Press
English & Associates
has been featured in newspapers and magazines as well as on
radio and television in Argentina, the United States, the UK,
Canada and Australia. Recent press coverage includes:
Financial Times (London, United Kingdom)
March 14th, 2009
Peace and Wine - by Nick Foster
David English,
originally from
Nashville, had an
extra reason to feel
at peace when he
relocated to Mendoza
from the US. He was
at his desk at a
telecommunications
company a block from
the World Trade
Center in New York
City on the morning
of September 11 2001
and decided to move
to Argentina, a
country he had
visited for the
first time on a
Rotary Club exchange
programme, partly
because of the
attacks. He settled
on this particular
region “because it
offered a lifestyle
that was difficult
to find in the US”.
“You can walk more
or less everywhere,
the city centre is
compact and vibrant
and full of cafés
and people
prioritise personal
relationships over
possessions,” he
explains.
Despite its
decidedly provincial
atmosphere, the
Mendoza metropolitan
area has nearly
850,000 inhabitants,
making it the fourth
most populous in
Argentina. And,
after Buenos Aires,
it vies with
Bariloche in
northern Patagonia
as the most popular
destination for
foreign homebuyers.
English now rents a
modern, 80 sq metre,
one-bedroom
apartment in a quiet
central area of
Mendoza city and
works as an adviser
to expatriates
purchasing property
in the region,
especially
agricultural land
such as farms and
vineyards, an
increasingly coveted
but challenging
category.
“Fundamentally, our
job is to steer
clients away from
poor investments
such as land that
wouldn’t work for
growing grapes for
reasons of
inadequate water
supply, unacceptable
frost risks or
problems with
title,” he says. “We
help set up
operations with
experienced local
professionals so the
projects have the
best possible chance
of success and we
act as their eyes
and ears on the
ground when they are
not in Argentina.”
Prices of vineyard
land rose in the
years following the
Argentine meltdown
of 2001-2002 in line
with both increasing
national real estate
values and the
rising popularity of
Argentine wines
abroad, particularly
reds from the
Mendoza region,
which dominate
overseas sales.
“Expect to pay as
much as $60,000 for
a hectare of mature
vineyard in a top
location, though in
lesser areas you
could pay less than
half that.”
(Agricultural land
is invariably
advertised in US
dollars in
Argentina.)
For the complete article, please visit
www.ft.com
David English has been advising foreign investors in Argentina since
1998 through his company English & Associates. He spoke with
Luxury Latin America about the upsides and downsides of
investing in Argentina.
What service does English and Associates perform for foreign
investors interested in Argentina and what kinds of problems are
you set up to solve?
We offer a variety of pre and post–purchase real estate services: property scouting, financial
analysis of a potential investment, title checks and price
negotiation, as well as property management for non–resident
owners. English & Associates is a professional services firm and
not a real estate agency. We represent only buyers/owners and do
not charge commissions or other realtor fees.
What makes Argentina attractive for investors in the
agricultural sector?
There is still a large gap in values between agricultural real
estate in Argentina and land of similar quality in other parts
of the world. This fact, coupled with the excellent climate and
the purity of key natural resources (air, water, soil, etc.)
make Argentina an inherently attractive investment opportunity.
What are some of the unique challenges to investing in
Argentina?
Understanding that Argentina is a cyclical country by nature is
key to successfully investing here. One must be prepared to ride
out the low points in the typical 7 to 10 year economic cycle in
order to reap the benefits of the high points.
Also, it is important to understand that business moves at a
slower pace in Argentina but the rules of the game (tax and
labor laws, for example) change more often than in countries
like Canada, the UK or the USA. An investor who does not live in
Argentina really does need someone they can trust who is on the
ground and looking after their interests in the country on a
day–to–day basis. That's what we do.
For the complete interview, please visit
www.luxurylatinamerica.com
Punto a Punto Magazine (Mendoza, Argentina)
November 13th, 2007
Las inversiones que
vendrán serán más pensadas - Mauricio Llaver
David English es
estadounidense y hace cuatro años creó en Mendoza la
consultora English & Associates, especializada en asesorar a
inversores extranjeros.
–¿Cómo está el clima de
inversiones en Mendoza?
–Hay nuevos desafíos
como la inflación y la tasa de cambio. En realidad hay una
tasa de cambio nominal y una real. La nominal es 3 a 1 pero la
tasa real es mucho peor que antes debido a la inflación. Si
alguien viene a invertir o como turista puede comprar hoy
mucho menos de lo que compraba antes con dólares. Un barroluco
de pollo, que hace cinco años costaba dos dólares, hoy cuesta
siete: más caro que en Estados Unidos.
–¿Se puede cuantificar
esa pérdida de la ventaja competitiva del tipo de cambio?
