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A 53-county program intended to attract foreign investment to Pennsylvania will be represented at two international trade events this month. CORE PA Global will be part of the Pennsylvania booth at NPE2015: The International Plastics Showcase in Orlando, FL, and will have its own booth at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, DC.

CORE PA was initiated in December 2013 to bring foreign investment and generate economic growth across Pennsylvania’s rural counties. A portion of the program’s funding has been provided through a federal Make It in America grant, one of just ten such grants approved nationwide by the Obama Administration. It is administered through the SEDA-Council of Governments, based in Lewisburg, PA, and involves numerous economic development organizations at the state and county levels.

Noelle Long, Director of SEDA-COG’s Export Development program and project manager for CORE PA, expects a great deal of interest at the Plastics Showcase. “Pennsylvania is an excellent location for international plastics companies and related industries,” she said, “Manufacturers across our state use plastics materials as part of their production processes, whether it’s for medical devices, packaging, or consumer goods, and there’s a strong connection to our natural gas industry as the by-products are used in the fabrication of numerous manufactured goods.

“We’re also home to valuable resources for the plastics industry ─ the Plastics Innovation and Resource Center at Penn College, in Williamsport, and the plastics engineering technology faculty at the Penn State Behrend campus near Erie.”

CORE PA will be represented at the Plastics Showcase by Don Alexander, Union County Economic Development Corporation; Lauren Bryson, Focus Central Pennsylvania; and Aaron Gantz, Greater Reading Economic Partnership. CORE PA will also participate in and is a sponsor of a special networking event with the Swiss Consulate and Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce.

The Investment Summit in Washington is carefully limited to economic development professionals and qualified international investors. “This is a one-of-a-kind event,” said Ms. Long, “Firms from across the globe will be represented, firms that have chosen to establish a presence in the United States.” In addition to staffing their booth at the event, CORE PA’s representatives will have pre-arranged appointments with potential investors. “It is a wonderful opportunity to tell foreign companies about our state and the workforce and resources that are here for them,” said Ms. Long.

She will be joined at the Investment Summit by Cody Richard, an export specialist from SEDA-COG, and Katie Lentz of the York County Economic Alliance.

Post Author: Melissa Stone