Brazilian Honorary Consul in Atlanta Tim Perry (right) and Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce President Lucia Jennings (center) led a chamber meeting June 14 at the offices of law partner Robert West of Greenberg Traurig LLP (left).

Only a final written agreement is needed to officially re-open a Brazilian Consulate General in Atlanta, and the consul general designate is anxious to engage the Atlanta business community in Brazil-Southeast partnerships, according to Brazil’s honorary consul here, Tim Perry.

Until the final approval is complete, Mr. Perry is not at liberty to disclose the name of the new consul general, nor the location of the future consulate, which is expected to have a staff of about 12.

But he told the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce at its meeting on June 14 that the new consul has been visiting Atlanta about once a month for three to five days each time and will continue to do so until the consulate re-opens. He did not have an estimated date for the re-opening.

The consulate, which had some 17 staff members, closed in 1997 due to budget constraints.

“[The consul general] cannot take action in Atlanta because he cannot offend the U.S. State Department, but he will be ready when the time comes to announce the opening of the consulate,” Mr. Perry said.

“He is forward-positioned in Miami and wants to get to Atlanta as soon as possible.”

The Brazilian chamber in Atlanta will be a critical part of the consulate’s team, Mr. Perry said, noting that the new consul general has told Atlanta business groups and CEOs that it is important to join the chamber.

Mr. Perry added that as soon as the consul general designate arrives, the chamber will increase its marketing efforts by going to the companies that he has already visited and asking them to support the chamber.

“A lot of people in metro Atlanta are interested in Brazil, and the consul is the best spokesperson,” Mr. Perry said.

Atlanta companies that Mr. Perry, Chamber President Lucia Jennings and other chamber board members could potentially call upon include the InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, which was originally founded in Belen, Brazil, and is building nine new hotels in the country.

Other companies could include United Parcel Service Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc. and Novelis Inc., whose CFO attended a Brazilian delegation luncheon during the Americas Competitiveness Forum held June 11-12 in Atlanta.

Several Brazilian officials participated in the forum, including Ivan Ramalho, Brazil’s vice minister of development, industry and commerce; Jorge Gerdau, chairman of the Movimiento Brasil Competitivo; Alessandro Golombiewski Teixeria, president of Brazil’s Export Promotion Agency; Fernando Baratelli Jr., general manager for gas, energy and sustainable development R&D for Brazilian energy company Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) S.A.; Henrique Rzezinski, senior vice president external relations for Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer-Empresa Brasileria de Aeronautica S.A.

During the forum, Brazilian Ambassador to the United States Antonio Patriota attended a luncheon with several Brazilian delegates. He commented on the “extraordinary work that [the new consul general] has already done” to help get the Brazilian Congress to act on re-opening the Atlanta consulate, Mr. Perry said.

“Call your legislators to move the legislation through!” he said of encouraging the consulate’s final approval. “We’re counting the days.”

Mr. Perry has been honorary consul in Atlanta for seven years.

The Brazilian population in Georgia is estimated at 50,000 to 100,000 who would be served by the new consulate. The new consulate could have jurisdiction over Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina and Tennessee, but this has not yet been officially determined.