–El dólar debería estar
a 4 ó 4,50 pesos para comprar lo mismo que hace tres o cuatro
años. Muchos precios se han triplicado en dólares.
–¿Cómo se compensa esa
pérdida de competitividad?
–Mendoza tiene cosas
atractivas inherentes a la provincia, como el clima, los
aspectos positivos de su cultura, el agua, el aire limpio, que
siguen atrayendo tanto a inversores como a turistas.
–Ya no vienen sólo por
el tipo de cambio…
–No, y ya no vienen sólo
por el retorno tangible. Lo que el inversor busca ahora son,
además de un retorno de la inversión, los intangibles que
ofrece Mendoza. Es más factible que hoy venga un aficionado al
vino porque le encanta el vino, los viñedos, el clima, la
gente, y no porque busca un retorno del 15% anual sobre la
inversión. Ese perfil de inversor es cada día menor.
Diario Uno Newspaper (Mendoza,
Argentina)
June 17th, 2007
Me enamoré de Argentina - Gabriela Malizia
Con extranjeros radicados en Mendoza, el consultor David English
creó, junto a su amigo Carl Emberson, un grupo de empresarios y
profesionales.
Preside el Club Expats (empresarios
extranjeros), se apellida English y, aunque lleva en Mendoza
cuatro años, el acento y el look lo delatan: David English
es estadounidense, nacido en Nashville, Tennessee, y se
radicó en Mendoza tras el atentado a las Torres Gemelas.
Literalmente, vio a los aviones chocar contra las torres
porque su oficina estaba a una cuadra del World Trade
Center. Aquel hecho lo impactó profundamente y decidió que
quería cambiar su forma de vida.
Cuando le preguntamos por qué eligió Mendoza para concretar
el cambio, afirma llanamente: “Porque acá todavía existen
valores humanos, no sólo materiales. Me gusta, aquí se
respira aire de comunidad”.
Entusiasta, el joven empresario conoció Argentina en 1997
por una beca del Rotary y se enamoró del país. “Vine varias
veces, me quedé un año en Mendoza en 1999; luego volví a
Estados Unidos, pero siempre con el deseo de quedarme en
Argentina”, relata.
La oportunidad se le presentó en el 2003, cuando un amigo de
su hermano, el empresario Ward Lay (dueño de Pepsico y
Andeluna Cellars), decidió invertir en Argentina. “Ward
sabía que yo conocía gente en Mendoza y me pidió algunos
consejos y recomendaciones. Me di cuenta de que los
extranjeros necesitaban tener una persona de confianza para
realizar sus inversiones; sobre esa base, armé un equipo de
abogados, escribanos, ingenieros agrónomos y otros
profesionales para asesorar a las empresas extranjeras, toda
gente confiable”, cuenta.
Los Andes Newspaper (Mendoza,
Argentina)
June 10th, 2007
Polémica por una ley para regular las
inversiones inmobiliarias extranjeras - Anabel Gonzalez
Una
buena porción de la Payunia mendocina, viñedos del Valle de Uco,
norte y este provincial y hasta los picos montañosos que marcan
el límite con Chile, despiertan cada vez más el interés de
inversores extranjeros. Las operaciones de compra por parte de
foráneos, que por ahora no tiene regulación en Mendoza, podrían
entrar en un nuevo registro para su control. Pero el solo
proyecto presentado ya genera polémica.
El texto de la norma, que ya tiene la aprobación del Senado
provincial, busca crear un Registro Público y Archivo Judicial,
con el fin de contar con la identificación clara del comprador y
del vendedor, la extensión, el origen que han tenido los fondos
y la capacidad patrimonial de los titulares, a través de un
organismo de control”, según lo expresado por Jorge Difonso, el
impulsor de la idea. Es el mismo senador demócrata que generó el
controvertido proyecto que pretende frenar la actividad minera
metalífera a cielo abierto en la provincia.
Aunque se espera que el debate de este nuevo proyecto sea menos
caliente, ya tiene detractores por “dura” y también por “blanda”.
Para hacerse efectiva aún necesita el visto bueno de Diputados y
la promulgación del Poder Ejecutivo.
El estadounidense David English, de la consultora English &
Associates que asesora a inversores foráneos sostiene que
“cualquier control de un grupo específico y no de todos suena a
prejuicio y los inversores extranjeros lo van a ver como algo
sumamente negativo”.
For the complete article, please visit
www.losandes.com.ar
Wine Enthusiast Magazine
May 2007
Speculation of Coppola to Buy Land - by
Kathleen Buckely
David English, an American in
Mendoza who
counsels larger-scale investors ($500,000+), said land prices
are going up 20-30% a year, with water rights (its semi arid)
a big issue. Top vineyard sites are in the 3,500 to 4,700-foot
altitude and are becoming few and far between. But if Coppola
is dealing, English said it’s not with his firm: “English and
Associates are not currently advising Coppola,” he said. The
American Embassy in
Buenos Aires had
read the rumors but had no confirmation.
