Governor Walker Arrives in Canada Friday for Business Development Mission
Six-day trip to focus on urging Canadian business leaders to invest in Wisconsin
Madison – Governor Scott Walker arrives in Canada today to lead a six-day business development mission aimed at encouraging Canadian companies to consider establishing operations in Wisconsin or increasing their presence in the state.
“Canada is already our largest trading partner, and this trip will provide us with the opportunity to build upon existing relationships and establish new ones, which we believe will pay dividends down the road,” Governor Walker said. “Our infrastructure, dedicated workforce, and pro-business environment are just some of the reasons why Canadian companies should seriously consider expanding in Wisconsin. I look forward to personally making that case during this trip.”
The mission, which runs through Wednesday, June 17, will focus on attracting foreign direct investment to Wisconsin. Governor Walker, along with Katy Sinnott, vice president of International Business Development for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and Kristie Pulvermacher, WEDC’s business attraction and foreign direct investment manager, will meet one-on-one and in small groups with business leaders in Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City about establishing or expanding operations in Wisconsin.
Their efforts will focus specifically on companies that are currently considering expanding or investing in the U.S. The delegation will also meet with companies that already have facilities in Wisconsin to discuss business retention and the possibility of increasing their investments in the state.
During the mission, Governor Walker also will participate in the Leadership Summit of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers in Quebec City that is hosted by the Council of Great Lakes Governors. The summit’s theme for 2015 is “Connecting Across Borders,” and it will include discussions on environmental initiatives, regional economic clusters, and maritime transportation. Governor Walker will speak at the event on Saturday.
In addition to ongoing one-on-one meetings with business leaders, other highlights of the business development mission will include the following:
- - Governor Walker is scheduled to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, and other government officials to discuss ways to strengthen the already close relationship between Wisconsin, Canada, and Quebec.
- - The Governor will meet with key leaders of the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada (AmCham) on Tuesday, June 16. The event will provide Governor Walker and WEDC officials with the opportunity to interact with leaders of the organization, which promotes the two-way flow of trade, goods, services and investment between Canada and the United States.
- - WEDC and AmCham will host a Wisconsin reception on Tuesday, June 16, to increase engagement with executives of Canadian companies that have expressed an interest in Wisconsin or expansion plans in unidentified locations.
Canada is Wisconsin’s largest export destination, with state companies sending nearly $8 billion in goods to the country in 2014—up 5.5 percent from the previous year. Top state exports to Canada are industrial and electrical machinery, vehicles, paper products, and plastics. Wisconsin also imported $4.5 billion in goods from Canada in 2014, primarily plastics, paper, and wood products.
“This mission – like our trip to the United Kingdom in February – is part of WEDC’s strategy to encourage foreign investment in Wisconsin’s historic and emerging industry clusters, such as manufacturing, water technology, food and beverage processing, agriculture, and energy,” said Sinnott. “Canadian firms already have invested nearly $5 billion in Wisconsin companies over the last decade, so the ties are strong. Given the synergy between Wisconsin and Canada, there is certainly room for additional growth.”
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Governor Scott Walker Attends 2015 Governors and Premiers Leadership Summit, Meets with Government Leaders in Canada
Québec City, Ottawa, Canada – Governor Scott Walker attended and spoke at the 2015 Leadership Summit of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers. Held in historic Québec City, the theme for this years’ summit was “Connecting Across Borders,” and panel sessions throughout the weekend focused primarily on regional economic clusters, maritime transportation, and environmental initiatives.
“The Governors and Premiers Leadership Summit is a great chance for the Governors of the Great Lakes States and the Premiers of Ontario and Québec to come together and discuss ways we can build upon and encourage further economic success in this region for years to come,” Governor Walker said. “The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence regions have very similar strengths, particularly in the areas of water technology, energy, and manufacturing. As leaders in these fields, we have much to offer foreign investors, and looking forward, it makes sense for us to work together as we continue to strengthen and innovate in these areas by sharing ideas and practices with one another.”
The Council of Great Lakes Governors is made up of the governors from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and the Premiers of Ontario and Québec.
Today, Governor Walker met with government leaders, and received a briefing from the team at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. Governor Walker also met with leadership at the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, and is meeting with company leaders at BluMetric Environmental, an Ottawa-based water technology firm that is considering expanding to be closer to its North American customer base.
Governor Walker and officials from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) are touting the state’s strengths in the water technology industry, which already has nearly 300 companies and employs 37,000 people. The Wisconsin delegation is also highlighting the Milwaukee Global Water Center, which is internationally recognized as a hub for water technology and entrepreneurship.
Governor Walker is in Canada leading a business development mission focused on attracting foreign direct investment in Wisconsin. The mission will continue tomorrow, as he and representatives from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) meet one-on-one and in small groups in Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City to speak with Canadian business leaders to explore the possibility of establishing new operations in Wisconsin. As a part of WEDC’s trade and foreign direct investment strategy, these discussions will specifically target companies, operations, and investments that best fit into Wisconsin’s key industry sectors, such as manufacturing, agriculture, energy, water technology, bioscience and medical devices, and food processing.
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Governor Scott Walker Touts Wisconsin’s Pro-Business Climate to Canadian Business Leaders
Governor meets with executives to make the case for investing in Wisconsin
Montreal, Canada – Governor Scott Walker and officials with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) met today with dozens of Canadian business executives to make the case for why their companies should consider establishing or expanding operations in Wisconsin.
“We have a great story to tell about why Wisconsin deserves strong consideration from Canadian companies looking to expand in the U.S.,” said Governor Walker. “Whether it’s our outstanding workforce, our strong education system, or the business-friendly policies that we have enacted over the last four years, there are plenty of reasons why Wisconsin is a strong option for Canadian businesses ready to grow. Today’s meetings provided the opportunity to make the case in person.”
Governor Walker and WEDC leaders held several one-on-one meetings with individual companies in targeted industries in Montreal and also co-hosted a Wisconsin reception with the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada. During the evening reception, Governor Walker and WEDC officials had the opportunity to personally engage with executives of Canadian companies that have expressed an interest in Wisconsin or expansion plans in unidentified locations.
Among the companies that Governor Walker and the Wisconsin delegation met with earlier Tuesday was Agropur Cooperative, a leading North American dairy processor that has four facilities and more than 800 employees in Wisconsin. Agropur has completed an investment project of more than $110 million at its Luxemburg plant and is currently investing $55 million at its facility in Weyauwega. At Tuesday’s meeting with company CEO Robert Coallier and U.S. Division President Doug Simon, Governor Walker received an update on those plans and also discussed how Wisconsin could assist the cooperative with future jobs and business operations expansion.
“Wisconsin, which is a leading state in dairy, represents a key region in our strategy and our recent investments there will allow us to accelerate our growth,” Coallier said.
Governor Walker also met with company officials at Domtar Inc., which has a Canadian corporate office and two paper mills in Wisconsin – in Nekoosa and Rothschild – that employ nearly 900 people. At that meeting with Senior Vice President of Corporate Development Patrick Loulou and other top executives, Governor Walker learned more about the company’s current Wisconsin operations and future business plans.
“We enjoyed hosting Governor Walker and his team,” Loulou said. “The meeting provided us with the opportunity to showcase Domtar, specifically our Rothschild and Nekoosa mills, to him and discuss items of importance to our business.”
The meetings are part of Governor Walker’s business development mission to Canada that wraps up on Wednesday. The mission is focused on encouraging Canadian companies to consider establishing operations in Wisconsin or increasing their presence in the state. Joining Governor Walker on the trip are Katy Sinnott, vice president of International Business Development for WEDC, and Kristie Pulvermacher, WEDC’s business attraction and foreign direct investment manager.
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Governor Walker, Wisconsin Delegation Return from Canadian Business Development Mission
State officials build relationships to encourage business growth in Wisconsin
Madison – Governor Scott Walker and representatives of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) return to Wisconsin today following a business development mission to Canada.
“This mission enabled us to further strengthen and build relationships with our neighbors to the north and to personally talk to Canadian business leaders and others about why Wisconsin merits serious consideration for future investment,” Governor Walker said. “These meetings are a great opportunity to showcase Wisconsin’s strengths, as well as learn more about the needs of these companies. We look forward to continued discussions on how Wisconsin is uniquely positioned as a great place for them to grow and expand their businesses.”
During the trip to Montreal, Ottawa, and Québec City, Governor Walker and WEDC officials met with dozens of business executives at individual companies, as well as in group settings, including a Wisconsin reception on Tuesday night. The Wisconsin delegation focused specifically on companies currently considering expanding or investing in the U.S. The delegation also met with companies with existing facilities in Wisconsin to discuss business retention and the possibility of increasing their investments in the state.
Before leaving Canada Wednesday morning, Governor Walker and the delegation met in Montreal with executives of BRP Inc., a Canadian company that is a world leader in motorized recreational vehicles and powersports engines. BRP has a facility in Racine County that employs about 500 workers.
Governor Walker met with Alain Villemure, the vice president and general manager of Marine Propulsion Systems Division of BRP, and other executives to receive an update on the company’s operations in Sturtevant and to discuss how Wisconsin’s strengths in manufacturing could be further leveraged to support BRP's growth.
“We were pleased to welcome Governor Walker in Montreal to discuss our presence in Wisconsin,” Villemure said. “In 2001, we chose Sturtevant, Wisconsin, to set up our Global Evinrude center of excellence, where we design, engineer and manufacture all our Evinrude Etec engines which are distributed in over 100 countries around the world.”
In addition to taking part in meetings with business leaders, Governor Walker also attended and spoke at the 2015 Leadership Summit of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers in Québec City. The summit, which was hosted by the Council of Great Lakes Governors, focused primarily on regional economic clusters, maritime transportation, and environmental initiatives.
Governor Walker also met with this week with Canadian government leaders, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, and received a briefing from the team at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.
Governor Walker was joined on the trip by Katy Sinnott, vice president of International Business Development for WEDC, and Kristie Pulvermacher, WEDC’s business attraction and foreign direct investment manager. The mission was part of WEDC’s trade and foreign direct investment strategy, which focuses on encouraging international businesses to invest in Wisconsin. The meetings targeted companies in the state’s key industry sectors, such as manufacturing, agriculture, energy, water technology, bioscience, medical devices, and food processing.
Canada is Wisconsin’s largest export destination, with state companies sending nearly $8 billion in goods to the country in 2014—up 5.5 percent from the previous year. Top state exports to Canada are industrial and electrical machinery, vehicles, paper products, and plastics. Wisconsin also imported $4.5 billion in goods from Canada in 2014, primarily plastics, paper, and wood products.
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