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Recruiting Overseas
Recruiting Overseas: Hamilton Promotes Business Partnerships in Germany and Japan
B y J.Ed. Marston
Last fall Chamber Vice President for Economic Development Trevor Hamilton made recruitment trips to Germany and Japan, returning with several new prospects as well as stronger relationships with business leaders who can play a pivotal role in decisions about new investments and the continued operations of existing companies.
In September Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey and Hamilton traveled to Germany to attend the world’s largest automobile show. Their trip also served to build stronger relationships with VW executives and automotive suppliers and vendors.
The International Motor Show or Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung is held biennially in Frankfurt. The day before the opening, Ramsey and Hamilton were invited to the Volkswagen Group Event, a special preview for VW brand vehicles, attended by over 2,000 journalists and the VW elite. “The event was a great opportunity to meet with executives of Volkswagen AG, such as CEO Martin Winterkorn and Chairman Ferdinand Piech,” Hamilton says.
The next day the VIP treatment continued as the Chattanoogans were admitted to the show on Press Day, which is usually reserved for media only. Each of the automakers holds a press conference to discuss the design elements and technologies the company is leaning toward in the future. Like many other automakers, VW showcased eco-friendly concept vehicles, including a two-seater hybrid designed to be the world’s most fuel-efficient automobile, known as the L1.
VW also mentioned Chattanooga during the press conference. “Given the importance of the U.S. market to Volkswagen, it was gratifying to see Chattanooga promoted on an international stage in front of journalists and media from around the world,” Hamilton says.
After leaving Frankfurt, Ramsey and Hamilton visited Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg where they discussed the Chattanooga project with Frank Fischer, CEO of Volkswagen Chattanooga, and toured production facilities. They also met with a team of recently hired Americans working on the prototypes of the vehicles that will be assembled in Chattanooga.
Their visit to Wolfsburg included meetings with automotive suppliers in order to recruit additional businesses to the Chattanooga area. Because of the substantial interest of suppliers in locating near Chattanooga’s VW plant, Ramsey and Hamilton also met with Wolfsburg AG, an economic development agency with extensive experience in recruiting auto suppliers.
“Because VW plays such an extensive role in Germany, Chattanooga is a hot topic for many German companies hoping to partner with VW or hoping to make their own venture in America,” Hamilton says. “This was evidenced by the interest in meeting with us.”
In October, Hamilton flew to Japan for a recruitment trip that netted two new prospects. The trade mission began in Tokyo where Hamilton joined a Tennessee delegation led by Gov. Bredesen and participated in the 33 rd Annual Southeast U.S./Japan Association meeting.
Since Nashville will host next year’s meeting, Hamilton set his sights on inviting key officials and business people to visit Chattanooga during their trip to Tennessee. “Chattanooga sells itself,” Hamilton says. “When we persuade them to visit, we’re halfway home.”
During one session, James Zumwalt, the Deputy Chief Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Japan, encouraged cooperation between the U.S. and Japan in researching and developing clean engines, alternative fuels, alternative energy sources and nuclear power.
“Energy sector companies are one of our primary recruitment targets, and we have a particular edge when it comes to the nuclear sector thanks to the recent expansions by Alstom and Westinghouse,” Hamilton says. “Zumwalt’s remarks sounded like something out of our playbook, and the Japanese businesspeople I met with were very interested.”
Before leaving Tokyo, Hamilton met with the presidents of both Komatsu and Nagase, which is the parent company of Chattanooga-based Sofix. “Visiting the headquarters and meeting the presidents of two companies that operate branch plants in Chattanooga is a way of strengthening our ties with key decision-makers at the top of the corporate ladder,” Hamilton says.
Next Hamilton flew to Kitakyushu where he joined Chattanooga-based Tricycle for a series of meetings to explore potential business partnerships. Hamilton also made a presentation about Chat tanooga to a group of 50 businesspeople.
Afterward, one attendee told Hamilton his company is looking for a plant location in the U.S. Hamilton added that company to the prospect roster along with another company that produces components for nuclear power operations. |
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