Ann Arbor SPARK officials networked with representatives from more than 60 international markets to promote the benefits of investing in the Ann Arbor region at the first-ever SelectUSA 2013 Investment Summit in Washington last week. The Summit supports President Obama’s commitment to attracting foreign direct investment to spur economic growth and create jobs.
“The SelectUSA Summit gives economic development organizations like Ann Arbor SPARK a tremendous opportunity to meet one-on-one with international investors and companies looking to establish or expand their foothold in the United States and showcase what they have to offer,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. “The Summit is just one facet of the unprecedented, coordinated support for areas like Ann Arbor SPARK that SelectUSA provides. From helping connect their economic development organization and local leaders with overseas markets and investors, to working with them to boost their success rates in attracting new business investment, SelectUSA sends the loud and clear message that America is open for business.”
“Attracting foreign investment is a major focus for Ann Arbor SPARK. It supports the work we do to create prosperity in the region through jobs and business growth,” said Paul Krutko, Ann Arbor SPARK president and CEO. “Recently, we’ve seen great results from our efforts, including attracting Longbow Advantage, Faurecia, Thai Summit and Toyota to grow in the Ann Arbor region.”
The first-of-its-kind Summit brought together leading public and private sector officials from around the world to discuss the benefits of investing in the United States. Senior Obama administration officials – including the secretaries of Commerce, State, Treasury, and the U.S. Trade Representative – state officials, and preeminent corporate leaders discussed best practices and strategies to attract foreign investment.
SelectUSA serves as a single point of contact at the federal level for investors and economic development organizations to provide counseling on investment attraction strategy, how to start a business, access federal resources, and/or navigate U.S. Government regulations. SelectUSA is geographically neutral, and advocates on behalf of the entire United States.
