The International Trade Hub at SeaPort Manatee is expanding opportunities in Florida for Brazilian companies through cooperation with – and education of – trade officials from the Consulate General of Brazil in Miami.

An all-day conference on global commerce and supply chain matters, hosted Nov. 14 by the International Trade Hub at SeaPort Manatee, provided hands-on training for three Miami-based Brazilian trade officials: Francisca Valmira Hayes, international trade analyst; Anita Barros Pereira de Araújo, international trade analyst; and Paulo Cesar Paiani, international trade specialist.

“It was a great opportunity to visit SeaPort Manatee and meet with a group of energized individuals who form a critical piece for the growth of businesses,” Hayes said. “The International Trade Hub at SeaPort Manatee is more than ready to support Brazilian businesses, providing quality services and essential tools for their success.”

The conference builds upon the October launch of the high-tech-focused Oxford Brazilian Hub, established through a partnership between the Oxford Group Inc. trade consultancy and the International Trade Hub at SeaPort Manatee.

“As the only international trade hub based at a Florida port, we are in a unique position to cultivate beneficial relationships between global companies and U.S. interests,” said Roxana Santoyo, manager of the International Trade Hub at SeaPort Manatee. “This historic collaboration with trade officials is our latest development in advancing commerce between Brazil and Florida.”

Conference presenters included Fabio Yukio Yamada, Brazil representative for SelectFlorida (formerly Enterprise Florida); Carlo Barbieri, president and chief executive officer of the Oxford Group; Ivan Mutis, consultant and chief executive officer, and Marina Besadalombana, director of international affairs, both of Gooljar, Mutis & Lombana Strategic Consultancy for New Markets; Lucas Maciel, e-commerce specialist with Grupo Carrefour Brasil; Jairo Lazo, president, and licensed customs broker Karla Sacasa, both of Priority Customs Broker Inc.; David Cumberland, shareholder in the Sarasota certified public accounting firm of Kerkering Barberio & Co.; and Max Stewart, vice president of the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp. Presenters from SeaPort Manatee, in addition to Santoyo, included Carlos Buqueras, the port’s executive director, and Troy Layton, the port’s director of business development.

“We are encouraged by the expanding role of the International Trade Hub at SeaPort Manatee as a catalyst in facilitating significant favorable economic impacts for our region,” said James Satcher, chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority. “In particular, the enhancement of our seaport’s relationship with Brazil – Florida’s largest trade partner – should serve as a catalyst for further economic growth.”

Headquartered at the SeaPort Manatee International Center, with overseas offices in Colombia, Chile and Spain, the International Trade Hub at SeaPort Manatee, founded in 2014, provides expert advice and support tools to scores of diverse companies, assisting them with production, distribution and related activities, including development of innovative technologies and supply chain solutions.

With lumber imports from Brazil forming a backdrop, participants in the International Trade Hub at SeaPort Manatee’s Nov. 14 global commerce and supply chain conferenece include, from left, Carlo Barbieri, president and chief executive officer of the Oxford Group; Paulo Cesar Paiani, international trade specialist from the Consulate General of Brazil in Miami; Carlos Buqueras, executive director of SeaPort Manatee; Anita Barros Pereira de Araújo, international trade analyst with the Consulate General of Brazil in Miami; Roxana Santoyo, manager of the International Trade Hub at SeaPort Manatee; Francisca Valmira Hayes, international trade analyst with the Consulate General of Brazil in Miami; and Troy Layton, SeaPort Manatee’s director of business development.