LIDE – Group of Business Leaders, together with the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce, chaired by Luiz Fernando Furlan and Alexandre Bettamio, respectively, held a Forum last month to present investment opportunities in the state of São Paulo. The event was attended by the Governor of São Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, the Mayor of São Paulo, João Doria, who was honored by the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce with the “Men of the Year” awards, and investors, bankers, rating analysts, and entrepreneurs.
The goal of the LIDE Brazilian Investment Forum was to promote closer bilateral relations between American and Brazilian entrepreneurs and investors. According to Luiz Fernando Furlan (photo), chairman of the LIDE Council and former Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, due to the extensive reach of its infrastructure, which can accommodate activities in various sectors, São Paulo offers enormous business opportunities for American investors, highlighting and promoting Brazil’s potential abroad.
The new concession model for the highways in the state of São Paulo has been adapted to meet international requirements. This year, bids were held for two sections of the Centro-Oeste Paulista Highway and the Calçados Highway, with awards of 130.89% and 438.17%, respectively. At a time when the economy is quite fragile, this initiative is a state government effort to attract foreign investments in order to maintain and expand the state’s infrastructure, thereby ensuring job creation, which is a primary focus of Governor Geraldo Alckmin.
São Paulo is recognized as the largest economic and industrial hub in the Southern Hemisphere, and in 2015 it accounted for 34% of the domestic income generated in the services sector. Furthermore, it is responsible for 32% of Brazil’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is higher than that of countries like Chile, Belgium, South Africa, and Singapore.
In 2016, this event in New York featured presentations from Governors Marconi Perillo (Goiás) and Pedro Taques (Mato Grosso), bringing together 320 American and Brazilian investors, bankers, rating analysts, and entrepreneurs.