The rush south started in 2002 after
the link between the U.S. dollar and the peso at one-to-one
parity was severed. Since then the peso has fluctuated to as
high as four pesos to a dollar; it now floats around three
pesos to the dollar. Still, the buying power is strong: land,
goods and labor cost less.
So while the official word is that
Coppola is not looking for the best land to grow the best
grapes to make the best wine Argentina could imagine, don’t
cry, Argentina. Risk and imagination are Coppola trademarks.
And, Talbert said, he likes Malbec.
For the complete article, please visit
www.winemag.com
WPLN Radio News Transcript
May 11th, 2007
Argentines Get a Taste of Nashville -
by Christine Buttorff
Nashville entrepreneur David English
traveled to Argentina ten years ago on a young person’s
business trip sponsored by the Rotary club, and fell in love
with the country.
English now lives in Mendoza and
wanted to foster a closer relationship between his home city
and his adopted one. So this week, he along with four
musicians and their conductor have come to Nashville on a
cultural exchange. They’ve spent the week rehearsing with the
symphony and sightseeing.
While sitting in the café of the
symphony hall, Conductor David Handel translated for the
musicians who say they’ve found playing here a more formal
experience.
“And the way we speak in the United
States in the context of the rehearsal, you would never expect
a response, a response to something you say on the part of a
musician unless something were unclear. On the contrary, a
Latin American orchestra there’s a joie de vivre, where if you
say something someone might jump in with a humorous remark
which he thinks because it is a very clever and witty thing to
say, that it’s appropriate.”
The musicians say the members of the
symphony have been extremely friendly and they’ve loved
playing in the new hall. They’ll be performing with the group
in tonight’s concert.
The cultural exchange will be
reciprocated when several members of the Nashville Symphony
travel to Mendoza, Argentina in September.
Los Andes Newspaper (Mendoza,
Argentina)
March 31st, 2007
Viñedos for Sale - Maria Soledad
Gonzalez
David
English, presidente de la empresa consultora English &
Associates, que asesora a diferentes extranjeros en Mendoza
comentó que “nosotros nos enfocamos en ayudar a los inversores
que tienen presupuestos de 500.000 dólares hacia arriba. No
trabajamos con inversores chicos. Creo que este año vamos a
estar generando inversiones por el doble que el año pasado.
Nuestros clientes al menos estarán invirtiendo arriba de 5
millones de dólares en Mendoza durante la primera mitad de 2007,
en compra de viñedos, fincas y bodegas”.
La empresa que English preside empezó en el 2003, y cuenta de
qué manera: “Un conocido mío, Ward Lay (magnate de las papas
fritas), decidió construir una bodega en Valle de Uco (Andeluna
Cellars). Durante el proyecto me comentaba de sus experiencias y
a veces me pidió ayuda. Ahí me di cuenta de que había una gran
necesidad por parte de inversores extranjeros de tener
asesoramiento independiente y confiable”, concluyó English.
For the complete article, please visit
www.losandes.com.ar
Transitions Abroad Magazine
January/February 2007 edition
Make Your Fantasy Job a Reality - by
Tim Leffel
David English left the U.S. not to
escape, but because he found Argentina irresistible. While
living in the U.S. he owned a company that licensed music
industry trademarks (such as Gibson and Steinway) and
developed licensed merchandise for sale in overseas markets.
After spending six weeks in Patagonia on a Rotary Club
exchange program, he vowed to find a way to return to
Argentina for good. “I kept coming back on subsequent trips,
always looking for opportunities,” English explains.
He eventually moved to Argentina,
married a local woman, and settled down in Mendoza, the
epicenter of the wine industry in Argentina. Perhaps not
surprisingly, his business skills led him into the wine
business.
After moving to Mendoza, he started
offering general business services to foreign investors and
foreign corporations, helping people set up locally or form
partnerships. He smoothed their way by knowing how to get
things done locally, removing much of the risk from doing
business in a foreign land. Word soon got out to investors
and companies. “Because of where we are in Mendoza, most of
the companies and individuals who come to us were looking to
invest or partner with the wine business,” he explains, “so I
got involved in matching people with vineyard land and helping
them get established.” The result was English & Associates,
now a thriving consulting firm.
English has found a business niche:
keeping foreign investors from making lousy investments. “One
of our primary goals is to keep people from totally messing
up. We guide them through the local pitfalls and make sure
they understand the risks. We steer clients away from land
that wouldn’t work for growing grapes, for instance, or
mitigate their risk by working out deals with an experienced
local partner. Some of our clients are only here a few
times a year, so we are their local eyes and ears, bridging
the two cultures.”
For the complete article, please visit
www.transitionsabroad.com
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