David M Zeckser

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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. 

David is a successful business development manager and entrepreneur with 28 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.

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. As Vice President and Managing director for the Holiday Inns Master Franchisee, David managed all aspects of the implementation and operation of the first projects in Brazil, including opening the first offices, creating partnerships and joint ventures, and establishing the hotel management company. 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.

Five years later, David broke out of the corporate mold, formed an investment company and purchased two of the hotel properties. Later one of those properties, expanded, up- graded and renamed “The Royal Palm Plaza”, had become internationally prominent, attaining the highest return on investment of any hotel in Brazil.

As the managing partner of Rep Office of Brazil, David directed the efforts to introduce products produced by American and European companies into the Brazilian market.

Under contract as a private consultant David established the Brazilian subsidiary of the world’s second largest cheese manufacturer. 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 startup was complete. All this experience is now brought to bear with the activities of Business Guidance Services-Brazil, LLC.