The beginning of the year is the best time for a retrospective. That's why it's time to look back at the important achievements of 2022 and the main repercussions in the press during this period.
Between acquisitions, expansions and other strategic moves, many moments were essential for the growth of our business ecosystem, continuing the progress of the previous biennium.
First trimester
In February, we invested in the first sustainable CDB developed in Brazil by BTG Pactual. We earmarked R$ 50 million for sustainable investment opportunities in Latin America, with the aim of financing transactions that promote the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (2030 agenda). This month, CADE also approved the purchase of Sagamar, a network of dealerships with more than 11 premium brands that have been added to Automob's portfolio, expanding its participation in the Northeast region, with 14 more stores in São Luís (MA).
We began the following month by completing another acquisition: Truckvan, one of the country's leading manufacturers of road equipment, was incorporated into Vamos. Later in March, we also won a credit line from IDB Invest for USD 250 million, a financing that reflects the company's financial solidity and the quality of its debt management strategy, with the confidence of the international market.
The first quarter consolidated accelerated and sustained growth based on the business decisions and strategies adopted over the last few years, which are primarily based on solid pillars - People, Culture, Values and a unique Management Model. The financial results showed an unprecedented record in our net revenue from services.
Second quarter
In April, the main highlight of our operations was the acquisition of Autostar, one of the country's leading luxury car dealerships, reinforcing the Group's consolidation journey in this market - through Automob - which began the previous year.
With a focus on growth and expansion in the sale of light assets, SIMPAR inaugurated the Automob brand to be the holding company for dealerships and the sale of used vehicles, in addition to the Group. The new identity replaced Original as the holding company, with the brand remaining in the network of Original dealership stores in the state of São Paulo. Automob was born with a portfolio of 70 stores located in the south, southeast and northeast regions of the country.
Also in May, we held SIMPAR DAY: our "Investor Day", with the participation of the Group's top executives from each of our businesses. The meeting was focused on presenting the growth prospects for each of our subsidiaries and projecting the expected financial results up to 2024.
In addition, we completed the third and fourth mergers of the year: Grupo Green, which added nine dealerships of major brands in the city of São Paulo to Automob's light vehicle portfolio; and Truckpad, one of the largest platforms for connecting truck drivers and cargo in Latin America, which aims to accelerate JSL's digital development, adding in-depth technological knowledge to JSL's Innovation plan.
At the close of results for the quarter, we achieved a record EBITDA and our organic investments in acquisitions reached R$ 3.7 billion - almost double compared to the same quarter in 2021. Each of these figures represented the importance of agility, discipline and innovation in our drive for sustainable growth.
Third quarter
In July, two important events stood out. Firstly, the upgrade of SIMPAR, JSL, Movida and Vamos, our publicly traded companies, by Fitch Ratings, strengthening SIMPAR's ecosystem in the market. Secondly, the one decade anniversary of the Julio Simões Memory and Culture Centre, a museum that tells and contextualizes the history of the company and its founder in the city of Mogi das Cruzes-SP.
At the same time, we were preparing for a process of global expansion of our business, which was already underway in other countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Mexico. During this period, for example, Fadel (JSL's urban distribution company) started a logistics operation to serve an Ambev group company in South Africa.
Even with the international movements, the growth paths in Brazil have been maintained. BYD Brasil, a producer of electric vehicles, chose Automob - through its subsidiary, Original Autos - to join forces in a partnership that added six new dealerships to our management portfolio.
Also this quarter, Fernando Simões was elected the best CEO in Latin America according to the Latin America Executive Team 2022 evaluation the following month. Other executives from SIMPAR, Movida and Vamos - Denys Marc Ferrez, Edmar Prado Lopes and Gustavo Moscatelli, respectively - were also recognized in the CFO awards. In addition, the holding company was voted the best in ESG practices in the area.
The end of the quarter was marked by another stage in the Group's internationalization plan with the completion of the purchase of Drive On Holidays (DOH), one of Portugal's leading light vehicle rental companies, acquired by Movida. All of these actions culminated in a new EBITDA record, presented in the results release for the period.
Fourth quarter
The last quarter of the year began with recognition from ISTOÉ Dinheiro magazine, which included SIMPAR among the 100 largest companies in the country thanks to our unique Management Model. Alongside the holding company's highlights, our businesses also had special achievements in the period.
Movida, in partnership with other companies in the sector, designed the Rota Sul project: a private network of electric stations that connects the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul with ten fast-charging stations for electric cars. The brand was also present at COP 27 in Egypt, which brought together global leaders to discuss targets for reducing pollutant emissions.
Vamos, for its part, took part in Fenatran 2022, presenting its complete ecosystem for renewing or expanding fleets of trucks, machinery and equipment at one of the world's most important events in the transportation and logistics sector. We also signed a PPP (Public-Private Partnership), through the CS Mobi Consortium, for the investment of more than R$120 million for the revitalization of Cuiabá's Historic Centre.
In our journey of evolution in our internal sustainable processes, we have received excellent recognition from CDP: the main global platform for corporate sustainability among the companies listed in B3's ISE (Corporate Sustainability Index) portfolio. In this context, in November, Grupo Vamos increased its grade from C to B, JSL rose from B- to B, while Movida and the SIMPAR holding maintained their B grades.
With this, we became one of the business groups with the most companies listed in the ISE portfolio, highlighting sustainability as one of the pillars of our business strategy. And in this context of ESG, it was also during this period that we had the third class of the Women in Management program, which trains women to work in the logistics sector and creates opportunities in this segment historically occupied by men.
The year 2022 was an important catalyst for our sustainable growth and we know that now, in 2023, we have much more to achieve. And to keep up to date with every step, every piece of news and every piece of information about the SIMPAR Group, keep an eye on the Press Room on our website!