Gov. Sonny Perdue is to travel with a Georgia business delegation to attend the 27th annual Southeast U.S.-Japan Joint Conference in Osaka, Japan, and the 17th annual Southeast U.S.-Korea Joint Conference in Seoul, South Korea.
Delegations from other states in the Southeast, including the governors of Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee, are also slated to attend the conferences, Oct. 26-31.
The yearly meetings are held to foster the development of trade and industry, and promote friendly relations between the southeastern United States and the two Asian nations.
“These meetings will help Georgia continue the warm relationships we have built with Japan and Korea and help the state recruit new companies and create new jobs,” said Mr. Perdue in a statement. “It is a chance to build bridges and business connections.”
During the trip, he is to meet with Japanese and Korean companies that have invested in Georgia, as well as with prospective investors in the state.
Georgia companies taking part in the meetings in Osaka and Seoul include Alston & Bird LLP, a law firm; Coca-Cola Co.; Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, parent company of U.S. tax and consulting firm, Deloitte & Touche LLP;
Delta Air Lines Inc.; Georgia Power Co., the largest of five electric utilities that make up Southern Co.; Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, a law firm; Kleen-Tex Industries Inc., a LaGrange-based manufacturer with a production facility in Japan;
Kajima Corp., a construction company specializing in large-scale design; MEAG Power Corp., an Atlanta-based energy company; Panasonic Automotive Systems Co. of America, a components supplier to North American auto manufacturers;
Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan LLP, a law firm; Troutman Sanders LLP, a law firm and Wachovia Securities, the brokerage services arm of Wachovia Corp.
Organizations that are to be represented at the meetings in Japan and Korea include the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism; the Georgia Electronic Membership Corp., the statewide trade association of Georgia’s electric cooperatives; the Georgia Ports Authority, which is currently expanding its Asia ties and the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce.
The Georgia delegation is to meet in Osaka with executives of Japanese companies that have operations in Georgia, including Toyota Motors Corp. Toyota Industries Corp., a Toyota Motors subsidiary, will begin manufacturing compressors for automobile air conditioners in Jackson County in 2005.
In Korea, the delegation is to meet with government and business leaders, including representatives from its automotive, transportation and communications companies.
According to the governor’s office, SKC America, the U.S. arm of a Korean polyester film manufacturer, is considering additional growth for its North American headquarters in Covington. Additionally, KOS America Inc. opened an $8 million steel wire manufacturing facility in Oakwood and United Synthetic Industries expanded production and jobs at its new polyester fiber plant in LaFayette.
Recent Japanese investment in the state includes the construction of a Suzuki Motor Corp. all-terrain vehicle manufacturing plant in Rome, Fuji Vegetable Oil Inc.’s $32 million expansion at its manufacturing facility in Savannah and Yamaha Corp.’s completion of a $50 million expansion at its facility in Newnan.
For additional information, contact Gwen Kemmerick with GDITT at (404) 656-0577. Space remains available for Georgia firms interested in attending the meetings in Osaka or Seoul.