The Governor Also Highlights Cahokia Seminar Designed to Help Illinois Businesses Explore Foreign Trade Opportunities
CHICAGO – Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today praised five Illinois businesses for their success during a recent state-led foreign trade mission to China, which focused on the green building industry. The Governor highlighted the efforts of BRIC Partnership, an engineering and construction firm based in Belleville, who made its first trip to China and established significant contacts and business leads through its participation. The mission, which concluded November 10th, marked the latest in a series of foreign trade missions to countries across the globe designed to match Illinois companies with business opportunities abroad.
To continue helping Illinois companies pursue more trade opportunities, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Office of Trade and Investment (OTI) will also host a breakfast trade seminar tomorrow, November 30th at 8:00am, at Oliver’s Restaurant in Cahokia to discuss opportunities to identify new markets, increase global exports and create more jobs.
“When it comes to foreign markets seeking quality products and services, Illinois businesses are in high demand, so we must continue our efforts to connect our many creative companies to the global community. Through sector specific trade missions, like this recent trip to China, and informative regional trade seminars, we are better able to engage our small and medium-sized businesses to the wide ranging global opportunities and help them forge lasting partnerships that can result in major business growth and more jobs here at home,” Gov. Blagojevich said.
OTI led the trade mission to China in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce Commercial Service Offices and the U.S. Green Building Council Chicago Chapter, and it included stops in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou. The focus of the mission was on the green product industry, which has experienced rapid growth in China, specifically energy saving and environmentally friendly products. Additionally, China’s recently implemented green building code standards will offer new opportunities for the design, engineering and construction of green buildings. It is predicated that by 2020 more than 300 billion square feet of residential construction will be completed in China, and Illinois is one of the top ten states putting green buildings into place.
The mission provided a number of opportunities for participants to access this market and establish profitable commercial relations through individual appointments with prospective business partners in China. The five participating companies met with more than a combined 90 prospective clients, government organizations and industry groups. As a result of its one-on-one meetings, BRIC Partnership has been able to begin building successful client relationships for its consulting engineering business with energy savings companies, architectural firms and Chinese policy-makers. The mission also included briefings with China’s Energy Conservation Association and Construction Industry Association, which provided a comprehensive introduction on the green building industry. As a result, the Chicago Green Building Council and the Energy Conservation Service Industry Committee reached a verbal agreement to set a model project in Beijing.
“The trade mission to China allowed us to tap into the Chinese green building market for the first time, positioning us for a potential growth in business. I was very impressed with the number of contacts, knowledge of local customs and business opportunities provided through the mission. All in all, the trade mission was a tremendous experience for small firms like ours, and we’re excited to capitalize on these new opportunities,” BRIC Partnership President Tom Buchheit said.
OTI, in partnership with the Archview Economic Development Corporation, will host the “Building Your Business Around the World” trade seminar, which is part of a series of statewide presentations, which have reached almost 500 participants, including business owners, public officials, economic development leaders and educational partners. The event will include presentations from Kathleen Houlihan, Deputy Managing Director of OTI, who will discuss the programs and services available to help companies across the region tap into international markets, and BRIC Partnership’s Tom Buchheit, who will discuss his experiences from the recent trade mission. The presentation and trade mission are a part of Opportunity Returns, the Governor’s comprehensive economic development strategy to create jobs and expand the economy. For more information and registration information please contact Antonio Baxton at 618/979.2538 or antonio.baxton@illinois.gov.
“Illinois has experienced unprecedented growth in exports over the last several years, and I commend Gov. Blagojevich and his economic development strategy for taking the initiative to help open up markets across the globe for Illinois companies. I congratulate Belleville’s BRIC Partnership and look forward to its success and the growth of others in community through international trade,” said State Senator James Clayborne (D-East St. Louis).
“Gov. Blagojevich and I understand the need to cultivate important partnerships all over the world, and I am encouraged by the success of regional companies like BRIC Partnership in accessing the global market. Trade missions, seminars and other proactive activities are all incredibly positive steps to continue opening new doors overseas, and I encourage our companies across Southwest Illinois to take full advantage of them,” said State Rep. Tom Holbrook (D-Belleville).
OTI 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, OTI has led 38 foreign trade missions, with an additional 17 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.
Gov. Blagojevich recently celebrated that Illinois exports continue to show significant growth, with more than $27.3 billion in exports reported for the first seven months of 2006, an almost 17 percent increase from the same period in 2005. Last year Illinois exports were up nearly 19 percent from the previous year, which was the greatest one-year increase in more than ten years and the third consecutive year of growth. This data comes from WISER, the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research, who compiles its information from the US Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division.
OTI is also working to attract essential Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Illinois, through a host of promotional activities, including FDI seminars and reverse trade missions. There have been 40 FDI seminars in the past year alone, which have included China, India, Israel and Japan. Illinois currently ranks fifth in the nation in foreign direct investment, according to the Organization for International Investment. This investment has created nearly 236,000 Illinois jobs, which represents nearly 5 percent of the state’s private-sector workforce. Through strategic promotional seminars overseas and domestically, OTI is continuing to establish foreign investment in Illinois and helping to create more Illinois jobs.
“Whether at home or abroad, we’re committed to identifying new opportunities for Illinois companies to grow and expand. Gov. Blagojevich understands the importance of opening new markets for Illinois businesses, and these trade missions and seminars will continue to help introduce Illinois companies into the tremendous opportunities that exist overseas,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
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.