I’m overseas right now, trying to bring jobs back to North Carolina. Along with Department of Commerce officials, I spent much of yesterday meeting with German businesses with large footprints in North Carolina already. We toured a Siemens facility, met with their top corporate leaders and discussed ways we can help support future growth in North Carolina. Last year, Siemens announced a $50 million investment that would create 226 jobs in Charlotte over the next five years.
We’re also meeting with a number of other German businesses about bringing jobs to North Carolina and we’ve hosted a reception for German business prospects and travel agencies that arrange travel packages to North Carolina.
Before the trip is over, Commerce officials with have met with companies in Germany and Sweden in high-growth industries including energy, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and tourism. International investment is a critical part of creating jobs back here at home.
In the last decade German companies invested $2.2 billion and created 11,000 jobs in North Carolina. In 2008, North Carolina exported $792 million worth of goods to Germany, making Germany our eighth largest trading partner. Germany also accounts for more than 115,000 visitors each year, making it our second-largest overseas tourism market.
Gov. Perdue with Emilia Mueller, Secretary of Commerce for the state of Bavaria