Causeway Coast & Glens strengthens business links with North Carolina

New international connections are already progressing following North Carolina business engagement in the Borough.

Causeway Coast & Glens Local Economic Partnership (LEP) has strengthened its international business links following a high-level engagement with a visiting delegation of business and government representatives from North Carolina.

Hosted at Galgorm, the North Carolina Business Engagement Evening brought together senior representatives from both sides of the Atlantic to establish new relationships and explore opportunities for future trade, investment, innovation and collaboration.

The event, which was part of a four-day programme hosted by NI Chamber, connected the North Carolina delegation with businesses, education providers, Chambers of Commerce and economic development partners from Causeway Coast & Glens and across Northern Ireland.

Representatives within the visiting delegation brought expertise from a range of sectors including advanced manufacturing, technology, life sciences and healthcare, financial and professional services, infrastructure and economic development.

Mayor of Causeway Coast & Glens, Councillor Dawn Huggins, welcomed the delegation to the Borough, Councillor Huggins said:

“It was a pleasure to welcome the North Carolina delegation to Causeway Coast & Glens and provide an opportunity for them to engage directly with businesses and partners from across our Borough and Northern Ireland.

“We have an ambitious economic agenda and a strong proposition to take to international markets. Building relationships such as these helps raise the profile of Causeway Coast & Glens and, importantly, creates opportunities that can ultimately benefit our businesses and communities.”

The engagement comes at a significant time for the Borough, with the £129 million Causeway Coast & Glens Growth Deal providing a major platform for future economic growth and investment.

The Growth Deal includes significant investment in innovation and enterprise infrastructure, alongside wider activity being progressed through the Local Economic Partnership to support business growth, productivity, innovation and internationalisation.

There are strong areas of economic alignment between North Carolina and Northern Ireland, including advanced manufacturing, life sciences, technology, innovation and agri-tech, providing a strong basis upon which future relationships can be developed.

The visit builds upon existing relationships between the North Carolina Chamber and Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, while providing an opportunity to develop more focused relationships between North Carolina and Causeway Coast & Glens.

Gary Salamido, President and CEO of the North Carolina Chamber, said:

“In North Carolina, our state motto is Esse quam videri – ‘To be, rather than to seem’. For me, that is about action.”

“Opportunities such as this allow us to build genuine relationships, understand where we have shared interests and consider what we can do together.”

“There are clear connections between North Carolina and Northern Ireland, and I look forward to seeing where the relationships established here can take us.”

That emphasis on turning relationships into action is already being reflected in the follow-up from the evening.

A number of connections established at the event are now being progressed across business, government and education. Local businesses have established new relationships with North Carolina business and government representatives, with further discussions planned to explore potential commercial, investment and collaborative opportunities.

The event also created new links between Northern Regional College, North West Regional College and Ulster University and representatives from North Carolina’s university and education sector, opening conversations around potential collaboration in skills, research, innovation and knowledge exchange.

Steve Frazer, President of Causeway Chamber and Managing Director of City of Derry Airport, was among those to establish a new relationship through the evening, connecting with Justin Sosne, UK Consul for Government & Prosperity and Head of the UK Government Office in North Carolina, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

That initial engagement has already progressed, with further discussions taking place around improved connectivity and access to the North West and how this could support future investment opportunities.

Steve Frazer added:

“The expectation I went into the evening with was to foster new relationships and, from that perspective, it was a success.

“We have already had further engagement arising from connections made on the evening, including discussions around improved connectivity and access to the North West to support potential investment.

“It feels like a new opportunity and the important thing now is that strong opportunities are progressed individually as they emerge, while developing a wider Causeway and Northwest strategy that complements the existing Northern Ireland relationship.”

The LEP and its partners are now progressing connections and potential opportunities identified during the visit, ensuring that promising opportunities can be taken forward as they emerge.

The activity forms part of the LEP's wider Global Gateway Programme, which seeks to strengthen the Borough's approach to inward investment, export development and international market access.

The LEP will continue to work with its business, government, education and Chamber partners to progress relationships established through the visit and identify further opportunities to connect Causeway Coast & Glens businesses and institutions with North Carolina and other international markets.