RICHMOND - Governor Mark R. Warner will lead a business development mission to Europe May 18 through May 24, 2003. The mission will include a series of high-level meetings with key business executives in Copenhagen, Zurich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich, Düsseldorf, and other locations in Southern Germany.
“In today’s economy, it is more important than ever that we aggressively market the Commonwealth and maintain Virginia’s presence abroad,” said Governor Warner. “I hope we will be able to create strong partnerships that will bring new jobs and investment to Virginia.”
Governor Warner will be joined by Secretary of Commerce and Trade Michael J. Schewel and Mark Kilduff, Executive Director of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. The trip will be the first international trade mission conducted by Governor Warner, who has pledged to aggressively market Virginia as a business friendly location. The Governor has previously conducted domestic marketing trips to Detroit and New York City.
“Our business recruitment meetings will focus on Virginia’s dynamic technology sector, pharmaceutical clusters, and the state’s strong manufacturing base,” said Secretary Schewel. “We believe this mission will deliver positive results for Virginia’s communities.”
Investments made by foreign companies constitute an important part of Virginia’s economic development activity. During 2002, more than 30 foreign affiliated announcements were made for the creation of 2,240 jobs and the investment of $191.7 million.