Photo of the Week

Ralph Munro hosted a Washington State Consular Association and key international traders gathering at his home in Olympia. This year’s theme was Scotland, a perfect tie-in with the Trade Alliance’s 2011 international study mission to the United Kingdom.

In July Bill Stafford and Sam Kaplan participated in the International Regions Benchmarking Consortium in Fukuoka, Japan. The Conference brought together a network of international metropolitan regions to learn from others triumphs and failures. Participating regions include: Barcelona, Spain; Daejeon, South Korea; Dublin, Ireland; Fukuoka, Japan; Helsinki, Finland; Melbourne, Australia; Munich, Germany; Seattle, USA; Stockholm, Sweden; and Vancouver, Canada. Here a panel made up of Clare Petrich from the Port of Tacoma and others speak at the conference.

The Trade Alliance and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce held a reunion for the delegates of the 2010 International Study Mission to Korea at the Consulate General of Korea’s home in Edmonds, WA. The guests enjoyed traditional food, drinks and entertainment against a gorgeous backdrop of Puget Sound.

The 2010 Summer Schmooze was held at Perkins Coie in Downtown Seattle. Dean Kellye Testy announced the University of Washington School of Law's new international focus.

At The UAE: Our Partner in Growth program Jean Choy from the University of Washington Business School presented H.E. Sheika Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade a scholarship to the Global Executive MBA program. This scholarship is intended for a student selected by the UAE government.

Compared to the rest of the country Seattle’s economy seems to be booming. This resilience has attracted both domestic and international investments to the region. Mr. Jiang, a successful business man from China visited Seattle looking for small to medium sized local businesses to invest in. Mr. Jiang spoke in front of a packed audience at a briefing on Tuesday, June 15th.

Bill Stafford visited Burntisland Fabrications’ Methil Facilities while in Scotland to advance the 2011 International Study Mission to the United Kingdom. Burntisland Fabrications produces offshore wind machinery. In 2006 Burtisland Fabrications installed the deepest offshore wind installation in the world.

The Trade Alliance hosted a program on Opportunities with Andhra Pradesh, India on May 11th. The program featured remarks from Hon. Nadendla Manohar, Mr. B. Sam Bob and Mr. Srini Koppolu and provided a great networking forum.