Jersey Business working on trade opportunities with the US

Friday 21 June 2019

Jersey Business and the Global Markets team are hoping to receive officials from the US Embassy in London this autumn to set out trade opportunities in the United States.

This follows a three-day business summit in Washington DC, attended by the Deputy Chief Minister, Senator Lyndon Farnham with Head of Operations at Jersey Business, Alexia McClure, and Senior External Relations Officer, Rebecca Millar.

The delegation attended the Department of Commerce Select USA Inward Investment Summit, and conducted a programme of engagement with United States political offices and government departments. In total, they conducted 15 bilateral meetings and attended 14 plenary and break-out sessions of the conference.

Senator Farnham held bilateral meetings with senior officials from the United States Department of Commerce, including Ian Steff - Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing, Assistant Secretary for Global Markets, and Director-General of the Foreign and Commercial Service - and Brian Lenihan, who is the Executive Director of Select USA and Sarah Kemp, Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade. 

Deputy Chief Minister @lyndonfarnham has held a series of bilateral meetings with senior officials from @commerceGov while attending a 3-day business summit in Washington DC and discussing opportunities for Jersey businesseshttps://t.co/Vsfov8Fd2o pic.twitter.com/P7t8PyYOEF

— Government of Jersey (@GovJersey) June 18, 2019

Discussions focused on identifying avenues for Jersey businesses to access opportunities in the United States, and on highlighting key sectors of Jersey’s economy.

The Deputy Chief Minister also had the opportunity to meet the United States Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, who hosted the Summit, as well as several other officials. 

Those included officials from the offices of Congresswoman Watson-Coleman and Congressman Norcross from the House of Representatives, both of New Jersey.  Senator Farnham said: ”These meetings help to raise the island’s profile at a political level in Washington, and highlight the work that’s underway to generate State-Island cooperation for the benefit of both communities.”

It's been a productive few days for the New Jersey delegation at #SelectUSASummit! We really enjoyed meeting entrepreneurs from around the world and talking to companies of all sizes about the benefits of locating in #NJ! #OITINJ @SelectUSA @ChooseNJ @timsullivan510 @wsmathews pic.twitter.com/St3x8UUlDu

— New Jersey EDA (@NewJerseyEDA) June 12, 2019

The delegation engaged a number of State Economic Development Offices during the Select USA conference, including Washington State, New Jersey, Maryland, Arizona and Virginia. Senator Farnham added: “We discussed the sectors that most interest the different States, as well as specific inward investment incentives and programmes that could help Jersey businesses to realise their ambitions for US expansion.”

Jersey Business and the Global Markets team are now working to organise a visit to Jersey from officials in the US Embassy in London, to set out trade opportunities in the United States. Any businesses interested in taking part in the event can contact Jersey Business.