clifford Sobel and senior government officials from the State of São Paulo, the State of Mato Grosso, the State of Bahia, and the State of Rio De Janiero. Additionally, the Governor will be meeting with the Board of Directors from the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP) and speak with the American Chambers of Commerce of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janiero. The Governor will participate in a Brazil-Florida Ethanol Roundtable and inaugurate the Florida-Brazil business Matchmaker Expo.

Coordinated by Enterprise Florida Inc., the Team Florida delegation includes business and governmental leaders, as well as representatives from economic development and educational organizations. According to Enterprise Florida, Inc., areas for increased exports and investment include agriculture, aviation and accessories, biofuels, computer software, IT hardware, medical equipment, and telecommunications, among others. The delegation will participate in a variety of business development events and trade presentations during the mission, including one-on-one business meetings between Brazilian and Florida companies, a targeted promotional campaign to attract prospective clients, business networking events and market briefings by the U.S. Commercial Service.

Sponsors of the mission include Akerman Senterfitt, American Airlines, AmCham Brasil, Bacardi, Banco do Brasil, Bank of America, CAMACOL, ETH Bioenergy-Odebrecht, Express Travel, Falcone Group, FIESP, Florida Trend, General Motors, Mercantil Commercebank, and Orange County, Florida.

Source: Florida Governor

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