Cliff Hoskins, Founder Hoskins Global Trade, Santa Clara, CA.

Cliff Hoskins, Founder Hoskins Global Trade, Santa Clara, CA.

Cliff Hoskins, Founder of Hoskins Global Trade, Santa Clara, CA.

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Cliff Hoskins , Interview date: June 9, 2014.

I recently met Cliff at the Atlanta City Trade mission presentation at FIESP in Sao Paulo. We´ll talk about Cliff´s experiences in and with Brazil and challenges in Busseness Start up.

The United States National Initiative to double exports by 2015 served as a catalyst forCliff Hoskins to establish Hoskins Global Trade in May 2013.  To prepare himself for the opportunity, Cliff acquired a Certificate in Export Management taught by Oakland’s Service Core of Retired Executives (SCORE).

Cliff Hoskins was a former director of compliance in a Santa Clara County midsized nonprofit organization.

Cliff is currently stationed in Sao Paulo, Brazil with on ground experience in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, Bahia. He actively communicates with U.S. Commercial Services’ Gold Key staff (U.S. Embassy).  The role of GK is to match U.S. companies to importers capable of distributing U.S. products to retailers.

 A challenge exists as many business decision makers responsible for ordering products will be unavailable during Brazil’s 2014 World Cup.  To off-set the challenge, Hoskins Global is in direct contact with customs brokers to locate buyers and distributors in anticipation of acquiring sales orders ASAP.  Hoskins Global’s product line includes:Mother’s 3rd Arm, and LED test monitors. 

Los Angeles based City National Bank gave Cliff the “green-light” to team with as many U.S. based companies as possible to export products overseas.  

Brazilian and Taiwanese Exports:

As a “start-up and new entrant to the international trade scene Hoskins Global recognizes the importance ad value of forming alliances.  One such alliance has enabled Hoskins Global to diversify its product portfolio and connect directly to a Brazilian supplier of Gourmet Coffee.  The alliance will soon enable Hoskins Global to export Gourmet Coffee to North American and Asian markets.  As equally important, Hoskins Global is asked by a Taiwanese company rep to investigate the possibility of exporting a biodegradable plastic to Brazil.

 Why Brazil?

“The domestic market is still red hot, but in the end it’s cheaper to import goods because of the so-called Brazil cost, which is still high,” said José Augusto de Castro, president of theBrazilian Foreign Trade Association.

An Opportunity to Contribute:

As a native of Chicago’s South Side, Cliff identifies with Afro-Brazilians and their quest to obtain equality, respect, and dignity within Brazil’s socio-economic sphere.  He “fits” here.  In addition to his entrepreneurial aspirations’ an opportunity exits to contribute with his MBA skill sets acquired at Baylor’s Hankermer School of Business and direct connections to his former professors and staff at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business’ Center for Social Innovation should enable him to assist Zumbi dos Palmares (a majority-minority) University in Sao Paulo to apply for and receive foundation grants and gifts from philanthropic organizations.

Joseph Low and Claudia Low, Brazil Business Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Joseph Low and Claudia Low, Brazil Business Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Listen to the Talk 2 Brazil interview by Tom Reaoch with Joseph Low and Claudia Low on LA Talk Radio, Los Angeles. PLAY or DOWNLOAD.  Interview date Monday, June 2, 2014 .

This interview is a follow up to their first Talk 2 Brazil interview which aired on May 23, 2013.

Since the publication of their first book, “They Don’t Speak Spanish in Brazil,”Joseph Low and Claudia Low have jointly been working with numerous small to mid-size companies interested in better understanding the processes involved with business entity formation in Brazil. We´talk about their upcoming book to be published in August.

 Joseph Low is a Florida based strategic marketing and management professional with over twenty-one years of experience leading cross-cultural teams focused on Latin American business development. Since 1992, the majority of Mr. Low's career has been keenly focused on Brazil. He has held numerous leadership roles with large multinationals such as Nokia, Research In Motion, and Challenge Air Cargo (later acquired by UPS) and numerous smaller enterprises such as Celistics and SFE - all with offices in and strategically important operations focused on Brazil. While living in São Paulo as an expatriate with Nokia for over four years in the late 1990's, Mr. Low co-founded Nokia do Brasil and was instrumental in the hiring of most of the office's first Brazilian employees. Innumerable business opportunities have fortuitously allowed Mr. Low the opportunity of visiting and working within most of Brazil's twenty-six states. And, most importantly to Mr. Low, his work with Brazil has presented him with the invaluable lifetime gift of learning from the Brazilian peoples’ "glass half full" energy, tireless entrepreneurial spirit, and internationally recognized business acumen.

Mr. Low maintains Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Latin American Studies from the University of Kansas, graduate course work in Latin American Studies from the University of Florida, and a Master's in Business Administration with a focus in International Marketing from the University of South Florida. Mr. Low is both fluent in Spanish and Portuguese

Claudia Low joined the Miami based firm of Kaufman Rossin in January of this year as a manager in their tax department. She currently provides a variety of tax planning and compliance services for high-net worth individuals and privately held businesses. Her experience includes the development and implementation of tax planning strategies for both domestic and cross-border international transactions.

Prior to joining Kaufman Rossin, Claudia was a senior tax executive with a large multinational firm focusing on Latin America. She also worked for KPMG in São Paulo, Brazil and for many years owned a tax consulting practice in San Diego, California. Claudia is a Brazilian (Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil - São Paulo) registered attorney who is internationally recognized for being an expert in the field of Brazilian taxation. In addition, she served as a federal tax judge within the 1º Conselho de Contribuintes in Brasília DF (US Tax Court of Appeals in the United States), and was the youngest judge to serve there.

Claudia earned a Juris Doctorate from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, and is currently pursuing an LLM (Master of Laws) degree in Taxation from the University of Miami.