State of California participates in foreign investment attraction events across U.S., continues to strengthen global economic ties
The Newsom Administration continues to market California to international businesses at high-profile events, reminding the world that the state remains a reliable destination for trade and investment
Sacramento, CA – In recent weeks, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) led the state’s presence at a series of foreign investment attraction events in both California and Washington D.C., to underline the unparalleled opportunities in the Golden State for foreign businesses. These events included:
- SelectLA Investment Summit, at which GO-Biz Chief Deputy Director Emily Desai spoke on a panel titled ‘World Trade in 2025: Navigating Uncertainty, Seizing Opportunity.’
- POWER CA, in Humboldt County, at which Foreign Investment Analyst Claire Gordon spoke on a panel titled ‘Spotlight on California’s Investment Opportunities and Funding.’
- SelectUSA Investment Summit, to which GO-Biz Director Dee Dee Myers led a delegation of economic developers from across the state to Washington, D.C.
Each of these events allowed GO-Biz to spotlight unique opportunities for business expansion, innovation, and investment that span a range of growing sectors such as the clean economy, high-tech, life sciences, and manufacturing. Throughout these events, the state engaged with hundreds of international businesses and organizations, highlighting California’s unmatched potential to global partners.
“California is incredibly proud to be the number one U.S. state for jobs supported by foreign owned companies – with more than 814,000 jobs and $89 billion in total wages supported from foreign investment,” said Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom and GO-Biz Director. “When international businesses establish themselves in California, they make our communities more vibrant, more dynamic and more globally connected.”
The SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, D.C., which is hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the preeminent foreign investment attraction event in the country and was the keystone event in this series. This year’s Summit was the largest ever, with more than 5,500 individuals from 100 international markets in attendance.
As part of the Summit’s programming, GO-Biz hosted a ‘Meet California’ breakfast featuring a panel discussion on autonomous vehicles, with executives from Waymo and Zoox and moderated by Director Myers. More than 186 international businesses registered to network with the California delegation and learn about how California’s unique business climate drives innovation.
California brought our largest-ever delegation to the Summit, including 32 economic development organizations from across the state. Representation included:
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– Tony Yung, City of Sacramento – Jaclyn Funasaki, East Bay EDA – Connie Stopher, Economic Development Coalition – Darrell Doan, City of Elk Grove – Miles Slattery and Swan Asbury, City of Eureka – Tim Aldinger and JC Sales, Foundation for California Community Colleges – Lauren Nikkel, Fresno County EDC – Alicia Ramirez and Joshua Goggins, City of Fresno – Soua Vang and Jenny De La Mora, City of Glendale – Terri Batch, Global LA – Barry Broome and Hayden Kandul, Greater Sacramento Economic Council – Benigno Sandoval, City of Hemet – Sean Quincey and Elishia Hayes, Humboldt County – Patrick Ellis, Impact Riverside County – Tim Kelley and Sean Wilcock, Imperial Valley EDC – Gina Gonzalez, City of Lake Elsinore – Alex Andrade and Kal Zubair, City of Milpitas
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– Keith Gemmell, City of Moreno Valley – Scott Agajanian, Murrieta Innovation Center – Mayor Pro Tem Alan Wapner and Thailin Martin, City of Ontario – Michael Foote, REACH Central Coast – Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson and Jennifer Lilley, City of Riverside – Kimberly Wright and Ariane Gonzalez, Riverside County – Ryan Niesen and Paula Akompong, San Bernardino County – Lucas Coleman and Emily Irion, San Diego Regional EDC – Dr. Laura Buffard and Natasha Bliss, San Diego State University – Natalie Vowell, Santa Clarita Valley EDC – Scott Adair, City of Santa Rosa – Robin Reimold, TeamCalifornia – Jennifer Yturralde, UC Riverside – Mayor John Carli and Don Burrus, City of Vacaville – William Powles and Olivia Zhang, World Trade Center Los Angeles |
“It was a pleasure representing the State of California and the California Community Colleges at SelectUSA,” said Tim Aldinger, Vice President of Workforce and Climate Innovation at the Foundation for California Community Colleges. “We look forward to building and furthering partnerships with GO-Biz and local partners to provide college students with more educational opportunities and options that contribute to California’s workforce and the worldwide economy through highly skilled graduates.”
“This year marked my first SelectUSA as Mayor of Riverside—and one of the few elected officials in California’s delegation,” said Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson. “Riverside aims to lead globally in clean energy and green vehicle manufacturing. Thanks to GO-Biz, Ohmio recently chose our city for its international HQ. This year, at SelectUSA we forged new partnerships in energy, battery, and EV manufacturing—and we’re just getting started. We’re proud to show the world why California is the place to innovate, invest, and thrive.”
California’s participation in SelectUSA was supported by the generous contributions of sponsors – Waymo, Zoox, the Foundation for California Community Colleges and the California Employment Training Panel.
You can follow the GO-Biz International Affairs and Trade team’s foreign investment attraction efforts by subscribing to their newsletter, following GO-Biz on LinkedIn and 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.
Willie Rudman
Deputy Director of Communications
Email, HERE
