Editor’s note: This commentary by Amanda Shailendra, managing partner of The Pendleton Group, is the second in a series on how communities can cultivate a successful international strategy. It is published as part of the firm’s annual sponsorship of Global Atlanta.
As explored in the first commentary in this series, establishing and nurturing business-to-business ties is a key step in boosting international trade and investment in any community.
But second and equally important in what we call the “three-legged stool” of global engagement are strategic, intentional linkages between governments.
Whether locally or nationally, it’s vital for host communities to develop strong ties with their governmental counterparts in potential investor countries, both to open initial doors and to sustain the partnership over the long term.
At The Pendleton Group, we’ve helped communities around Georgia and the Southeast do just that, initiating government linkages that complement educational and business interactions, increasing the chances that the collaboration will be successful in driving cross-border investment.
Where to First?
The world is large, and budgets are limited, so where should a community start when it comes to approaching international relationships?
Communities can’t decide to be “global” and attempt to establish relationships with just any location or country; they must do the research and find the best fit. Instead of casting a wide net, it’s important to allow a local “inventory” of existing community links to guide the outreach.
In Cobb County, for example, after evaluating the county’s strategic industry initiatives, existing local businesses, staff strengths and prior international business experience, it seemed clear that linking up with communities in Canada would be the most efficient and fruitful.
Cobb representatives visited Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, but ultimately developed a partnership with Quebec City through the region’s economic development agency, Quebec International.
The city was a good match for the Georgia county because of the ease of doing business with Canada and proximity of the market, English as a common language (notwithstanding the Francophone heritage of the region), the similarity of the two regions’ industries, sizes and populations and Quebec’s willingness to partner on a focused approach to international business and investment.
The City of Savannah had a similar story: we focused on European nations as partners because of the Port of Savannah and existing ties in the manufacturing sector.
One example is a partnership that we helped cultivate between the World Trade Center Savannah (WTCSav) and the Wexford County Council in Ireland. The relationship was based on Savannah’s Irish heritage and a program started in 2018 by Georgia Southern University and WTCSav to encourage trade relationships that lead to investment.
Jointly with the City of Savannah, Enterprise Ireland provided funding to Wexford County Council to create an organization called Trade Bridge to manage and grow the program, whose goal is to expand trade and investment to increase economic growth, community development, cultural and educational links.
The Savannah Economic Development Authority and neighboring communities continue to cultivate international ties to several key European cities in which there have been mutual investments and benefits.
Ease of travel is another important determining factor. Within the confines of COVID-19 precautions, of course, government, community and corporate representatives need to break bread, have tea and start building those relationships. When travel is safe, we always recommend putting together an initial trip that allows for in-person meetings between stakeholders and forms a solid foundation for further interactions.
In the meantime, we’re helping communities meet virtually. In a world of travel restrictions and health protocols, consistent communication via phone, email and video conferencing is even more important now than ever before.
Joint Innovation Policy
Government innovation policy, whether at the local, state or national level, plays into a community’s development of international government-to-government relationships.
By allocating budget toward innovation and focusing on complementary clusters around the world, potential partners tend to rise to the top.
Georgia has promoted innovation in the bioscience industry, for example, through the creation and support of the Georgia Bioscience Training Center on Interstate 20, centrally located between Atlanta, Athens and Augusta.
Cybersecurity industry growth in the Augusta area is another example of an innovation policy. This effort began in partnership with the relocation of the United States Army Cyber Command to Fort Gordon and has resulted in numerous businesses moving to and growing in the Augusta area.
Linking U.S. government and mobility/cyber security trade sector organizations with international partners is one of our focus areas. We have worked to connect with Block Harbor Cybersecurity in Detroit and Adaptable Security in California, in addition to similar organizations in Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom, and we are seeking partnerships in other global markets that are making headway in this critical sector. Peachtree Corners is now home to several innovative Israeli companies in cybersecurity. Additionally, Curiosity Lab has achieved compliance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in cybersecurity and privacy frameworks.
Reliable Resources
Many groups at the state and federal levels are supportive of local communities’ international endeavors. A state’s economic development arm, like the Georgia Department of Economic Development, can help with trip planning, including identifying key foreign businesses a delegation should meet.
The U.S. Department of Commerce also has resources such as SelectUSA, both an initiative to highlight the U.S. as a destination and a major foreign-investment conference, that can be of real service to local communities in their quest for international investment and partnership.
When I was working with the state of Georgia, for example, I traveled to India a few times to attend the Bangalore BIO International Conference, the largest BIO conference in India at that time.
One reason was to build relationships in the biotech and pharma industries. My team continued to cultivate those relationships year after year, developing long-term partnerships with our counterparts in India, who ultimately helped host Georgia business and education delegations as well.
The key is to be patient – it’s a long game.
How Pendleton Can Help
The typical Pendleton Group client ranges from a company interested in international opportunities, to a pseudo-governmental agency pursuing global partnerships, to a city wishing to attract foreign direct investment.
We have advised Georgia Power Co., the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the City of Peachtree Corners, among many other clients.
In each case, we advise our clients to utilize their unique characteristics to identify potential foreign partners and then capitalize on personal links to build solid relationships that turn into trade and investment opportunities.
Contact me or one of my colleagues at the Pendleton Group at info@pendletonatlanta.com to get started on building your international strategy.
Learn more at www.pendletonatlanta.com.
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