Embraer announced an agreement with Uber to explore the concept of an ecosystem—dubbed Uber Elevate Network—that will allow the potential development and deployment of small electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (VTOLs) for short urban commutes. The announcement was made in Dallas, Texas, in the opening session of the Uber Elevate Summit.

This preliminary partnership is a project generated by the Embraer Business Innovation Center, the new initiative based in Melbourne, Florida, with outposts in Silicon Valley and Boston, which was announced last month when the company revealed its intent to promote air transportation innovations.

“We firmly believe we need to explore several new business concepts that may impact air transportation in the future. This is a unique opportunity to complement the air transport knowledge of a visionary and revolutionary ground transport company. On exercising this partnership, we will be developing new technologies, new products and new business models which could generate opportunities for Embraer in the future,” said Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, Embraer’s CEO.

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Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York and São Paulo, Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr e Quiroga Advogados in São Paulo, and Campbells in the Cayman Islands have helped online sports goods retailer Netshoes become the first Brazilian company to list solely in the US, raising US$148.5 million.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York and São Paulo, Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr e Quiroga Advogados in São Paulo, and Campbells in the Cayman Islands have helped online sports goods retailer Netshoes become the first Brazilian company to list solely in the US, raising US$148.5 million.

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For the first time ever, Pillsbury has been recognized in the Latin Lawyer 250 guide as one of the leading international law firms advising clients in the region. The firm’s inclusion on the prestigious list reflects both its extensive history of advising clients in Latin America and its significant recent growth in the region.

The Latin Lawyer 250 is widely regarded as the definitive guide to the leading business law firms of Latin America. Based on almost two decades of research by Latin Lawyer’s editorial team, it identifies firms whose services would be of benefit to international clients and sophisticated Latin American companies. Inclusion is based solely on recommendation by fellow legal professionals and clients and on careful scrutiny of current client lists.

In its coverage of Pillsbury, Latin Lawyer outlines the firm’s formulation of a plan four years ago to leverage its notable experience advising on Latin American matters while also making a more aggressive push to market and grow its practice in the region. The publication goes on to note that the firm’s place in the 2017 guide was secured “because of the success of this strategy and the high level of positive feedback from clients who note the team’s responsiveness, client-focused approach and high quality of service.”

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Pinheiro Neto Advogados has helped a fund controlled by global private equity investor Advent buy a minority interest in online financial technology company Easynvest.

Advent purchased the stake through holding company Nyx, which is controlled by Advent-managed funds.

Easynvest is thought to have worked with Brazilian firm Velloza & Girotto Advogados Associados, but this was not confirmed. The deal was announced on 8 March. Financial terms of the sale, which is subject to approval from the Central Bank of Brazil, were not disclosed.

Easynvest was founded in 1968 and is one of Brazil’s largest digital investment marketplaces. Using the platform, customers can invest in a wide range of financial instruments, including government bonds, fixed-income securities and mutual funds, as well as trade in equities, options and futures.

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A worker mows grass while an Azul SA jet lands at the the Santos Dumont Airport (VCP) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Azul and several shareholders raised 2.021 billion reals ($645 million) in a dual initial public offering in São Paulo and New York on Monday, as soaring investor demand led Brazil's No. 3 airline to boost the size of the deal by almost one-fifth.

São Paulo-based Azul priced the equivalent of 72 million preferred shares at 21 reais each, the midpoint of the suggested price range. An additional 13 million shares were sold in the IPO as investors bid over five times the amount of Azul stock on offer, three people familiar with the deal said.

Reuters anticipated the 21 real-a-share pricing earlier in the day. The stock starts trading on Tuesday under the symbols "AZUL4" in São Paulo and "AZUL" in New York.

Seventy percent of the IPO was placed in New York, with Brazil-based investors keeping the rest, said one of the people, who asked for anonymity. The offer values Azul, which JetBlue Airways founder David Neeleman started almost a decade ago, at a 4 percent premium to larger Brazilian rival Gol Línhas Aéreas Inteligentes, the person said.

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SAO PAULO -- Azul has been elected the world's third best airline by TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice and is the only low cost airline to appear in the top three of the global rankings of all categories. The survey, conducted for the first time, is based on comments and reviews on the site over the past 12 months by millions of airline passengers who experienced the services of the award-winning companies.

