ALTHOUGH CORALIE GRIMAND ALREADY HAD VISITED WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF SOME 60 MEDICAL COMPANIES IN THREE DAYS AT THE MEDTRADE SHOW IN ATLANTA BY THE TIME SHE ARRIVED AT THE GEORGIA BIOMEDICAL PARTNERSHIP’S RECEPTION THE EVENING OF NOV. 13, SHE WASN’T THROUGH LOOKING FOR ALLIANCES AND PARTNERSHIPS FOR COMPANIES LOCATED IN FRANCE’S RH‘NE-ALPS REGION.
AS CHARG…E DE MISSION FOR THE DELEGATION ATTENDING THE TRADE SHOW FROM THE REGION IN SOUTHEAST FRANCE, MS. GRIMAND WAS CALLED ON TO DELIVER A SPEECH PREPARED BY CHRISTIAN CABAL, A MEMBER OF THE FRENCH PARLIAMENT, WHO WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THE TRIP BECAUSE OF A HANG GLIDING ACCIDENT.
RH‘NE-ALPS IS THE SECOND LARGEST SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL REGION IN FRANCE AND MS. GRIMAND ENCOURAGED REPRESENTATIVES OF LOCAL COMPANIES ATTENDING THE RECEPTION AT EMORY UNIVERSITY TO SEEK OUT CROSS DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENTS OR PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE 10 FRENCH COMPANIES ATTENDING MEDTRADE.
SHE ALSO ENCOURAGED LOCAL COMPANIES TO ATTEND A BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION BEING SCHEDULED FOR THE FALL OF 1997 OR EARLY 1998 WHICH WILL BE HELD IN THE MAJOR CITIES IN RH‘NE ALPS, INCLUDING LYON, ST. ETIENNE AND GRENOBLE, AND WILL SHOWCASE THE REGION’S 300 MEDICAL FIRMS AND MORE THAN 100 RESEARCH CENTERS.
“THE REGION HAS 25% OF THE FRENCH MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND ENGINEERING INDUSTRY,” SHE TOLD GLOBALFAX. “AND WE WANT TO STRENGTHEN OUR POSITION AND BECOME A PROMINENT ALLY WITH WHICH TO ENTER THE EUROPEAN MARKET.”
BUT THE REGION IS NOT LIMITING ITS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS TO THE BIOMEDICAL INDUSTRY. AS AN EXAMPLE OF U.S. COMPANIES WHICH HAVE LOCATED THEIR EUROPEAN OPERATIONS IN RH‘NE ALPS, SHE CITED BELL HELMETS, A RANTOUL, ILL.-BASED FIRM THAT MANUFACTURES BICYCLE HELMETS, AND COMPOUNDING TECHNOLOGY INC., A CORONA, CALIF.-BASED COMPANY WHICH MANUFACTURES NEW MATERIALS SUCH AS TEFLON FIBERS AND GLASS COMPOUNDS USED IN A VARIETY OF MACHINES.
MS. GRIMAND MAY BE REACHED IN SAINT-ETIENNE AT 04 77 33 21 90; FAX, 04 77 41 99 60 OR E-MAIL: ADIL@EMSE.FR