Yesterday we arrived in Brazil to begin our investment attraction mission with the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance (GTMA). The afternoon featured two excellent meetings. The first was with a medical diagnostics company called Salomao&Zoppi. We had a positive and constructive discussion about their operations – which are quite impressive – as well as the dynamics of the GTA marketplace. Following our discussion, it was plain to see that the many attributes of the GTA, and Mississauga in particular make our region an extremely attractive place to invest. It is my hope that this is just the first of many conversations with Salomao&Zoppi.
With Eduardo, Ricardo, Luis, and P.S., of Salomao&Zoppi along with members of the GTMA investment mission
Our second meeting was with the Chamber of Commerce Brasil-Canada, a group dedicated to further the relationship between our two countries and promoting investment. Like my predecessor, Mayor McCallion, I enjoyed a warm reception at the CCBC where I made a strong case to the companies in attendance that investing the GTA and in Mississauga is a good choice. I discussed our high quality of life, our 62,000 businesses (and 70 Fortune 500 companies), as well as our proximity to Toronto, Pearson International Airport, 6, 400 series highways, and a marketplace of over 139 million people within a 90 minute drive. We received positive feedback from our presentation and a great deal of interest from the companies in attendance about visiting the GTA and Mississauga in the near future to explore opportunities to expand and invest.
With Paulo de Castro Reis and members of the CCBC.
Today includes a full schedule of meetings starting at 9:00am and ending at 9:00pm. There is a great deal of interest by Brazilian companies in the GTA and in Mississauga. I am proud of our city and our region, and I look forward to many more productive meetings in the days to come.