Craig Cassarino has spent decades focused
on the sustainability of resources in both
New Hampshire and Brazil, so it's fitting that
now, as the Granite State's commercial consul
for Brazil, he serves as a resource for businesses
interested in doing business with countries of
South America.
As commercial consul, Cassarino - a partner
in Leonardo Technologies Inc. of Bedford,
works with the International Trade Resource
Center to help New Hampshire companies
connect with the agents, distributors, financing
sources, government agencies and individuals
needed to do business in Brazil - the
largest industrial manufacturer in South
America. Cassarino works
with ITRC on a number of initiatives, including
arranging a trade mission to Brazil, Argentina
and Chile in the spring. The mission will give
companies the chance to meet South American
companies and learn about what it takes to do
business there, he said.
"I've worked with ITRC before on past trade
missions and their participation helped create
the best response ever," Cassarino said. "The
ITRC staff is terrific--they respond quickly
when it's needed, yet they also understand that
building an international business takes time.
Each company needs to develop a resource
base as well as an understanding of the country's
culture”.
Cassarino has developed an in-depth understanding
of Brazil's culture over the past
decade and a half, and he sees connecting
cultures as an important aspect of his work
as commercial consul. As part of this effort,
Bahia, one of the 26 states in Brazil, is being
considered for status as a sister state with New
Hampshire (* and Salvador, the capital, as the
city sister with Los Angeles).
He first visit to Brazil was in 1989 after selling
a New Hampshire-based recycling company;
he quickly felt so at home that he moved to
Sao Paulo. He saw that Brazil, which has the
seventh-largest economy in the world, needed
assistance in environmental engineering, renewable
energy and recycling - his areas of expertise,
and that Brazilians were interested in
partnering with U.S. firms in order to gain the
needed technology and financing.
Over the following seven years, he made
many contacts in Brazil and worked with the
U.S. commercial consul to help match Brazilian
projects, primarily in recycling, with U.S.
companies. He also met and married his wife,
Catita, who is Brazilian. In 1996, Cassarino
was invited to join a New Hampshire firm, so
he and Catita moved back to the Granite State.
One of the first projects he focused on was in
Brazil. Since then, he has returned frequently
to Brazil, which has enabled him to deepen
his understanding of the culture while further
keeping abreast of developments and opportunities.
He's often accompanied by Catita and
their kid, Caio, who welcome the chance to visit
with family and friends in Brazil.
"I love entrepreneurship and helping businesses
succeed, especially when two cultures
and countries are involved," Cassarino said.
"When it works, both countries benefit. For
example, energy is a hot topic in Brazil, and
the country will probably be energy-independent
by the next year. It's also one of the leading
countries in the world interested in the
development of alcohol-based fuels. If we can
bring a New Hampshire-based company's
technology for developing biofuel to Brazil,
it can create jobs and educational opportunities
in Brazil as well as generate growth for
the company back here in the States. Brazilian
farmers could grow the crops necessary
to produce the fuel, an educated refinery
workforce would need to be developed on the
ground, and Brazil would be a potential market
for the fuel. This type of situation speaks
to sustainability at every level."
According to Cassarino, it's not as difficult as
might be imagined to enter the international
marketplace in Brazil. And while companies
might find it difficult to do so on their own,
the guidance and assistance of the ITRC, Cassarino
and others can help them make the
transition successfully. As commercial consul,
he said, "not only do I have the opportunity
to help make a positive impact, in a way
I'm creating a legacy for my son. If we can develop
a relationship between U.S. (specially
New Hampshire) and Brazil, he will be a part
of it and will have his own opportunities to
make a difference."
|
