Brazilian Tourist Attraction Creates U.S. Export Opportunity

Image courtesy of International Concept Management Inc.

Thanks to experts at a company in Colorado, Brazil will soon be home to one of the largest and most technologically advanced aquariums in the world.

The Acquario Aquarium in the state of Ceará will house 500 marine species and 35,000 individual specimens in 25 separate tanks, feature two 4-D cinemas and one 3-D cinema, and include an educational platform dedicated to the research and preservation of aquatic life. The aquarium will be designed and constructed by International Concept Management Inc. (ICM), a small business headquartered in Grand Junction, Colo. Ex-Im Bank authorized a $105 million direct loan to Ceará to finance the export of ICM’s goods and services from Colorado to build this state-of-the-art facility.

The project will employ several hundred people in Colorado, with more jobs created nationally through a network of more than 15 U.S. subcontractors, suppliers and partners throughout the country. At least 90 percent of the export-contract value will be provided by American small businesses.

“We are proud to be a partner with the state of Ceará in Brazil for this very prestigious and highly visible project,” said Roger R. Reynolds III, president and CEO of ICM. “The involvement of Ex-Im Bank through this lengthy development process was instrumental in bringing the financing for this project together.”

When completed, Acquario will be the largest aquarium in the Southern Hemisphere and the third largest in the world, a tremendous achievement for a U.S.-based small business. The export will support an estimated 70 U.S. jobs.