The city is looking to make urban mobility more efficient in its most densely populated area, Trinta Reis. Nova Trento, home to 14 thousand inhabitants, is considered the capital of religious tourism of Santa Catarina. Agriculture is one of the main economic activities, with an emphasis on the cultivation of corn, tobacco, beans and grapes. Colonial wine Neotrentino wins the hearts and tastes of visitors to the region. However, out of the city’s road network of 725 km of existing roads, only 45 km are paved.

Calle Alferes in the Trinta Reis district will be paved and renovated thanks to funding from the Extremo Sul Regional Development Bank. In total, the project includes 3.7 km of asphalt, 5 km of sewer pipes and a pedestrian path. Innovation is associated with stimulating growth: for the smooth and comfortable functioning of the economic and tourism chain, roads mean connections that provide efficiency and safety to productive agents.

Igreja Matrice San Virgiliu, in the center of Nova Trento – Photo: Marcelo Feble

The head of the municipal executive of Nova Trento, Thiago Dalsasso, says that he learned about the BRDE credit line during a trip to Brasilia: “during a visit to the MDR, the Ministry of Regional Development, we requested resources to carry out the work. That’s when we were provided with bank financing that would allow us to lay the paving slabs.”

The mayor reminds that an organization was required to approve the loan. Between the first step and the last (signing the agreement), there was tremendous cooperation between the city administration and the management of the Regional Bank. Julio Oliveira, deputy chief operating officer, also said that there are relationships that go beyond the financial process: “we build trust with our clients, and this process requires more intimacy.”

BRDE President João Paulo Kleinübing emphasizes that the bank’s “mission” is to support not only the private but also the public sector. We will increasingly improve our own processes and services, create connections and make commitments for this common future that we all want for the planet, organizations and people,” emphasizes Kleinübing.

The management team taking over the institution in 2023 also includes Mauro Mariani, director of BRDE. The director expected that, together with Kleinübing and the entire team, one of the tasks would be to ensure that the institution meets the needs of each part of southern Brazil in a more personalized and regional way. “In this way, we will be able to cover more areas of the economy,” Mariani said. The Nova Trentinos asphalt project is included in the category of public sector initiatives.

Among the sectors served by BRDE, infrastructure accounts for almost 27% of the total transactions carried out to date. Industry reaches about 28%. The trade and services sector accounts for about 27%. Agriculture, about 18%. Areas that drive the economy of Santa Catarina.

According to BRDE Development Manager Olavo Gavioli, the success of the institution is also the result of its high capillarity: “we serve everything from small producers to industrial enterprises, both in the public and private sphere.”

Revitalization should begin in early 2024. Photo: Foto Marcelo Feble.

According to the municipality’s works department, the paving will also guarantee the creation of jobs and opportunities for residents: “there will be many subdivisions and new companies coming to the area in the near future. We didn’t have enough asphalt,” explains department secretary Ricardo Bittencourt.

Residents of Nova Trento argue that this was one of the greatest achievements in recent years for a city that needed such a vision from public authorities, and reinforce that what progress and development brings is also good roads.

BRDE ended the first half of 2023 with a transaction volume of R$2.1 billion in new investments. The programs go far beyond infrastructure and government. Among the funding lines and their extensions one can find a number of initiatives, such as:

• My microloan: For formal and informal micro-entrepreneurs such as self-employed professionals, individual micro-entrepreneurs and legal entities engaged in micro and small scale production activities;
• More sustainable energy: Projects for the production and transmission of clean and renewable energy, as well as projects to minimize energy consumption in an industrial or commercial environment;
• More innovations: Strengthening partnerships and joint activities with public and private organizations responsible for promoting scientific, technological and educational development;
• More tourism: Support for service provider enterprises recognized by the Ministry of Tourism as being of tourist interest;
• Southern entrepreneurs: targets companies of different sizes in which at least 40% of the share capital is owned by women partners;
• Young entrepreneur: Issues lines of credit at lower interest rates to stimulate job creation and business expansion created by young people aged 18 to 29.

BRDE Development Manager Olavo Gavioli talks in detail about the diversity of the target audience and the breadth of opportunities that the institution offers. He explains that whenever a client, be it an individual or a legal entity, wants to buy machinery, expand their industry, introduce a new one, open a branch, or a technology company develops software, a rural manufacturer buys equipment, a food industry makes expansions, a bank has the opportunity finance these projects.

BRDE services are also provided through cooperative partnerships in other regions of the state. Photo: Photo by Marcelo Feble.

At the core of all opportunities is fostering development that builds on stronger people and businesses. Whether in the public or private sector, the Santa Catarina community benefits. In the specific case of Nova Trento, in addition to the inhabitants, everyone who passes through the Vales region does Tijucas, Itajai Mirim and the state of Santa Catarina.