This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, June 10, 2013 - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is leading a delegation to France later this week on a trade mission that features a crowd of business, education and civic leaders from St. Louis and around the state.
The eight-day trip, which begins Friday, also is to include stops in Belgium and the United Kingdom.
“The world wants what Missouri makes,” Nixon said in a statement announcing the trip. “By connecting Missouri businesses with customers in foreign markets and attracting new investments from around the globe, we can continue to create good jobs here at home. Through strict fiscal discipline and strategic investments in economic development, Missouri’s exports have reached record highs, while our unemployment rate has hit a four-year low. Expanding exports is vital to keeping our economy moving forward.”
Nixon said the past two years, 2011 and 2012, combined set a record for export sales by Missouri businesses, with a combined total of “$28 billion in Missouri-made goods sold around the world.”
“Missouri exports to Europe totaled more than $2.5 billion in 2012,” Nixon said, with Belgium and the United Kingdom as the state’s 6th and 7th largest trading partners, respectively. Missouri’s exports to France jumped 21 percent between 2011 and 2012, the governor said, adding that France ranks 14th among Missouri’s trade destinations.
The delegation will include the governor’s wife, Georganne Nixon, as well as: Mike Downing, acting director for the Department of Economic Development; state Senate Majority Floor Leader Ron Richard, R-Joplin; and state Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Jefferson County.
Travel costs for Nixon and his wife will be covered by the Hawthorn Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting economic growth in Missouri. State taxpayer funds will not be used.
The list of businesses with representatives on the trip include Boeing Co., which has a plant in St. Louis County, Essex Industries, St. Louis-based Sabreliner and Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. St. Louis’ Regional Chamber and Growth Association also will be represented.
The delegation will travel to the American Cemetery in Normandy, France, where thousands of American soldiers who died overseas in World War II are buried. They include 232 Missourians, the governor said.
Aeronautics key theme of trip
The schedule will include the 50th International Paris air show, which is “the world’s leading aviation and space industry event,” and meetings with U.S. Ambassador Charles H. Rivkin, the Confederation of French Industries International, and the American Chamber of Commerce.
“Designing, building and supplying aviation components create good jobs in southwest Missouri and throughout the state,” said Richard in a statement. “As a delegate on a number of successful foreign trade missions, I have seen their value to Missouri businesses and workers firsthand. By strengthening our state’s role in the global aerospace industry, we can continue to bring more jobs home to Missouri.”
“Essex Industries has been a leading supplier of products to the aerospace and defense industry since 1947, based right out of our hometown of St. Louis,” said Essex chief executive Keith Guller. “The Paris air show provides us the opportunity to build upon and strengthen our relationship with customers and clients around the world.”
“From agriculture to aerospace, the world’s top companies can be found in St. Louis,” said the Regional Chamber’s Steve Johnson, executive vice president for economic development and marketing strategies.
In Belgium and the United Kingdom, Nixon also is slated to meet with ambassadors and “personnel from NATO Command.”
