The choice of Odebrecht as the world’s best family business of the year in 2010 is a win for all the Organization's members.

Introduced in 1996 by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) of Switzerland, this coveted award, which follows strict criteria for evaluating and selecting the winners, is bestowed annually on one of the top family businesses from around the globe.

“Our culture brought us here,” said Marcelo Odebrecht, President and CEO of Odebrecht S.A., when accepting the award in the United States. He was referring to the corporate culture reflected by the discipline with which all members of the Organization apply the Odebrecht family’s values and principles. This practice is only made possible by each and every member’s belief that the spirit of service is essential.

The application of the Odebrecht culture can be seen in action in all of the Organization’s ventures, some of which are portrayed in this issue of Odebrecht Informa. In the projects underway at Miami International Airport, in the United States, where Odebrecht established a presence exactly 20 years ago. In the construction of the “electric train” metro system in Lima, the capital of Peru, where the Organization first launched its international operations in 1979. At the Triunfo Petrochemical Complex in southern Brazil, where Braskem has just opened its green ethylene plant, a globally innovative project.

Wherever they may be working in the Organization, all Odebrecht members have good reason to celebrate this award. After an in-depth study of the Organization, the IMD’s analysts realized that its members feel right at home in their workplace. More than that, they feel part of one big community whose touchstone is a culture that is understood, assimilated and applied by all its members. The IMD award confirms that feeling, which is built and reaffirmed on a daily basis.