Governor Corbett Heads Overseas This Month

As Pennsylvania’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities begin winding down, Governor Tom Corbett’s international trade mission will be ramping up.  Corbett is leading a trade mission to France and Germany, two of the state’s most important trade partners

“The goals are to establish a stronger tie with our trading partners that we already have that do business here in Pennsylvania from France and Germany, but also to look for more people to come over and do business here in Pennsylvania.” Corbett said on Radio PA’s Ask the Governor program. 

Combined, French and German companies already employ 53,400 people in the Keystone State.  Corbett thinks they can entice more foreign companies to invest in Pennsylvania based on its cheap power supplies and strong workforce.  “We’re making ourselves much more business friendly than we were before,” he adds. 

Site Selection magazine has ranked Pennsylvania third in the nation with 453 new or expanded corporate facilities in 2011, according to a recent news release from the governor’s office.  That’s an increase of more than 100 projects from 2010. 

Corbett will be joined on the trade mission by a delegation of Pennsylvania business leaders.  The mission is being privately funded and organized by the Team Pennsylvania Foundation.