Pence to Lead North of The Border Delegation
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA trade delegation led by Governor Mike Pence will travel Wednesday to Canada. The schedule includes meetings with a venture capital firm, government officials and a business recruitment event at a Toronto Maple Leafs game. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. says two-way trade between Canada and Indiana totals nearly $20 billion annually. October 7, 2014
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Governor Mike Pence will lead a delegation of Hoosier business officials Wednesday on a jobs and economic development mission to Toronto, strengthening Indiana's economic ties with Canada and marketing Indiana's business development success story.
“Canada is already the destination for billions of dollars' worth of Hoosier-built products,” said Pence. “This trip will be dedicated to boosting bonds with existing partners in Toronto and supporting new relationships as we pursue every opportunity to win more Hoosier jobs.”
During the day-long trip, the Governor will meet with business and government officials, including a venture capital firm considering investment opportunities in Hoosier companies, Skjodt-Barrett Foods, Ontario Prime Minister Kathleen Wynne, U.S. Consul General Jim Dickmeyer and Canadian Consul General Douglas George. He will also host a business recruitment event at the season opener of the Toronto Maple Leafs for site selection consultants and companies considering investment in Indiana.
Joining Pence on the delegation are First Lady Karen Pence and Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith, as well as other utility officials. The trip expenses of the Governor and First Lady are being covered through private donations to the Indiana Economic Development Foundation.
As a long supporter of art therapy in Indiana and around the world, Mrs. Pence will meet with students and teachers at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute, the first art therapy training program in Canada. In addition, she will tour the Gardiner Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario while in Toronto.
More than 14,800 Hoosiers work for Canadian-owned companies and more than 193,500 jobs in Indiana are dependent on trade and investment with Canada. The Hoosier State is home to more than 90 Canadian firms, including global companies such as Dorel Juvenile Group, KIK Custom Products, CN Railway and Magna Powertrain.
Canada is Indiana's largest export partner, with the state exporting $11.8 billion in Hoosier-built products to Canada just last year. Including Canadian imports to Indiana, the two-way trade exchange between Canada and Indiana totals $19.6 billion annually. Transportation equipment accounted for nearly half of the exports. Thirty-five percent of Indiana's exports go to Canada, with the Hoosier State selling more goods to Canada than to the state’s next six largest foreign markets combined.
This is Pence's fourth international jobs mission as governor and comes less than three months after returning from an economic development trip to the United Kingdom, which included Indiana's first major presence at the Farnborough International Airshow. Earlier this year, he also led a targeted job-hunting trip to Germany, which included visiting five cities and meeting with dozens of German companies looking to invest in Indiana. Last year, Pence led his first gubernatorial overseas jobs mission to Japan where he held more than 20 meetings with Japanese company executives, including meetings with the president and chief executive officers of Toyota Motor Corp., Honda and Fuji Heavy Industries.
The Governor will depart for Toronto Wednesday morning and return to Indiana that night.
Members of the delegation include:
Governor Mike Pence
First Lady Karen Pence
Victor Smith, Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC)
Don Babcock, Northern Indiana Public Service Company
Doug Esamann, Duke Energy Indiana
Jim Finan, Indiana Michigan Power
Katelyn Hancock, IEDC
Rollie Helmling, IEDC
Brenda Morrissey, Office of the First Lady
Susan Reed, Indiana Municipal Power Agency
Sherry Rose, IEDC
Robbie Sears, Vectren
Jeff Quyle, Hoosier Energy
Three members of the governor's security details will also travel.
Updates from the Governor's trade mission, including video clips, photos and an Indiana-Canada economic ties fact sheet, will be posted here: www.in.gov/gov/Canada2014.htm.
Source: The Office of Governor Mike Pence