International markets catalyst for job growth?

BUSINESS
Published: Monday, Nov. 21, 2011

Where are the jobs? That’s what everyone wants to know. Local businesses reaching out to international markets could be a catalyst for job growth in Manatee County.

Imagine tapping into the buying power of 200 million consumers in Brazil, for example, a nation almost as large as the United States. According to the CIA World Factbook, Brazil’s economy ranks ninth in the world in gross domestic product at purchasing power parity, behind the United Kingdom and ahead of France.

Brazil is Florida’s largest trading partner, and the United States has the largest share of imports to Brazil, even ahead of China.

“Brazil’s future? Depends on who is talking and who is listening. For Esprix Technologies, we are exploring the opportunities,” said Marianne Cowger, executive administrator at the Manatee County business that provides specialty chemistries for various industrial and pharmaceutical uses.

Cowger recently joined a delegation from Manatee County on a trade mission to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Florida Gov. Rick Scott led the mission and was joined by delegations from across the state. From Manatee County, two local businesses were represented, plus county government, Port Manatee and the Manatee Economic Development Council.

Enterprise Florida, the state’s economic development arm, hosted a trade expo to showcase Florida businesses. Port Manatee participated in the expo, along with the state’s other deep-water ports.

In discussions with Brazilians and with Florida businesses already actively trading with Brazil, we discovered endless opportunities for local businesses. We also began to identify ways to attract investment by Brazilian businesses to our community.

“With Brazil preparing to host the FIFA World Cup in 2014, there are many industry sectors -- security, architects, engineers -- that could provide a springboard for companies in Manatee County to do business in Brazil,” said Karen Stewart, economic development program manager for Manatee County Government.

For Esprix Technologies, interacting with prospects on their own turf was key to the company’s relationship-building strategy.

“We learned that social interaction is the key to doing business in Brazil,” Cowger said. “Participating in the expo gave us the advantage of meeting face-to-face with like-minded business professionals in a personal way.”

While investigating opportunities in Brazil for Manatee County businesses, our team’s interaction with Florida economic development officials helped to elevate our community’s profile statewide. We stressed to state-level boosters that Manatee County welcomes business and is aggressively pursuing job growth.

“Brazilians and the Florida delegates were impressed by the collaboration of our EDC, local government and the port,” Stewart said. “We clearly demonstrated that a business can enter any one of those doors in Manatee County and find a seamless partnership that delivers excellent service.”

As seen on the Bradenton Herald, International markets catalyst for job growth