Governor Robert McDonnell of Virginia spoke at the networking reception in the office of Mannheimer Swartling in Stockholm, Sweden.
Governor Robert McDonnell of Virginia visited Sweden last week to attract new business to the State of Virginia. The visit was organized by the Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce in the USA (SACC-USA) and the American Chambers of Commerce in Sweden.
Monday morning, June 18, at an intimate breakfast of entrepreneurs, business owners and representatives of Sweden and the United States, Governor Robert McDonnell of Virginia shed some light on state’s flourishing business climate. Guests attending varied from clothing retailers and public developers to companies in the forefront of innovative technology. Each representative had the opportunity to introduce himself and speak with the governor and others regarding business opportunities in Virginia and abroad. With a current population of 8 million, Virginia State impressed its audience with the number two spot on Forbes’ ‘Best States for Business’ 2011 list, an admirable $381 billion surplus for the 2011 fiscal year and an impressive argument for why Virginia is best for your business. With a stable financial economy, steady and modest tax rates and established ‘Right to Work’ laws, Virginia presents an ideal environment to start and expand your business. Thirty-two Swedish businesses already established in the Commonwealth of Virginia, providing more than 8,700 jobs in the United States. To learn more about business in Virginia State, visit exportvirginia.org or yesvirginia.org.
After several one on one meetings the Governor participated in a lunch seminar with companies from the defense and homeland security sector. Governor McDonnell’s day in Stockholm was concluded with a networking reception at Mannheimer Swartling. With a theme of prosperity and opportunity, guests discussed prospects of expansion into the State of Virginia, the governor’s exciting visit, and Virginia’s burgeoning wine industry. With agriculture standing as Virginia’s largest industry, Virginia wine was served alongside classic Swedish hors d’oeuvres. Additionally, Virginia is also home to the second largest IT industry in the United States. Governor McDonnell’s visit to Sweden set the tone for further collaborations between Sweden and United States as well as assure Swedish companies that ‘Virginia is open for business!’
Day two of the Virginia delegations trip to Sweden, was an bright and early flight from Stockholm to Gothenburg to spend a few hours of meetings with head of Swedish large industry people. The Governor of Gothenburg together with his office had invited the business life in the area to gather for a luncheon with the Virginia delegation. The group consisted of 20 small entrepreneur companies and large corporations from the region, who all got great connections and learnt more about Virginia state.
Bradley Olson, Chairman SACC-USA, former U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Tom Siebert, current U.S. ambassador to Sweden Mark Brzezinski, Randy Lipton and Therese Lindé, President SACC-USA.
An afternoon flight back to Stockholm to meet the press and later attend a reception hosted by Ambassador and Mrs Brzezinski at their residence. The reception gathered about 100 people from top of the Swedish business life and organizations and was the final stop on the Virginia delegation’s European tour.
Written by: Diandra Silva, SACC-USA
Pictures taken by: Alexander Farnsworth http://farnsworth.se/
