Bia Brazil and Lybethras win 43rd RS Export Awards

On June 15, the Council for the 43rd RS Export Awards, made up of 19 institutions representing this segment in Brazil, will award 37 companies that are examples of foreign trade in nine categories. Notable among these award-winners is Bia Brazil, a fitnesswear brand that is a member of Texbrasil, the Brazilian Fashion Industry Internationalization Program, developed by Abit and Apex-Brasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency), which will take prizes in two categories: ‘Outstanding Industry Company’ and ‘Gold Exporter.’

Lybethras, also a Program member, will take the award in the ‘Small International Trail-blazer’ category. Other important names in the textile/footwear industry are also winners in various categories. Piccadilly, a shoe manufacturer, is recognized in the ‘Market Diversification’ category, along with the Beira Rio footwear company, and ‘Gold Exporter,’ along with the Paqueta Shoe Company. Finally, Lotus Calcados is the big winner in the ‘Outstanding Industry Company’ category.

The president of Apex-Brasil, David Barioni Neto, was chosen by the Minister or Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Armando Monteiro, to present the 2015 and 2016 outlooks of the Agency, which has currently developed 76 projects in partnership with 80 sectors of the Brazilian economy. “The awards provide visibility to competitive companies, which grow regardless of the economic moment and international situation, opening up new markets for Rio Grande do Sul and Brazil,” says Renato Malcon, chairman of the RS Export Awards Council. The president of ADVB/RS, Carlos Biedermann, says that “leaning towards exports is important to guarantee the survival of brands, especially now.” He thinks that, in this context, the event serves to foster a perception by other companies that moving towards building relations with the foreign market allows for stability in business.

According to the Fiergs representative on the Export Council, Cesar Muller, the Award gives new wind to companies that are faced with the crisis. “These are companies that are moving forward with their products, especially in new markets, and using their workforces assertively to maintain their export agenda within this difficult scenario,” says Muller. Council member Paulo Roberto da Silva, Business Strategy Manager for Apex-Brasil, highlights the theme of this edition – Innovation as a Path to Exporting Brand and Leveraging Competitiveness in the International Market, as being a good summary of the challenge in the segment: “innovation plays a strategic role within the leveraging of Brazilian exports.”

Information
43rd RS Export Awards
Date: June 15, 2015
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Bourbon Country Theater
Telephone: (51) 3290-6300