Since January 2017, Green Gate Consulting has been cooperating with two independent economic development offices of the state of Virginia to promote the state of Virginia in Poland with the goal of show casing Virginia and increasing Polish companies’ investment and presence in the state. Two independent trade missions to Poland organized by GGC have taken place thus far.
The first trade mission for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) took place in March 2017. During that trade mission, GGC’s President and CEO Agnes Pawelkowska visited eight Polish cities (namely: Gdansk, Olsztyn, Warszawa, Lodz, Lublin, Wroclaw, Poznan and Torun) where she delivered presentations on the U.S. market and business opportunities offered by the state of Virginia. The visits specifically included six Investor and Exporters Assistance Centers, the Polish Chamber of Commerce with headquarters in Warsaw, and the Poznan Technology Park in Poznan.
The total number of companies participating in all the regional seminars was 224. The total number of companies, which requested a follow-up from the state of Virginia was 19 (some of which are planning on opening manufacturing plants in Virginia). The first trade mission was extremely successful ad beneficial for the state of Virginia.
The second trade mission took place in May 2019. During that trade mission, GGC’s President and CEO, Agnes Pawelkowska, with the representatives of the Greater Richmond Partnership (GRP) visited eight different Polish cities to meet with seventeen pre-selected by GGC Polish companies ready to invest in the U.S. market. The pre-arranged meetings allowed GRP to showcase Central Virginia in Poland and encourage Polish companies to invest in the state. The representatives of the state of Virginia found the trade mission both interesting and fruitful. It produced many valuable contacts that GRP will gradually develop.