N E W S
| August 11, 2006 |
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| WASHINGTON, DC - Montana's Congressman, Denny Rehberg, wrapped up a Montana trade mission to South Korea and China today by meeting with Chinese business groups that could make up to $100 million in investments in Montana. The meeting culminated an eight-day Montana trade mission organized by Rehberg, the Montana World Trade Center (MWTC), and the U.S. Export Assistance Center.
“We’re looking for the opportunity to create jobs for Montana, and the way you do that is to help Montana businesses expand beyond the local market,” said Rehberg, who led a similar trade expedition to Europe last year that resulted in $20 million dollars in on-going contracts and agreements for Montana businesses, according to Arnie Sherman, MWTC Executive Director, who also coordinated the mission last year. “One of the highlights from the World Trade Center perspective is that we are in discussions with one of the most respected business groups in the area that is interested in potentially making up to $100 million in investments in Montana,” said Sherman, of the business meeting which took place Friday in Tianjin. “We’re very excited about the possibility,” he said. Earlier this week, Rehberg also met with South Korean agricultural trade officials regarding the country’s three-year trade restriction on U.S. beef. South Korean officials told Rehberg they are sending a delegation to inspect numerous U.S. meat processing plants, and could re-open their markets to U.S. beef in about a month if the plants pass the inspections. Other Trade Highlights: John Ryan, of Armor Auto, (Missoula), makes protective coating products for automobiles. Ryan said this trade mission has left him with overwhelming possibilities for his company in South Korea after meeting with 13 different companies, all of which asked to be the exclusive distributor of his product in the country. “The Korean businessmen who wanted to do business with my company were very large in scale, and based on what I’ve seen, I’ll wait and see which one wants to place the largest order, and that’s probably the direction I’ll go,” Ryan said. Jeff Ruffner, CEO of MSE Technology Applications, (Butte), an engineering and technology firm, met with the Korea Hydro, Nuclear and Power Company in Seoul. MSE previously sold a system to the company and is in negotiations to sell a second system worth $4 million. MSE also met with Japanese officials in China about a waste treatment facility in Okinawa, Japan.
Today’s meeting Agenda:
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