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Phillips Foods and Indonesian Embassy interact at Embassy Day 2003 |
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Embassy Day Showcases Maryland on the Global Stage
Baltimore, May 22, 2003-Over 120 foreign embassy diplomats came to the Baltimore's Hyatt Regency Hotel on Wednesday to participate in the World Trade Center's Institute's 15th Annual Embassy Day trade show and luncheon. The diplomats came to Embassy Day to highlight their countries as attractive business partners to Maryland firms, while the event provided a major showcase for Maryland's top global companies.
"This event is a very unique event and allows Maryland to really highlight its great technology base and its global reach," said Vernon Thompson, Deputy Secretary of Maryland's Economic and Business Development Office. Mark Sneed, President of Phillips Foods, highlighted his company's work in Indonesia during the luncheon presentation. "We have six processing plants in Indonesia which has helped our company become the leader for importing pasteurized crab meat into the U.S.," said Mr. Sneed. What does that mean for Maryland? "Crab meat from our Indonesian plants comes through the port of Baltimore and our more than 300 staff help to further process this crabmeat into other products for the U.S. market at our Locust Point facility," said Mr. Sneed. "Our brand new Locust Point facility is our nerve center," he said.
In addition to the embassy panel presentations, embassies and companies alike were showcased in various industry pavilions of which Maryland has a renowned capability. Pavilions sponsors included McCormick & Company for Agribusiness, Northrop Grumman for Defense and Security, Oakwood Worldwide for Hospitality and Tourism, and JHPEIGO, a Johns Hopkins University non-profit affiliate, for the Health and Medical Pavilion. "We were able to meet with the Ambassador from Indonesia as well as key representative from the Baltic and several African countries," said Leslie Mancuso, PhD, RN, Chief Executive Officer, JHPIEGO. "Many of these countries are looking for our help, so this was a wonderful networking opportunity," she said. JHPEIGO is indicative of the divergent companies attending Embassy Day. JHPEIGO works in over 30 developing countries around the world to help women and children with reproductive health services, infection prevention and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs.
The rain did not prevent companies from driving from Maryland's Eastern Shore, Washington D.C. or even from Philadelphia. "This was our first exposure to Embassy Day," said Joan Rupar, Commercial Account Manager for AIG Worldsource. "AIG has offices worldwide, and many of the visitors had previous experience with AIG in their home markets," said Ms. Rupar. "It was exciting for us to see that the attendees related our attendance with the AIG group that they were familiar with at home," she said.
Other top international companies also braved the gloomy weather to come to Embassy Day and benefit from the event's numerous opportunities. "This exposure was great, we have several leads to follow up on," said Debbie Lynch, Senior Accountant Executive with Oakwood Corporate Housing, which provides hospitality services for Maryland companies abroad. "Many of these embassies and Maryland companies now know that they can find affordable long-term apartment stays while traveling overseas through our Oakwood Worldwide locations," she said.
Embassy diplomats found the experience equally rewarding. "This was a wonderful opportunity to showcase our country as an attractive investment partner to Maryland firms," exclaimed Cecilia Julin, Minister for Foreign Economic Affairs from the Embassy of Sweden. Ms. Julin was on a panel, shared by Todd Ruppert, President and CEO of T. Rowe Price Global Investment Services, enlightening Maryland firms about the positive business environment in Sweden.
The Embassy Day event allowed area companies a unique opportunity to meet with their senior officials from major U.S. trading partners in a trade show setting. Embassy Day's luncheon was sponsored by T. Rowe Price, Perdue Farms and Phillips Foods. Each of the firms presented their success stories of doing business in several Scandinavian countries, China and Indonesia, respectively. "Promoting our work in China in front of China's Commercial Attaché during the luncheon was a wonderful opportunity to highlight the value of our relationship in China and to demonstrate Maryland leadership in agribusiness," said Peggy Vining, Vice President for International Operations at Perdue.
"Maryland has so much to offer," said Maryland Secretary of State Karl Aumann. "The Embassy Day event allows Maryland companies a unique opportunity to interact with these valuable embassy contacts in a business friendly environment," said Mr. Aumann. Embassy officials are often highly regarded senior officials. When they return to their country they can be invaluable contacts since many occupy even more senior positions in their foreign governments.
Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, the World Trade Center Institute (WTCI) is the premier international business hub for the Mid-Atlantic region with over 3,000 clients benefiting from its global connections, international business training and customized consulting services. WTCI has an extensive global reach through its 300 world trade centers around the world. As a non-profit, non-political organization, WTCI's overall goal is to enhance international trade, promote local economic development, and ultimately foster economic stability through trade.