The Georgia Department of Economic Development signed contracts recently to open an office in Santiago, Chile, this year, and to reopen its office in Sao Paolo, Brazil, at the beginning of October, according to the department’s deputy commissioner, Chris Clark.
“The Santiago office will be Georgia’s first foray into the Chilean market. Chile’s economy is the most open of all in South America, and some of its major industries – agriculture and equipment manufacturing – match ours,” Mr. Clark told GlobalAtlanta.
The Brazil office, which has been closed since last September, is scheduled to reopen on Monday or Tuesday, Oct. 3 or 4, Mr. Clark said. The ribbon cutting is to coincide with a Georgia delegation’s trip there to inaugurate a Delta Air Lines Inc. direct, nonstop flight to Sao Paolo from Atlanta.
Mr. Clark said that Georgia is one of only two or three U.S. states to have offices in Chile, noting that the Santiago office will open sometime after the Brazil location.
The Chilean office will also handle Georgia’s trade relationships with Argentina, he added.
The opening of the South American offices fits well with the TradeRoots program being held in communities throughout Georgia to train small companies on how to export to Latin America, Mr. Clark said.
Contact Bert Brantley at (404) 962-4830 for more information about the department’s initiatives.