Governor McDonnell Continues Economic Development and Job-Creation Mission
Press Release
Governor Bob McDonnell is continuing his quick 4-day job creation mission to Ireland and Great Britain today with a series of meetings at the Farnborough Airshow. While at the airshow, Governor McDonnell is promoting Virginia's aerospace industry and locations statewide, including the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) in Prince George County. In 2011 the Governor released a new study that found Virginia's aerospace industry contributed $7.6 billion per year to the economy of Virginia and supported 28,110 jobs in 2009 through direct impacts and ripple effects. Aerospace directly employed 9,029 workers and created $4.3 billion in annual economic output in 2009. Earlier in the week the Governor spent 2 days in Ireland where he met privately with Taioseach Enda Kenny, the Prime Minister of Ireland and held a breakfast with the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. The Governor leads two to three overseas missions a year, and this is his final economic development mission this year.
Speaking about the ongoing economic development mission, Governor McDonnell remarked, "States are competing against each other and the world for job-creation and economic development opportunities. I want more markets opened up to Virginia goods, and I want more overseas companies setting up shop in Virginia. The reason is simple. When we open up more markets to our products, and when we bring new companies to our state, we create more good-paying jobs for our citizens. Since we came into office the unemployment rate in Virginia has fallen by 23%. It is now the lowest it has been in 3 years, and it is the lowest in the Southeast. That's a bipartisan accomplishment. And our aggressive work to travel overseas and recruit new companies to the Commonwealth is playing a role in this success. Over the past few years, we've met in Germany with The Hornschuch Group, and they are bringing 174 new jobs to Winchester. We've sat across the table from government and private sector leaders from China, Canada and the European Union and opened up huge new markets to Virginia cattle, wine and soybeans. And our previous trips to the Farnsborough and Paris Airshow's have brought six new companies to CCAM in Prince George County. In fact, our 2010 Farnsborough meeting with DRS Technologies resulted in the company moving its corporate headquarters to Virginia. Virginia is an excellent place to do business, and we are going to continue to be aggressive and proactive in spreading that message and creating more opportunities for our citizens to get good jobs in the counties and cities where they live. I look forward to more great results for our state as a result of this trip."
Governor McDonnell first attended the Farnborough Airshow in 2010, and in 2011 attended the Paris Airshow. The following six companies joined CCAM as a result of meeting with the governor at previous airshows: SIEMENS (Germany); Sulzer Metco Management (Switzerland); Northrop Grumman/NNSB (USA); Chromalloy (USA); Sandvik (Sweden); Aerojet (USA); and, Rolls-Royce (UK). In addition, as a result of meetings the Governor held at the 2010 airshow, DRS Technologies, Inc. will be relocating its corporate headquarters from New Jersey to Arlington County, bringing $10 million of capital investment to the region.
Governor Bob McDonnell's Job Creation Mission Agenda
July 8 - July 9 (Dublin, Ireland)
Meet with the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and business leaders
Meet with Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland Eamon Gilmore
Attend National Day of Commemoration Ceremony
July 9 - July 11 (London, Great Britain and Farnborough Airshow)
Private Individual Meetings with Corporations
Present 200,000th Rider Alert Card to it UK originator
Promote CCAM and Rolls-Royce Crosspointe to prospective companies
Banquet with Rolls-Royce Global Partners
Reception to promote business investment and job-creation in Virginia
Since taking office, the governor has led six international job creation and economic development marketing missions that have resulted in greater exports from Virginia to countries around the world, as well as new businesses ventures coming to the Commonwealth. The governor has worked directly with foreign purchasers and a number of the Commonwealth's agribusinesses during prior missions to help secure approximately $200 million in new agricultural exports, including soybean and wine shipments to China, beef cattle to Canada, and wine, seafood, and specialty foods to the European Union. While on his 2010 European mission he met with officials with The Hornschuch Group, a leading producer and marketer of highly technical films, and helped close a lucrative economic development deal that led to the company investing $28.3 million to expand its O'Sullivan Films operation in Winchester. The project will create 174 new jobs in the Winchester area. In 2011, Governor McDonnell led a job creation and economic development marketing mission to Japan, China and South Korea. The mission has already resulted in a number of economic development deals. During his recent economic development mission to Europe, Governor McDonnell announced that Berryville Graphics, an affiliate of German-owned Bertelsmann AG, will invest $10.6 million to consolidate its book printing operations in the Town of Berryville in Clarke County creating 84 new jobs and saving 81 jobs.
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