On February 3, 2014, Consul General Dennis Hankins visited Itu, a city of 160,000 known for its larger-than-life tourist attractions. Itu, however, has also been actively attracting new businesses, and as such presents opportunities for Consulate General Sao Paulo to strengthen commercial ties. CG Hankins began his visit by visiting Starrett, a U.S. company that has been in Brazil for more than 50 years and is currently based in Itu. He then visited City Hall, where he met with Mayor Tuize and other city officials.
Itu also is a city with a wealth of cultural and educational activities. CG Hankins visited the Centro Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos, which has been offering English courses since the early 1980s. At FATEC – a technology-based university – school officials were very interested in learning about opportunities for their students to study in the U.S. CG Hankins then met with disabled students at SENAI, where they are learning skills to enter the local workforce. He finished his visit to Itu with a Town Hall meeting with American citizens that live in the region, where he spoke about the U.S. Consulate’s work and answered their questions about topics such as renewing passports, registering in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, and voting from abroad.
