Long Beach Economic Partnership Announces Inaugural Participation at SelectUSA Investment Summit
Long Beach Economic Partnership (LBEP) recently made its landmark debut at the SelectUSA Investment Summit, held in Washington, D.C., June 23-26, 2024. This year marked the largest Investment Summit in SelectUSA history with over 5,000 attendees spanning 96 international markets, and, for the first time, all 56 U.S. states and territories represented.
Led by the U.S. Department of Commerce, SelectUSA Investment Summit is the highest-profile event in the United States dedicated to promoting foreign direct investment. Since its inception, SelectUSA has facilitated more than $200 billion in investment, creating and/or retaining over 200,000 U.S. jobs.
Key participants at SelectUSA this year were Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg; Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su; Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks; Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk; White House Senior Official Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Daleep Singh; and Export-Import Bank Chair Reta Jo Lewis.
The Long Beach delegation included Leah Goold-Haws, LBEP President/CEO; Bo Martinez, City of Long Beach Economic Development Department Executive Director; and Felipe Cusnir, World Trade Center Long Beach Executive Director.
Long Beach participated as a member of the California delegation led by the Governor’s Office. Significant meetings and connections were established, both domestically and internationally, including U.S Department of Commerce Deputy Under Secretary Dianne Farrell; U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti; SelectUSA Executive Director Jasjit Singh; and other foreign ambassadors, dignitaries and high-level government officials.
“Bringing Long Beach to the world stage for the first time at SelectUSA Investment Summit is a clear indication that LBEP’s relaunch of the World Trade Center Long Beach is making meaningful progress and effectively putting the global spotlight on the city,” Cusnir noted. “Our involvement helps promote our economy and attractiveness to foreign companies and investors and indicates our firm commitment to serve the trade and investment community, both locally and internationally. The World Trade Center Long Beach is proud to serve as the dedicated agency to actively promote our economy and position the city as a prime investment destination.”
The Summit enhanced efforts to facilitate the export of Long Beach goods and services to countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the European Union and showcased the city’s favorable investment climate and competitive standing on the world stage. Some key connections include an Asian aluminum manufacturer looking for a site to establish their U.S. headquarters; a European sanitation and waste-to-energy company looking to enter the U.S.; transportation and logistics companies looking to be located and to operate in SoCal; an Asian e-commerce platform seeking to feature Long Beach companies/exporters on their platforms; and a Latin American ag-tech company looking to enter the U.S. market.