Loading ...
NUSACC's Eighth Visit to the National Governors Association Promotes Growth in Morocco - U.S. Commercial Relations
The National U.S. – Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC), in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, participated recently in the annual summer meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA). This is the eighth year in a row that NUSACC has worked to build ties between the Arab world and the U.S. Governors, who are a driving force for U.S. exports and two-way investment.
This year’s gathering of U.S. Governors took place in Nashville, Tennessee – well known as “Music City” but, at the same time, an increasingly important destination for global businesses. The meeting featured a number of high-level speakers, including private sector leaders and the Honorable Joe Biden, Vice President of the United States.
“For much of the past decade, our Chamber has been privileged to connect Arab ambassadors to the nation’s Governors,” noted David Hamod, President & CEO of the U.S. – Arab Chamber. “This continues to be a win / win opportunity for the United States and the 22 countries of the Arab world, which are taking an increased interest in technology transfer, knowledge transfer, and direct investments throughout the USA.”
This year’s visit placed a special emphasis on the Kingdom of Morocco, which was represented by H.E. Rachad Bouhlal, Morocco’s Ambassador to the United States. “This is the second time that I have attended the annual meeting of the NGA,” noted Ambassador Bouhlal, “and I thoroughly enjoyed making new friends and reaffirming existing friendships. Nowhere else in the United States can one meet with dozens of U.S. Governors in a single location like this, providing a unique opportunity to discuss business, but also to build personal relationships.”
Building Bridges
This is the eighth year in which the National U.S. – Arab Chamber of Commerce has led a delegation of Arab ambassadors to the NGA annual meeting. Previous destinations included Traverse City (Michigan), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Biloxi (Mississippi), Boston (Massachusetts), Salt Lake City (Utah), Colonial Williamsburg (Virginia), and Milwaukee (Wisconsin).
The National Governors Association, founded in 1908, is the collective bipartisan voice of the nation’s Governors and one of Washington DC’s most respected public policy organizations.
In Nashville, during the 106th summer meeting of the NGA, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, Colorado Governor Joh n Hickenlooper, and Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam welcomed a bipartisan group of the nation’s Governors. Governor Fallin outlined priorities that Governors have identified through NGA, including supporting job creation and economic growth, protecting the National Guard, urging Congress to take swift action to pass the “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act,” and addressing the nation’s water infrastructure needs.
Community leaders around the United States are increasingly recognizing that exports and foreign direct investment (FDI) are important economic drivers. A recent NGA white paper entitled State Strategies for Global Trade and Investment noted, “Strong connections to the global economy are increasingly important to the economic success of states and the companies within their borders.” Between 2009 and 2013, the NGA paper said, U.S. exports “accounted for almost one-third of U.S. economic growth, in part because of growth in international markets and in part because domestic economic growth has been slow compared with previous recoveries. Foreign direct investment over the past decade has supported more than 5 million good-paying jobs.”
Highlighting Nashville, “Music City”
The host state highlighted the musical heritage of Nashville, home of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. These facilities house over two million Country Music artifacts, including possessions of such American icons as Elvis Pressley, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and a wide range of contemporary Country stars.
Nashville is also famous for the Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry and recognized by Pollstar as “Theatre of the Year” for four years running (2010 – 2013). The Ryman has attracted entertainers to its stage for more than a century, including such diverse greats as Louis Armstrong, James Brown, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, BB King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, Minnie Pearl, and Bruce Springsteen.
According to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, “No city of similar size offers as great a setting and potential for international trade and investment.” Nearly 1,000 businesses have relocated to or expanded in Nashville in the past decade, including such well known international entities as Nissan North America (Japan), Embraer (Brazil), Electrolux (Sweden), Valeo (France), Bridgestone Americas (Japan), and Wilson Sporting Goods (Finland). Foreign Direct Investment supports nearly $6 billion of labor income in the Nashville area annually, according to the Nashville Chamber, and one in six residents of Nashville is foreign-born.
A variety of business sectors have been attracted to Nashville, including but not limited to advanced manufacturing, automotive and aeronautics services, health care, supply chain management, construction & engineering, and entertainment. These sectors are supported by Middle Tennessee’s 18 colleges and universities, enrolling well over 100,000 students.
According to Ralph Schulz, President & CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, “The international character of Nashville has been steadily growing over the last 50 years. Increasingly, Nashville is a center for international trade, particularly in health care, music, automotive, and infrastructure development.”
In 2013, Tennessee was the 14th largest exporting state in the United States, with over $32.3 billion in exports. $1.49 billion of Tennessee’s total exports went to the Arab world last year, led by exports to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman. In recent years, Nashville’s top exports have included transportation equipment, primary metal manufacturing, chemicals, machinery, and miscellaneous manufactured commodities.