GOV. EASLEY LEADS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TRIP TO ITALY
State Will Build On Strong Ties To Tourism, Manufacturing, Wine Production
RALEIGH - Gov. Mike Easley today departed on a business development trip to major cities in Italy. He will meet with U.S. embassy officials in Rome and host an event for Italian tourism operators, travel writers and other tourism officials to promote North Carolina as a vacation destination. In Florence and Padova (also known as Padua) he will meet with major business organizations representing Italian manufacturing, construction, energy, transportation and service industries. In Montalcino, Easley will discuss North Carolina’s growing viticulture industry with Italian winemakers. During these visits, he will get the latest information about innovations in the Italian wine industry, agritourism initiatives sponsored by the Italian government, pricing and workforce development strategies in the competitive worldwide wine market and other business practices that will help build the wine industry in this state.
“North Carolina and Italy have enjoyed a long and productive economic partnership. Because we share many similarities, including world-renowned textile and furniture industries, a strong travel and tourism business and winemaking, we have a lot to learn and to offer one another,” Easley said. “With improved flights to Europe and the current strength of the euro, there has never been a better time to reach out to Italy and promote North Carolina as a top business location and tourism destination.”
The Governor will be joined by a N.C. Department of Commerce group already in Europe. Commerce Secretary Jim Fain, industry recruitment and retention specialists, and state and local economic developers left earlier this week to visit companies in France, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. In Sweden, they and representatives of the N.C. Biotechnology Center are participating in a two-day biotechnology forum.
Exports from North Carolina to Italy in 2007 totaled $300 million. The state is also home to several dozen Italian companies representing about 5,000 jobs. In 2007, North Carolina exported $23.4 billion worth of goods to 208 foreign countries. The state's largest market was Canada, to which the state exported goods worth $5.6 billion. This accounted for nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of the state's total exports that year. Canada was followed by Japan ($1.77 billion), China ($1.76 billion), Mexico ($1.72 billion), and France ($971 million). The United Kingdom ($948 million) and Germany ($916 million) rounded out the top seven slots.
North Carolina has been competing successfully in the global marketplace since the 1970s. North Carolina's exports to the world increased by $7.1 billion from 2003 to 2007.
In recognition of Europe’s important and growing role in North Carolina’s economy, the N.C. Department of Commerce has led regular business development trips there since the first European trip in 1997. The Department of Commerce also staffs trade offices around the world, including offices in Germany to tap the European market.
Companies that have met with North Carolina economic development representatives during European business development trips and subsequently invested or expanded in North Carolina include: Unilin (Belgium), DSM Dyneema (Netherlands), Mann+Hummel+Bosch (Germany), BSH (Germany), Novozymes North America (Denmark), System Plast and Arneg (Italy), Innofa USA, LLC, and Turbomeca/Safran (France).
Arneg, the Italian manufacturing company the group will visit, is a subsidiary of Arneg SPA, a privately owned company headquartered in Italy. The company was started in the 1960s and is an international supplier of retail and commercial refrigerated cases. It is the third largest case manufacturer in the world with 16 manufacturing plants and eight regional sales offices in 20 nations.
A year ago, Arneg was awarded a performance-based Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) to locate a manufacturing facility in Davidson County. Construction is under way at the site. The company plans to create 181 jobs and invest $20 million during the next five years.
At the time of the announced expansion, Arneg President Luigi Finco said the company chose North Carolina after extensive studies on the state’s work force. “The studies showed that North Carolina employees are very loyal to their companies,” Finco said. “Arneg also found that North Carolina workers have a very high work ethic and constitute a well-trained, experienced work force. In addition, good local schools provide the industry with well-prepared technicians.”
As for North Carolina’s wine industry, the state is now home to 70 wineries in various counties across the state. This number has more than tripled since 2001. The state currently ranks 10th in wine and grape production nationwide. According to a recent study, the annual economic impact of the North Carolina wine and grape industry is $813 million with 5,700 jobs created. Winery tourism and vineyard planting have become widespread and assist many farming communities with economic development and crop diversity.
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