Commissioner Lesser To Visit Europe on Business Mission

ATLANTA, September 5, 2006 - Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Craig Lesser departs Atlanta today for a week-long visit to Europe, with the goal of strengthening existing relationships and visiting with potential business prospects in France, Germany and Italy. "The cornerstone of a successful economic development strategy is building and maintaining strong relationships," Lesser said. "Many of the meetings we have scheduled are follow-up visits, and are meant to continue meaningful dialogue that we have had in the past with government and business officials in Europe." Commissioner Lesser's first stop will be in France to meet with the President and Vice President of the Lorraine region of the country. Last September, President Jean-Pierre Masseret visited with Governor Sonny Perdue and Commissioner Lesser in Georgia and signed a formal technology agreement between the region and the state, which have been sister states since 1988. Lesser will also visit Georgia Tech's Lorraine campus, which has been located in Metz, the region's capital, since 1990. From there, Commissioner Lesser will visit Munich, Germany, the site of one of Georgia's 10 international offices. Prospect meetings are planned in Germany, along with a visit with the Minister of the State of Bavaria, Eberhard Sinner. Last month, Minister Sinner visited Atlanta and praised the developing relationship between Georgia and Bavaria. The state of Bavaria has created of a series of technology clusters in aerospace, automotive, and life sciences, which matches closely with some of Governor Sonny Perdue's Centers of Innovation strategy. Georgia currently has six Centers of Innovation located around the state in the areas of life sciences, aerospace, agribusiness, advanced manufacturing, information technology and maritime logistics. Commissioner Lesser's final stop will be Milan, Italy, where more meetings with prospects and government officials are planned. Accompanying the Commissioner on the trip are Chris Young, Chief of Protocol for the State of Georgia, and Antje Abshoff, managing director of the state's European Office. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For more information, visit www.georgia.org.