Small Firms May Benefit from Lockheed Deal with Poland

        The Polish-American Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta can help Georgia small businesses benefit from Lockheed Martin Corp.’s $3.5 billion deal with the Polish government, said the chamber’s president Witold Zabinski.

“This deal cements a great relationship between the U.S. and the ‘new Europe’ for the future,” Mr. Zabinski told GlobalFax. “It opens opportunities for small companies in Georgia and the Southeast to jump on the bandwagon if they do their homework.”

The Lockheed deal, which was signed last week, sold 48 F-16 fighter jets to Poland and included a commitment of some $7 billion in U.S. “offset investments” over the next 10 years aimed at developing the Polish economy.

He said that the chamber is available to help companies assess their opportunities in Poland that may arise as a result of the Lockheed investment.

Opportunities in the auto and telecommunications industries are distinct possibilities, he added, because U.S. companies such as General Motors Corp. and Motorola Inc. have already announced intentions in Poland. GM aims to upgrade and increase exports at its plant there, and Motorola is to build an emergency communications network in the country.

Additionally, a United Technologies Inc. division that will build engines for the F-16s, and Northrop Grumman Corp., which will manufacture the jets’ radar system, are expected to invest in Poland.

        U.S. companies with operations in Poland will also be poised for involvement in the rebuilding of Iraq, Mr. Zabinski said, because Poland is expected to be a key player in the rebuilding of the country. Poland was one of the four countries to send troops to help topple the Iraqi government, and it helped to build Iraqi oil fields, highways, power plants and other infrastructure in the 1970s, he said.

Mr. Zabinski added the chamber is planning a seminar for the end of May to discuss investment possibilities in Poland. A date will be set when Polish Minister of Labor and Economy Jerzy Hausner can schedule a visit to Atlanta to be the keynote speaker. He was a key player in the Lockheed negotiations, according to Mr. Zabinski.

Contact Mr. Zabinski at (404) 633-0015 for more information.