Reverse Trade Mission Set for Southern Illinois on November 1st, 2nd
CHICAGO – In an important move to strategically expand foreign direct investment in Southern Illinois and open new markets abroad, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns team will escort a delegation of Chicago-based, foreign trade commissioners representing an estimated 16 countries throughout Southern Illinois on November 1st and 2nd. Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the reverse foreign trade mission is designed to connect Illinois’ world-class, strategic locations to Chicago’s foreign trade offices to increase investment and maximize exports from the region. DCEO Director Jack Lavin will also be part of the mission.
“Southern Illinois has the resources and a high-quality workforce that is in demand across the globe. Attracting new investments, creating new jobs and connecting our communities to the world are vital in our efforts to take advantage of all of Southern Illinois’ strategic assets. This reverse trade mission allows us to demonstrate its tremendous viability as an international business partner and as a driving force in economic growth both here and abroad,” Gov. Blagojevich said.
The trade commissioners two-day program will introduce them to the advantages and dynamics of Southern Illinois, including the cities of Carbondale, Marion and Mt. Vernon.
On Day 1, the group will visit Southern Illinois University Carbondale to learn about the technical and scientific research being conducted in clean coal technology and other renewable fuels. A luncheon will then be held and will include representatives from SIUC, state and local legislators, and civic and area business leaders. Later that afternoon, the group will travel to Marion to be introduced to the “largest small city in Illinois,” which is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing cities in Illinois. Visits in the afternoon will focus on transportation and logistics, as well as on the coal industry. Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg will host a welcome dinner.
The program on Day 2 will include visits to Benton and Mt. Vernon, including stops at Bombardier Recreational Products and Continental Tire. A luncheon will then be hosted by Rend Lake College.
Gov. Blagojevich recently announced that Illinois’ exports continue to show significant growth, with more than $27.3 billion in exports reported for the first seven months of 2006, a nearly 17 percent increase from the first seven months of 2005. In 2005, Illinois exports were up almost 19 percent, which was the greatest one-year increase in 10 years. Illinois is the fifth largest exporting state after Texas,
California, New York and Washington. Since 2002, Illinois exports have grown by more than $10 billion, a 40 percent increase, which is the largest percent increase among the top exporting states. This data is complied by WISER, the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research, who puts together its data from the US Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division. There are an estimated 485,600 Illinois jobs supported by exports.
The state was ranked fifth in the nation in jobs created by foreign investment in a recent study by the Organization for International Investment released in September. This investment has created nearly 236,000 Illinois jobs, which represents nearly 5 percent of the state’s private-sector workforce.
“Gov. Blagojevich is delivering on his promise to bring even more opportunity to Southern Illinois by helping build bridges between our local communities and international businesses. The networks that will be built will pay dividends for many years to come with more jobs, more business and more opportunity,” State Senator Gary Forby (D-Benton) said.
“We must continue to think globally if we are going to continue attracting more companies and jobs to Southern Illinois. This reverse trade mission is another important step in highlighting all this region as to offer,” State Rep. Kurt Granberg (D-Centralia) said.
"New jobs follow new investment and, through this reverse trade mission, the state is actively working to attract new companies and additional jobs to Southern Illinois to make this region even stronger. We are really welcoming the world to Southern Illinois, and that is a tremendous accomplishment. But this hopefully is only the beginning of even better things to come," State Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion) said.
"Due to Gov. Blagojevich’s continued support, Southern Illinois will be able to show the world a variety of tremendous opportunities that could spur investment, create jobs and keep our economy expanding. This reverse trade mission will provide our local businesses with a unique chance to build meaningful trade relationships with partners across the globe," State Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg) said.
“To compete on the global stage and realize long-term economic growth in the region, we must take strategic steps to pool our resources and work together to promote Southern Illinois across the globe. I want to thank Gov. Blagojevich for putting together this unique reverse trade mission, which is going to ultimately help us create better jobs,” said SIU President Dr. Glenn Poshard.
DCEO offers a variety of export development assistance programs to help Illinois companies identify new markets and locate distribution channels for their products and services abroad, including trade missions to targeted foreign markets. Trade missions provide small and medium sized companies in Illinois with an avenue to export their products and services by directly engaging foreign buyers, agents, distributors and/or joint-venture partners and providing additional in-country support. Under Gov. Blagojevich, DCEO has led 41 foreign trade missions, which includes 19 already in 2006 with an additional 18 planned for the rest of the year and into 2007. This total is more than any previous administration. These missions have hosted more than 190 participants and have included trips, often multiple times, to countries such as Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Spain and South Africa.
Through the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network (IEN) and DCEO’s nine international offices, small and medium-sized businesses can also receive counseling and technical assistance in exporting their goods and services. The Illinois Trade Centers (ITC) and NAFTA Opportunity Centers (NOC) offer expertise and assistance with all facets of exporting with specialists who work one-on-one with new-to-export firms. There are six ITC’s and two NOC’s statewide. Through all of these efforts, 11,350 client companies have been served since 2003, which have reported an estimated $750.5 million in export sales since receiving this assistance.
“This reverse foreign trade mission is another example of Gov. Blagojevich’s vision to fully capitalize on Southern Illinois’ economic strengths. By attracting foreign investment to the region, we are laying the foundation for a stronger, more diverse economy that will take advantage of international opportunities and growth. We are confident after seeing first-hand all the tremendous capabilities and potential in Southern Illinois, the international community will be eager to take part in the region’s vibrant economic future,” said DCEO Director Jack Lavin.
The countries represented by the delegation of foreign trade commissioners that are expected to attend include: Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine.