Governor Eric J. Holcomb will lead an economic development trip to Europe next week, visiting key international partners in France, Belgium and Germany. This trip comes after a record-breaking year for international economic development in Indiana, with 47 foreign-owned businesses committing to locate or grow in Indiana, creating up to 6,521 new jobs and investing $3.2 billion – a more than 300 percent increase from 2016 – in the Hoosier state.
“There’s no substitute for meeting with our partners and prospective investors in person. Indiana has a growing global reputation, built on the momentum that continues to bring back more jobs for Hoosiers and opens new markets for Hoosier-made goods,” Holcomb said. “We’ll use our time in Europe to strengthen relationships with some of our most important international economic partners, while continuing to promote Indiana as the best state in the U.S. to do business.”
Indiana is home to 450 European businesses that support more than 113,200 Hoosier jobs across the state. In 2017, businesses exported $9.6 billion of Hoosier-made products to Europe, accounting for more than 25 percent of the state’s total exports. More information on Indiana’s ties to Europe is available here.
Holcomb will be accompanied by Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger, Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) board of directors members John Thompson, chairman and CEO of Thompson Distribution, and Mark Neal, principal of Bradley Company, as well as IEDC staff. The delegation will depart for Europe on Wednesday, March 6, and return to Indiana on Thursday, March 14.
