International Advocacy for Your Business

While you’re running your business, the Greenville Chamber fights for your company at the local, state, federal, and even international levels. The Greenville Chamber recently had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Our message to both countries was simple: The Upstate is open for business.

We have an opportunity-filled region, a pro-business climate, a skilled workforce, and an export-based economy. The Greenville Chamber sells this region so companies invest, succeed, and make our community a better place. We use our influence to benefit your business.

Does your company do business with the United Kingdom or the European Union? Do you use the United Kingdom as your base for the European Union? If so, Brexit could have a major impact on your business, and contact us for what Brexit could mean for your company. If we don’t know the answer to your specific question, we have the relationships with the people that do.

The United State and the United Kingdom have long claimed a “special relationship.”  Alexandra Hall-Hall, the Brexit Counsellor from the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., relayed her country’s eagerness to negotiate a free trade agreement with the United States post-Brexit. With the resources at companies’ disposal here in the Upstate, this presents a tremendous economic opportunity for not only our state, but specifically our region, and should not be overlooked. The same resources that have enabled European companies’ to thrive in this region, such as BMW and Michelin, also exist for other companies that make our region their home. We expressed our desire for the United Kingdom to have a business presence in the Upstate as large as Germany’s or France’s.

Of the 16 Dutch companies here in the Upstate, and the 8,000 jobs in the state that rely on trade between the U.S. and the Netherlands, bettering our region’s partnership could directly impact your business – specifically relating to diversity within your workforce. Study after study has found that companies capitalizing on diversity and inclusion make better decisions which, in the long run, produces better results. Consul General Ard van der Vorst said his country is looking at ways to expand the number of women in the workplace to further drive their economic success, and our region should consider following in their footsteps. He also discussed new partnerships in automotive production and offered support for smart cities initiatives.

International companies  have come and experienced success in the Upstate – with more than 500 foreign-owned enterprises located in our region. The Greenville Chamber is expanding our global channels and cultivating relationships with international trade experts. Our goal is to build a globally competitive Upstate economy where businesses succeed and people prosper. We took a few more steps toward that goal this week – all while you handle the day-to-day operations needed for your business to thrive.