European mission heightens Charleston region’s international business exposure

October 29, 2004 – Two top economic development officials representing the Charleston region, along with a state of South Carolina economic development representative, recently returned from a marketing and sales trip to Europe. During the weeklong mission, contacts were made in Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

The European marketing mission was a collaborative effort between the Charleston Regional Development Alliance and the South Carolina Department of Commerce. Organization representatives included Ted Creech, chairman of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance; David Ginn, president and CEO of the Alliance; and Sam Moses, director of the state of South Carolina’s European office, based in Munich.

The officials held seven meetings, five of which were with qualified companies planning to expand their operations into the Southeast within the next 12 months. The Charleston region is one of the finalist locations for each of the companies.

Having marketed the Charleston region on an international level since forming in 1995, the Alliance attributes face-to-face business meetings like these as instrumental in winning projects. During fiscal year 2004, 27% of the Alliance’s active, qualified projects represented foreign-based companies. More so, since forming in 1995, more than one-third of all Alliance competitive expansion and relocation announcements have been made by firms headquartered outside of the United States.

Returning from the Alliance European mission, Creech confirmed the importance of personal conversations with foreign prospects: “By allocating our time to meet with foreign companies interested in doing business in our region, we are strengthening those relationships that have the potential to benefit the Charleston region in the long run,” stated Creech. “Reaching out and connecting with these companies ultimately impacts their positive perception of our community.”

About the Charleston Regional Development Alliance
The Charleston Regional Development Alliance represents Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties. Its mission is to broaden and diversify business investment in this region, with an emphasis on technology-intensive business sectors. Since its inception, the Alliance has worked with thousands of companies to help promote business investment and quality growth in the area. To learn more, go to www.charleston-for-business.com.