NEW TRANSATLANTIC TRADE PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHED BETWEEN KILDARE AND PENNSYLVANIA
Huge Potential For Irish Companies in World’s 19th Largest Economy
Tuesday 17th October 2017
County Kildare Chamber today hosted a very successful trade visit from the Pennsylvanian Dept of Economic Development which was focused on strengthening opportunities for Kildare based companies by increasing export markets and advancing trade opportunities for our 380 members whilst also attracting investment into Kildare from the USA.
Pennsylvania has the 19th largest economy in the World bolstered by the two large cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with an overall population close to 13million and four of the country’s top 50 universities. The delegation which travelled over from the USA this week is also interested in developing a two way flow of business back into Kildare as a result and we were very impressed by the county’s infrastructure, skilled workforce, countryside and proximity to the main transport access hubs in Dublin.
Deputy Secretary of International Business Development for the State of Pennsylvania Joseph Burke who led the US delegation said “We currently host 232 Irish companies who employ 13,945 jobs and we are particularly interested in attracting Irish companies in the Life Sciences, Innovation and Technology sectors to our state. There are huge opportunities for Irish firms to do business in Pennsylvania and we hope to host a trade visit from Kildare by May next year which could be the start of a special two-way beneficiary trade corridor between our state and Kildare County.”
Speaking after the visit, Allan Shine CE of the Chamber in Kildare, said, “The Chamber was delighted to host a visit from the state of Pennsylvania. It gave us the opportunity to further develop trading potential and also for our colleagues to meet with Kildare companies interested in breaking into the US market. Our key partners were also in attendance (Kildare County Council and LEO Kildare). For Kildare to be the location of choice for existing and potential enterprise we need all stakeholders to work together in Kildare and I was delighted that once again this has been very evident. With continued investment in key capital projects underway in Kildare, the county is primed for further foreign direct investment. Businesses today had great opportunities to speak with key influencers in Pennsylvania and we hope to develop our relationship with our colleagues in the state over the coming months.”