Governor Scott Walker to lead business development mission to Canada in June

CANADA -- Governor Scott Walker will lead a business development mission to Canada in June as part of the state’s ongoing effort to encourage international companies to invest in Wisconsin.

“As we did during our April trip to Europe and our mission to the U.K. earlier this year, we will promote Wisconsin’s strong business climate, outstanding workforce and key industry sectors to as compelling assets for successful business operations in Wisconsin.” said Governor Walker.

During the mission, which runs from June 12-17, Governor Walker and representatives of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) will talk to leaders at select Canadian companies about establishing new operations in Wisconsin. Their efforts will focus specifically on companies that are currently considering expanding or investing in the U.S.  The delegation will also meet with companies that already have facilities in Wisconsin to discuss the possibility of increasing their investments in the state.

In addition to taking part in one-on-one meetings with business leaders, Governor Walker will participate in the Leadership Summit of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers in Quebec City that is hosted by the Council of Great Lakes Governors.  The summit’s theme for 2015 is “Connecting Across Borders” and it will include discussions on environmental initiatives, regional economic clusters, and maritime transportation.

Governor Walker also will lead a business briefing session in Montreal with executives of companies that have already identified Wisconsin as a possible location for expansion.

Canada is Wisconsin’s largest export destination, with state companies sending nearly $8 billion in goods to the country in 2014—up 5.5 percent from the previous year. Top state exports to Canada are industrial and electrical machinery, vehicles, paper products and plastics.  Wisconsin also imported $4.5 billion in goods from Canada in 2014, primarily plastics, paper and wood products.

Canada also has invested $4.95 billion in Wisconsin companies from 2003 to 2014, a figure that represents 64 percent of all foreign direct investment in the state during that time.

The June business development mission is part of the state’s foreign direct investment strategy, which focuses on attracting foreign companies, operations and investment that best fit into Wisconsin’s key industry sectors, such as manufacturing, agriculture, energy, water technology, bioscience and medical devices, and food processing. WEDC’s trade and foreign direct investment strategy targets the state’s primary trading partners, including Canada.