"TripAdvisor's result is really important because it brings to light the opinions of the people who matter most to us: our Customers. This is a very significant achievement on one of the world's most important travel sites, and it reflects the daily effort and impeccable work of our more than ten thousand Crewmembers to give Customers the best possible experience. Right now I'd like to thank all the Customers who have given us such a positive evaluation, with a special big 'thank you' to our crewmembers," says Azul president, Antonoaldo Neves. "I also would like to congratulate our founder, David Neeleman, considering that two of the companies he founded rank among the world's five best airlines," he concluded.

Azul is the only Brazilian airline to offer unlimited snacks and drinks at no additional cost on all its flights, as well as 40 channels of free live TV on its Embraer jets. Personal entertainment options are also available through the Azul Play app on their A320neo aircraft.

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TAMPA, FLA.--The College Football Playoff National Championship Game was a major reason why Tampa Bay hotels reported a record $70.6 million in total revenues for the month of January.

The highly anticipated game played Jan. 9 at Raymond James Stadium to a record crowd briefly pushed local hotel occupancy above 90 percent. A record 74,512 people came to Tampa and watched Clemson University beat the University of Alabama 35-31. The football game was the culmination of several days of events designed to show off Tampa as a destination and provide an economic boon to the area.

Hotel occupancy in January was 18 percent more than the previous January. Profitability was up 16 percent for the month.

Bed taxes, which fund both tourism marketing and maintenance of major facilities such as Raymond James Stadium and Amalie Arena, reached $3.148 million for January, a 16 percent boost year-over-year. Along with the College Football Playoff, Tampa Bay also hosted the Outback Bowl and the Florida Music Educators Association convention — two major annual events.

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Following the fortunes of Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Airbus Group SE (PA:AIR), you could be forgiven for thinking that aircraft manufacturers always run late, over budget, and the resulting end product can struggle to meet initial expectations.

But Brazil’s Embraer SA (NYSE:ERJ), the world’s third-largest commercial jet maker, has shown with its next generation narrow body regional aircraft, the E-2 series, that it doesn’t have to be that way. Embraer introduced the aircraft at the Paris Airshow in 2013 and it was first displayed last summer at the Farnborough Airshow just 45 days after its maiden flight. The aircraft is set to be delivered on time, on budget, and even slightly underweight.

Segment Dominance

Embraer has been very successful with their current E-jet series and the new E-2 program looks set to maintain the company’s 55% market share dominance of the regional jet market. The E-2 will commence deliveries in the first half of 2018 and variants will be capable of carrying between 70 and 130 passengers. An FT article notes that Embraer has a backlog of commitments from airlines for 690 E2 aircraft, including firm orders of 275.

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Gerdau traces its roots to the turn of the last century in Porto Alegre, Brazil and has become the world’s 14th largest steelmaker and the largest producer of long steel in the Americas.

With a global presence, Gerdau has approximately 120 locations in North America, which includes a corporate headquarters location in Tampa, and employs more than 11,000 people in the United States and Canada. The company’s operations in North America have an annual capacity of approximately 12.4 million tons of finished steel products, including merchant bar quality, special bar quality (SBQ), rebar, structural, flat rolled steel and wire rod.

Gerdau primarily serves the construction, automotive, agricultural, service center, and energy markets through its vertically integrated network of steel mills, recycling operations, and downstream processing facilities.

Our Tampa Bay Export Alliance team had a chance to sit down with Shai Johnson, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, and learn more about one of Tampa’s largest international companies.

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The Tampa MSA ranks once again as one of the most affordable metros in the United States and the second most affordable market in Florida. With a 2016 Cost of Living Index (COLI) of 91.5, the Tampa market is 8.5 points lower than the national average of 100.

In comparison with the rest of Florida, the Orlando market’s COLI was 94.2, Miami was 111, and Jacksonville was 95.8. The lowest composite score of 90.6 belonged to the Palm Coast-Flagler County area. The Tampa metro came in more affordable than major markets across the United States as well. Atlanta’s composite score was 98.7, Dallas sat at 100.4, and Raleigh was 94.4.

The Cost of Living Index is based on six different factors: grocery items, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services. With different weights, they affect the overall composite score differently, with miscellaneous goods and services and housing making up more than 62 percent of the score.

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