Embraer.

The Brazilian aircraft maker has inked a deal to sell six of its 190 LR model planes, to Air France. The deliveries will begin in the first quarter of 2007 for the 100 passenger aircrafts.

The company, is continuing it’s path of growth, incorporating models and carriers. Proving that Latin American companies, can successfully compete in high technology, high value added industries.

 

Guatemala.

Guatemala opened a new General Consulate in Atlanta, Georgia. The country is getting ready to enter the CAFTA ,Guatemala expects to complete all of the reforms, including complying with telecommunications regulations, updating quotas on certain products and others, by April 1.

Guatemalan products that will benefit most from Cafta include traditional agricultural goods such as fruits and flowers, as well as non-traditional goods like specialty foods, he said.

Guatemala is opening other consulates in Rhode Island and Phoenix ,Arizona, this year.

 

Georgia Tech Interns Available to Internationals Firms

The program’s coordinator of Georgia Institute of Technology, Debbie Gulick said: “We are looking for companies that are interested in investing in future leaders”.

Companies can choose to create a co-op program that hires a Georgia Tech student to work full time during various semesters of the student’s academic career, or they can choose to hire an undergraduate “professional intern” who works part- time for one semester in the United States and a second semester in an overseas office. A company’s overseas office can also hire a graduate student intern in a technical discipline.

“The idea is to give students practical cross-cultural experience… and expose them at a younger age to be life-long

 Globally minded learners”.

 

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment (MOITI), recently hired Ellen Schneider, Director of Development, to focus on Latin America

Ellen will be focused on identifying and developing export and foreign direct investment opportunities with Latin American and Massachusetts’ priority traded clusters.  She will direct the state’s regional operations in Mexico City and possible additional offices.  Ellen will also consult on MOITI’s future participation in industry specific trade events and match-making events serving Latin American opportunities. Learn more about the MOITI at www.mass.gov/moiti.

 

Sitel

The US provider of customer support outsourcing soultions will expand it's network of call centers. Opening new centers in Brazil and Colombia.

 

Business ooops

A big marketing fiasco was amogst the "winners" of the 101 dumbest moments in business. Hershey introduced a new candy targeting the hispanic population, with the help, as a spokeswoman of the Singer Thalia. The candy was called "Cajeta Elegancia", while in Mexico cajeta means a type of milk spread, in most of Latin America it depicts a part of the female anatomy. And aparently Thalia's cajeta is good and sweet.......ooops

But the important news here is that a mistake regarding the Hispanic consumer, and the chalenges to reach them made it to that list.

 

Several American organizations are urging business people to get more involved in US education

After a survey that show how poverty and race affect educational opportunities in Brazil, South Africa and United States, Lynn Huntley, president of Southern Educational Foundation, an organization that promotes education, decided to take actions oriented to engage more business, community and political leaders, organizing seminars and events in several States.

As Mr. Huntley said: “Advanced educational systems lead not only to higher standard of living; but it also helps a country’s citizenry be more informed about politics and capable of participating in government and society”. It will bring work force preparedness, will create an ample tax base and there will bring equality in governance and participation.

 

TAM Brazilian Airline Seeks Passengers in USA

Even in cities or states where TAM has not direct flights, the company is organizing activities to increase the number of passengers and also to help to create networking opportunities with Brazilian companies.

TAM is organizing breakfast, movie viewings, radio shows, participating in local Brazilian organizations, chambers of commerce and inviting to galas with hundreds of attendees.

They think that anybody could easily reach New York or Miami and from there fly TAM to almost anywhere in the world.

 

Remittances to Latin America

The institute Elcano has recently released a study that shows how remittances to Latin American countries from it’s expatriates are a large percent of those economies, reaching 25% of the Haitian, Nicaraguan or El Salvadoran GPD’s.

Over $30B where sent from the US to Latin America as remittances in 2004, in over 100 million small transactions.

Most of this remittances are done outside of the banking system, through specialized agencies. But this means that, following a conservative tradition, Banks are missing out on a huge business opportunities. The OTS, agency that controls US savings institutions is trying to help banks enter that market, with several projects underway.

 

GLOBANT

The Argentine technology firm took the necessary step for their growth and opened operations in the US. Daniel Kuperstein was named Executive Vice President, North American Sales and Operations. Mr. Kupertein, before joining Globant was Director of Globalization at the tecnology heavy weight EMC, where he had Globant as vendors.

This is not only great news for Globant, but an impressive show of confidence on them from a person with experience and knowledge of the market.

 

UNIVISION

The giant media conglomerate is said to be on the block. The price tag is estimated in U$D10B. The high tag is explained by the fact that it's the largest media in the US focused to Hispanics, leading by far it's competitors (4 times in audience size), and it might be the last change a mayor network has to enter the coveted Hispanic market.

 

Science

The Nature magazine just published a list of countries that actively invest in science research. The US, Brazil and Argentina are amongst the American countries in that list. They take into considerations countries that have recently increased the budget for research.