By Bari Auerbach….
The Aventura Marketing Council’s June breakfast meeting hosted by Northwestern Mutual / Laser Financial Group at The Fairmont Turnberry Isle focused on “Doing Business With Brazil” and featured a panel of special guests including: Jose Sampol, Director, North America, TAM Airlines; Leticia Costopoulos, Trade Representative, Consulate of Brazil; and Jose A. Martinez, Director of International Economic Development for The Beacon Council.
Members of the Brazilian-American Chamber of Florida and GH International Consulting, also helped to ensure a wonderful program. Claudio Stivelman, the AMC’s only Brazilian board member, served as panel moderator. Stivelman is president and CEO of Shefaor Development, dedicated to “creating astonishing living conditions unparalleled in the real estate market” – a promise fulfilled at premier properties including Aventura’s Artech, Uptown Marina Lofts and the Harbour Centre office building.
Standing in for AMC Chair Cliff Schulman of Weiss, Serota, Helfman, Bob Hollander of Brown & Brown Insurance along with Jordan Laser, managing director of the Laser Financial Group with Northwestern Mutual in Aventura, welcomed business and community leaders gathered at The Fairmont Turnberry Isle.
“Booming” was the buzz word during panel discussions about Brazil hosting both the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics; and that in addition to being Florida’s #1 trading partner, Brazil is now the seventh economy in the world.
Sampol noted “booming” also applies to TAM Airlines – the largest airline in Brazil and the Southern hemisphere’s busiest airline. Through its hub in Sao Paulo, TAM offers convenient scheduled service to 42 destinations within Brazil as well as 18 destinations in Europe, the U.S. and South America. In response to increased tourism, TAM has added flights between Sao Paulo and Orlando; and from Rio to Miami and New York.
Costopoulos explained the Consulate General of Brazil in Miami helps provide assistance and foster Brazilian investment in the American market. She encouraged guests to visit brazilmiami.org for information on market research and topics including: legalization of documents, visas, trade and investment, tourism and Brazilian business.
Martinez explained, “The Beacon Council is the economic development organization for Miami-Dade County assisting businesses in relocating or growing in the area. Working with organizations such as the Brazilian- American Chamber of Florida and the Consulate, we’re now targeting specific industries in the Brazilian market and identifying companies that want to come here and help create jobs in Miami-Dade.”
Sharing news about Northwestern Mutual’s “booming” business, Laser attributed the company’s success to a commitment to delivering superior financial value to clients. “Northwestern Mutual is now the nation’s largest direct provider of individual life insurance. We’ve earned the industry’s best possible insurance and financial strength ratings from all four major rating agencies; we’re recognized as the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance company in a 2011 FORTUNE magazine survey; and last year alone, our dividend payout was nearly $4.9 billion – one of the largest in company history.
“The Laser Financial Group’s core values focus on ‘doing the right thing’ for clients; developing long-term relationships; building and preserving financial strength; and offering world-class products and expert guidance to address clients’ changing needs. Our results tell an exciting story about the continuing power of our business model here in Aventura and the relevance of our products and services in all economic environments.”
Before the meeting was over, compliments of TAM Airlines, two round-trip Business Class tickets to Brazil valued at over $5,000 each were awarded to lucky door prize winners Evelyn Blum of American Impact Media Corp. – and Claudio Stivelman – one of Brazil’s most successful natives.
For more information about Northwestern Mutual / Laser Financial Group in Aventura, phone: 305-760-9902 or visit laserfinancialgroup.com
