More than 1,000 participants from Around the World to Attend Next Week's SelectUSA 2013 Investment Summit

With just over a week to go, U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker announced today that more than 1,000 participants have registered to attend the SelectUSA 2013 Investment Summit, (Summit), October 31-November 1, in Washington, D.C. The event will be at capacity attendance.

The first-ever Investment Summit will connect both domestic and foreign companies and investors with local, state, and regional economic development organizations (EDOs) in an effort to promote investment and support jobs in the United States. To date, EDOs from 47 states plus the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories will be participating at the event, and companies representing nearly 60 markets will also be attending.

"The strong interest we are seeing in the SelectUSA Investment Summit demonstrates the excitement of companies at home and abroad about the opportunities that exist for investing in the United States," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. "On top of an excellent agenda, participants will be able to learn about federal government resources available as they consider their investment decisions. With so many states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories represented at the Summit, it will be a tremendous opportunity to connect these firms with communities looking to attract investment that leads to economic growth and job creation."

In addition to Secretary Pritzker, the Department of Commerce previously announced that Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew, and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will participate in the Summit. The speaker and moderator lineup includes 42 top public and private sector representatives including the Governors Bill Haslam of Tennessee, Jack Markell of Delaware and Martin O'Malley of Maryland, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling, plus corporate leaders such as Laurence Fink of BlackRock, Daniel Doctoroff of Bloomberg L.P., Douglas Oberhelman of Caterpillar, Inc., Andrew Liveris of Dow Chemical Company, Eric Spiegel of Siemens Corporation, and William (Bill) Simon of Walmart U.S.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a critical role in the U.S. economy, which is why President Obama launched SelectUSA, the first-ever U.S. government-wide initiative to promote and facilitate investment in the United States. SelectUSA's mission is to promote more FDI in the United States using the full power and resources of the Federal government.

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