Holcomb’s International Journeys to Continue
Governor Eric Holcomb will next month lead delegations on two international trade missions to boost global economic development opportunities for the state. The trips to Israel and Europe will be capped off by the governor taking the inaugural nonstop flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to Indianapolis.
The governor and First Lady Janet Holcomb will lead the first delegation to Israel, which will focus on agbiosciences. The group will include Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger, Indiana State Department of Agriculture Bruce Kettler and AgriNovus Indiana Chief Executive Officer Beth Bechdol, along with other representatives of Indiana’s agbiosciences industry. The delegation will depart May 6 and return May 11.
During the trip, Holcomb will give opening remarks at the Agritech Israel Conference in Tel Aviv. The delegation will also meet with business and research partners, industry stakeholders with ties to Indiana, as well as Israel’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Uri Ariel.
Several Israel-based companies have a presence in Indiana, including MCP USA in Portage, Polyram Group in Evansville and Omen USA in Richmond.
The second trip to Europe will depart May 18, led by the governor, first lady and Schellinger. The delegation will meet with government and business officials from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Slovakia. Holcomb’s office says the state is home to more than 450 European business facilities that employ nearly 114,000 Hoosiers, which accounts for 60 percent of the state’s jobs supported by international businesses.
"Indiana is a global economy. To take our business climate to the next level, we must continue building international relationships and nurturing opportunities that attract more great jobs to our state and bring more Hoosier-made goods and services to the world," Holcomb said in a news release. "As we continue to share the Indiana story with nations around the globe, we’ll develop even more of these strategic partnerships that spur innovation, diversify our economy and build our workforce."
The governor and first lady will return to Indiana May 25 on the first Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) flight from Paris to Indianapolis International Airport, which. It will be the first nonstop transatlantic flight from Indiana to Europe. Holcomb’s office says more details on the European trip will be announced in the coming weeks.