"Industrializing Goiás is our healthy obsession."

Marco Damiani _247 – In Anápolis, the second largest economy in Goiás, sound trucks are currently circulating among squares conducting what's called a "job sweep," with announcers loudly proclaiming dozens of job openings in the pharmaceutical industry. Also taking place there, in the vehicle production sector, is the installation of the state's fourth car manufacturer, the Chinese company Changan, which is already spending part of the US$150 million allocated to its industrial plant. In another region of Goiás, in Idealina, Votorantim Cimentos announced in May investments of R$600 million in the construction of a factory for 200 direct jobs and another 600 indirect jobs. "The state of Goiás is a key piece for our development," affirms the cement company's financial director, Sidney Catania.

Similar words were used on the morning of Thursday the 28th, in Goiânia, before the members of the State Development Council, by the director of implementation of the Stemac power generator factory. Founded in Rio Grande do Sul, the company will receive support from the Central-West Development Fund (FCP) to build its first unit outside the borders of Rio Grande do Sul in Itumbiara. Approximately 800 direct jobs will be created between now, while the land is already being leveled, and next year, when the industrial plant is completed.

On the same Thursday, the 28th, in a simple ceremony in an open field by the roadside, the municipality of Nerópolis began the paving works of its own industrial park – a space of 1,8 million square meters where there are already requests for the installation of almost a hundred companies. Famous for its small candy and garlic companies, the city already envisions a future of economic diversification. "We have firm requests from industries in the areas of cosmetics, refrigerated trucks, printing, clothing, foundry and others," the city's mayor, Gil Tavares, told 247. "In this park, we will grow, generate jobs and wealth for our region."

Among all these economic facts, there is a common denominator: the Secretary of Industry and Commerce of Goiás, Alexandre Baldy. At 31 years old, with polished manners and a measured way of speaking, he stands out as the main person responsible for implementing the state's industrial policy. When he is not in Goiás, dividing his time between his office (where he spends little time) and the industrial areas (his preferred regions), Baldy travels throughout Brazil and the world in search of companies that, before his approach, hadn't even considered setting up shop here.

"To win over Changan, I went to China twice, showing in detail to their largest automaker our competitive advantages over other regions of Brazil," recalls the secretary. He spends at least one day a week, every week, in São Paulo. "This is to maintain constant contact with the largest Brazilian industrialists and investors, so that they know that Goiás has all the conditions to receive their companies."

His work and that of his team are yielding nothing short of spectacular results for the state – and there is no exaggeration in that statement. At a time when the Brazilian economy is hitting the brakes, as seen by the Central Bank's recognition that the national GDP should grow by 2,5% in 2012, instead of the previously projected 3,5%, Goiás is accelerating its growth. In the first quarter of this year, while Brazil grew a meager 0,8%, Goiás' GDP swelled by no less than 6%. The disparity, judging by the news of what is happening and what is about to happen in the state, tends to increase. "Thanks to Governor Marconi Perillo's obsession with the industrialization of Goiás, our indicators tend to become increasingly detached from and above the national average," says Baldy.

Today, Goiás is already the fifth state that generates the most jobs in the country, while in the recent past it had never been among the top ten. In the industrial sector, in particular, its share of the state's GDP has already reached 27%, while the percentage of the same indicator in the national GDP is 17%. "By correctly mapping the natural vocations of each region of the state, we seek to allocate industries interested in arriving and developing here," summarizes the secretary. "But we don't want just any type of industry. Recently, we let a retreaded tire factory slip through. It has nothing to do with our vocations." Personally, the secretary seeks to engage with the heads and technicians of other departments at decisive moments in the process of attracting industries. "We have a permanent multidisciplinary council for the imposition and evaluation of criteria such as environmental sustainability. We are agile in Goiás, but nothing happens without rigorous analyses from all sectors involved, particularly those linked to environmental preservation."

Currently on Baldy's desk is the mission of helping Valec, the company responsible for building the North-South railway, find two ideal locations to build stopping stations for freight trains that will travel along the strategic railway line. "When I saw the original project, I noticed that there was no provision for any loading and unloading yards in Goiás," the secretary told 247. "I raised the alarm, and at that moment the company, with the support of the federal government, began to revise its plans." Now, a terminal in Uruaçu, with a focus on grain cargo, and another in Rio Verde, for the shipment of the state's poultry production, are in the process of being defined. Attentive to national affairs, Baldy was elected president of the National Council of Secretaries of Economic Development, which meets regularly in Brasília. "I think this is further recognition for what the entire Perillo government team is doing in the state," he believes.

Within the SIC (Secretariat of Industry and Commerce), Baldy managed, in his first year in office, to create a fund that, in practice, finances the department's activities. The money is constantly being accumulated through successive auctions of tax incentives. "To the general delight within the government, we don't depend on the Finance Secretariat to carry out industrial policy," he says humorously. There are already around R$ 80 million in the treasury, which allows, for example, the payment of expropriations for the Nerópolis industrial park and others. "When I arrived here, there was only two million of that," he recalls.

The secretary's agenda also includes ample time dedicated to issues concerning micro, small, and medium-sized entrepreneurs. The "Grow and Shine" program, in partnership with Sebrae, for example, regularly brings all the necessary infrastructure for creating new businesses to municipalities in the interior of the state. Classes are given to the public, highlighting the benefits – and also the difficulties – of entrepreneurial life. Meanwhile, through the Vapt-Vupt service centers, Goiás is already proud to enable the legal creation of a new company within 24 hours of the application being submitted. "Our entire action is aimed at alleviating bureaucratic difficulties, expanding industrialization, and promoting job and income generation," he summarizes. "Judging by the results, I think the message is being well understood." For all these reasons, it's easier to understand why young Baldy was called "the golden boy" of Goiás by Governor Perillo.