About BGSB

Today many American companies operating in Brazil face huge and unprecedented difficulties. Over the course of twenty-seven years working in Brazil with American and Brazilian companies, David Zeckser developed a deep understanding of both cultures, markets and economies. Taking advantage of his extensive experience and contacts, David has resumed activities in Brazil as the President of the Florida-based Business Guidance Services-Brazil, LLC.

With twenty-five years’ experience and drawing expertise from a pool of twenty medium size legal and accounting firms, we tackle the difficult challenges such as negotiating the sale of a joint venture participation, closing a business, resolving tax matters and the return of registered foreign capital, etc. We also prepare feasibility studies, financial projections and open new companies with nominee shareholders, among many other services. The initial consultation at our Florida office is free of charge.

Biography

Born in the Mid-west but having lived and worked 35 years outside of the US, David Zeckser has always been a doer and a self-starter. He graduated from college Magna Cum Laude with a split major: Economics and Business Administration. As an Army Officer in combat, he was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor three times and at 27 years old was the youngest Major in the US Army.

At 31 years old, after working three years as a Projects Coordinator for Holiday Inns in Mexico, David was selected by the Chairman of the Board as the Managing Director for Brazil. Having a facility for languages, in a short time David switched from Spanish to fluent Portuguese. He was responsible for establishing the company in Brazil, for selecting the hotel sites, setting up the management company and developing and opening several hotels under a master franchise agreement.

Five years later, David broke out of the corporate mold, formed an investment company and, as the managing partner, purchased two of the hotel properties. Later one of those properties, expanded, up-graded and renamed “The Royal Palm Plaza”, had become internationally prominent, accruing the highest return on investment of any hotel in the country and was sold for many times the original investment.

In subsequent years David created and operated a commercial representation and importation company in Brazil dealing with hotel and hospital equipment and furnishings. At the same time, another of his companies provided business guidance services to American companies opening manufacturing operations in Brazil.

Sufficiently capitalized, he spent several years managing a personal investment portfolio and more recently, as a builder, he designed and built a distinctly unique 12,000 square foot, lakefront residential project in Windermere, Florida, completed in 2014.

Experience in Brazil

David is a successful business development manager and entrepreneur with 27 years of highly specialized insight into the Brazilian market. He is skilled in project development and strategic cost-cutting initiatives for new companies entering the market to establish a new branch or joint venture operations. He has a proven track record of establishing operations, developing contacts, driving performance and taking projects from conception to profitability. His diverse experience covers Hotel Operations and Project development, Design and Coordination and the preparation of Feasibility Studies and Sales Proposals within the Brazilian market. He is an expert at minimizing bureaucratic hassles, limiting start-up expenses and expediting the formation of companies, industrial operations or joint ventures in Latin America.

After serving five years as the Managing Director for Holiday Inns in Brazil, David resigned his position and became an entrepreneur, formed an investment company and purchased two hotels he had developed for Winegardner International, Inc. He quickly implemented a dynamic program of expansion and transformation, elevating “The Royal Palm Plaza Hotel and Convention Center” to a five star classification and to the top of its category as an internationally known convention and business traveler property.

Under contract as a private consultant David established the Brazilian subsidiary of the world’s second largest cheese manufacturer. He obtained required state and federal technical evaluations and tax-exempt importation licenses for specialized American made industrial machinery under restrictive regulations. He served temporarily as the client’s Managing Director in country, negotiating long-term tax concessions and other benefits from state and local authorities until he turned the operation over to the client when start-up was complete.

As Vice President and Managing director for Winegardner International, Inc. (Holiday Inns Master Franchisee), David managed all aspects of the implementation and operation of the first Holiday Inn projects in Brazil, including opening the first offices, creating partnerships and joint venture owning companies while establishing and staffing the management company. He directed the efforts of six hundred employees in five companies. David personally prepared the project feasibility studies, selected the sites, contractors and architects, negotiated the long-term financing and placed the first hotels in operation within 17 months of arriving in Brazil.

As the managing partner of Rep Office of Brazil, David directed the efforts to introduce products from American and European companies into Brazil, serving as a bridge between home office aspirations and Brazilian operations.

All this experience is now brought to bear with the activities of Business Guidance Services-Brazil, LLC.