U.S. Consul General Jim Dickmeyer met with Mayor Linda Jeffrey and other civic and business leaders yesterday for a roundtable discussion on strengthening Brampton-U.S. business relationships. Talks ranged from longer-term and strategic alliance opportunities in the Health and Life Sciences and Advanced Manufacturing sectors, to more current opportunities related to Brampton’s strong local economy and infrastructure, tourism and film, and the Canada-U.S. trade corridor.
“Brampton is home to some of Canada’s top manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, and high tech businesses including U.S. companies Coca Cola, Ford, and Canon,” Consul General Jim Dickmeyer said. “I hope that we will continue expanding our mutually beneficial bilateral economic relationship following a productive roundtable, highly informative visits and meetings that I had in Brampton. There are certainly opportunities for a wider economic partnership and we should embrace them now”.
Brampton has long-standing business and trade ties with the U.S. that continue to this day. These existing connections, combined with compatible business practice and culture, and close geographic proximity, make the U.S. a clear strategic market to promote Brampton and Brampton businesses for international economic development.
“Today’s meeting was an historic first step on the path to strengthening and expanding our trade and partnership opportunities with the U.S,” Mayor Linda Jeffrey said. “We had the opportunity to show Mr. Dickmeyer, firsthand, what our strengths are and to let him know that Brampton is open for business and eager to grow our economic relationships. I am confident that today’s meeting will lead to closer connections with the U.S. Government and businesses and that it will reap increased economic and trade activity for Brampton.”
As part of his visit, Mr. Dickmeyer also visited a Coca-Cola bottling facility in Brampton as well as toured MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates global communications and information company. Later on that day he stopped by RawalTV and was interviewed by journalist and the Department of State IVLP 2014 Interfaith Dialogue/Human Rights Program Alumna Urz Heer.
More photos from Consul General’s visit to Brampton are in our Flickr gallery.
