GO-Biz International Participates in Annual Series of Foreign Investment Attraction Events
GO-Biz International Affairs and Trade Team continues effort to market California to international businesses, including at the 10th annual SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, D.C.
Sacramento, CA – The GO-Biz International Affairs and Trade team recently participated in a series of high-level initiatives across the state and country focused on highlighting opportunities in California for expanding international businesses.
California, as the world’s fifth largest economy, plays an outsized role on the global stage – whether it’s our shared border with the country’s most significant trading partner or our strategic position on the Pacific Rim. With more than 800,000 jobs, the Golden State continues to lead the nation in jobs supported by foreign direct investment. What’s more, foreign direct investment supports $84.3 billion in wages for Californians.
This series of foreign investment attraction events underlined the incredible opportunities in California for foreign businesses and allowed for engagement with key international partners from around the globe. They included:
- The SelectUSA Investment Summit, hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., to which GO-Biz led a delegation of local economic developers from across the state.
- The Cleantech and ZEV Ecosystem Tour, hosted by the Greater Sacramento Economic Council.
- The SelectLA Investment Summit in Long Beach, hosted by the World Trade Center of Los Angeles.
- POWER CA, a renewable energy conference hosted by Humboldt County.
Each event allowed the GO-Biz International Affairs and Trade team to advertise opportunities and available support for international businesses interested in establishing operations in California, with the goal of bringing investment, jobs, and innovation to the state. Throughout these events, GO-Biz engaged with more than 250 international businesses and organizations to promote business expansion in California.
The 10th annual SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, D.C. is the preeminent foreign investment attraction event in the U.S. hosted by the Department of Commerce and was the keystone event in this series. The Summit was the largest ever, with more than 5,000 individuals from 96 international markets in attendance. California brought a delegation of 28 local economic organizations from across the state. Representation included:
- Stephanie Hsieh, BioscienceLA
- Claudia Diaz, California Association of Realtors
- Jaclyn Chiyo Funasaki, East Bay EDA
- Connie Stopher, Economic Development Coalition
- Swan Asbury, City of Eureka
- Will Oliver and Lauren Nikkel, Fresno EDC
- Alicia Ramirez, City of Fresno
- Soua Vang and Jenny de la Mora, City of Glendale
- Terri Batch, GlobalLA
- Troels Adrian and Hayden Kandul, Greater Sacramento Economic Council
- Scott Adair, Humboldt County
- Patrick Ellis, Impact SW Riverside
- Tim Kelley and Sean Willcock, Imperial Valley EDC
- Bo Martinez, City of Long Beach
- Leah Goold Haws, Long Beach Economic Partnership
- Alex Andrade and Michael Thomas, City of Milpitas
- Scott Agajanian, Murrieta Innovation Center
- Alan Wapner and Jennifer McLain Hiramoto, City of Ontario
- Michael Foote, REACH Central Coast
- Kimberly Wright, Riverside County
- Tony Yung, Sac China Trade Office
- Ryan Niesen and Derek Armstrong, San Bernardino County
- Jey Wagner and Ondre Seltzer, Santa Clarita Valley EDC
- Hala Madanat and Natasha Bliss, San Diego State University
- Robin Reimold, TeamCA
- Frank Rexach, UC Riverside
- William Powles and Olivia Zhang, World Trade Center Los Angeles
- Felipe Cusnir, World Trade Center Long Beach
- Lucas Coleman and Emily Irion, World Trade Center San Diego
GO-Biz hosted a Meet California Breakfast at the Summit, which featured opening remarks from SelectUSA Executive Director Jasjit Singh, as well as a fireside chat between GO-Biz Senior Deputy Director Emily Desai and Lane Dilg, Head of Strategic Partnerships on the Global Affairs Team at OpenAI. More than 150 international businesses registered to network with the California delegation and learn about how California’s unique business climate drives innovation.
“The SelectUSA Investment Summit and surrounding events are a priority for our team because of the outcomes they deliver for California communities. We are proud to partner with economic developers from across California to amplify the unmatched resources they have for growing businesses,” noted GO-Biz Senior Deputy Director Emily Desai.
“Greater Sacramento is a market rising in global importance. We have seen major investments from Korea’s SK hynix and Samsung as well as Germany’s Bosch in recent years, and almost 40% of the companies we work with are international. Accordingly, the SelectUSA Summit is a touchstone opportunity for our region. I commend Director Dee Dee Myers and the GO-Biz team for their leadership in promoting California globally and look forward to partnering on the many opportunities we secured at this year’s conference,” said Greater Sacramento Economic Council President and CEO Barry Broome.
“Each year, the opportunities to connect with global investors at the SelectUSA Summit grow exponentially. The Murrieta Innovation Center has cultivated some amazing relationships that are beginning to flourish in our community,” said Impact Southwest Riverside CEO Patrick Ellis.
You can follow the GO-Biz International Affairs and Trade team’s foreign investment attraction efforts by subscribing to their newsletter, following @CAGoBiz on X, and searching for #GoBizInternational across social media platforms.
About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.