CHICAGO - In an innovative effort to educate the East Central region business community about foreign trade opportunities abroad, as well as the local resources designed to help them seize these opportunities, Gov. Rod Blagojevich today announced that the state is hosting a business roundtable discussion on January 21 at the Research Park in Champaign from 11:00am-1:00pm. The initiative, which will be hosted by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, comes as a part of Opportunity Returns, the Governor’s economic development strategy designed to create jobs and spur economic growth in the East Central region and throughout the state.
“We are very pleased to announce this roundtable meeting, which will introduce many members of our talented and diverse business community to the array of available resources designed to assist them. For Illinois companies to meet their full growth potential, we need to help introduce them to as many new markets to do business in as possible. By helping expand economic opportunity to the global stage, we’ll continue revitalizing the Illinois economy and better realizing its enormous potential,” Gov. Blagojevich said.
The Illinois Office of Trade and Investment (ITI) will attend the event and discuss Illinois export development projects in the state and consulting services available to local companies. ITI has trade offices in Tokyo, Mexico City, Toronto, Brussels, Warsaw, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Jerusalem. Rajinder Bedi, the Director of Emerging Markets, will be attending the event in Champaign and will bring three other market specialists. There will be an overview of foreign trade mission trips abroad that ITI is organizing for Illinois businesses in 2005 to facilitate meetings with decision makers in targeted industries.
The NAFTA Opportunity Center at Bradley University will speak about trade opportunities with Canada and Mexico. Tess Morrison, Director of the University of Illinois International Trade Center, will talk about assistance her office provides to local companies.
The roundtable will continue with an exchange between local companies with international business expertise before concluding with an open discussion.
“There is a world of opportunity for Illinois businesses to tap into global markets. Our trade and investment office has nine foreign offices across the world - from Shanghai, China to Brussels, Belgium – and their mission is to foster the critical relationships that must be in place for deals to become viable. This roundtable session will bring those opportunities to the forefront and begin turning promise into productivity,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
The event will include boxed lunches. The discussion will be held in the EnterpriseWorks building at 60 Hazelwood Dr. in Champaign (2 blocks north of Kirby Ave. on First Street).
Gov. Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois’ history. Since a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development just doesn’t work, the Governor has divided the state into 10 regions – each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to opportunities and challenges. Opportunity Returns is about tangible, specific actions to make each region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to businesses. It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital, opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs. Opportunity Returns is about successfully partnering with companies and communities, both large and small, to help all of Illinois reach its economic potential.