Posted by Heidi Schwartz
President Obama addressed the first-ever SelectUSA 2013 Investment Summit, hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Senior Obama administration officials, including Secretary Pritzker, Secretary of State John Kerry, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman are also speaking at the event, which is being held October 31-November 1, 2013 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. Other scheduled speakers include the Governors Bill Haslam of Tennessee and Jack Markell of Delaware, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling, plus corporate leaders such as Laurence Fink of BlackRock, Daniel Doctoroff of Bloomberg L.P., Douglas Oberhelman of Caterpillar, Inc., Andrew Liveris of Dow Chemical Company, Eric Spiegel of Siemens Corporation and William (Bill) Simon of Walmart U.S.
The first-ever Summit is bringing together 1,200 attendees from nearly 60 countries; economic development officials from 47 states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories; cabinet officials; and some of the world’s top CEOs to discuss the advantages of investing in America and the importance of foreign direct investment as a source of job creation and economic growth in this country. Summit participants will connect with local, state and regional economic development organizations and local, state and federal agency officials to learn more about the U.S. as a business destination, the specific cities and states that match their business needs and the government resources that can help them find the most suitable location.
- Communicate that the United States is “Open for Business,” by demonstrating the administration’s commitment to business investment as a key vehicle of job creation;
- Create meaningful opportunities for businesses, investors and service providers from around the world to meet with U.S. economic development organizations in support of investments in the United States;
- Answer technical questions about investing in the United States;
- Feature senior administration officials who can address issues related to federal rules and regulations; and
- Facilitate panel discussions with governors and key local officials focused on the competitive advantages of their specific state and/or region.
A live webcast of the event is available here: