Region's offer outlined to US delegations
A delegation from a US city visited Coventry and Warwickshire in a bid to create new business partnerships in the region – boosting the economies both sides of the Atlantic.
A group from Mentor, Ohio – which, if it were a country in its own right would be the 20th economy in the world – visited the region to meet potential investors and exporters.
A roundtable event was held with the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce where the delegation – led by Kevin Malecek, Director of Economic Development and International Trade for the City of Mentor – showcased how the city is welcoming to UK investors and exporters. They outlined the ‘soft landing’ service the city offers to businesses to make it easy to find new contacts and understand the processes of trading in the US. The city also offers lower costs of doing business compared to other areas of the country.
Mentor currently hosts approximately 300 manufacturing companies and over 50,000 employees across manufacturing, retail, and professional services, with strong clusters in advanced manufacturing; aerospace; polymers and chemicals; biomedical industries; and engineering and R&D.
It makes it an ideal region for firms in Coventry and Warwickshire to partner with and offers a route into the world’s biggest economic market in a location that is within 600 miles of 60 per cent of the US and Canadian populations.
The City of Mentor has already struck up similar partnerships in the UK and hopes to secure new opportunities with businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Kevin Malecek said: “The City of Mentor, Ohio, is delighted to be working with the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber. This is the start of what we hope will be a long and fruitful partnership.”
Tim Cooper-Cocks, International Trade Advisor at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “I am really pleased that we have been able to cultivate this very positive relationship with Mentor and this presents a very real opportunity for companies in Coventry and Warwickshire to move into the US market."