NI companies look to the Carolinas

Representatives from 11 Northern Ireland companies recently spent a week in the South Carolina and the Charlotte region in the US as part of a north-east Antrim trade mission.

As part of the trip, representatives of the companies were involved in over 60 business-to-business meetings in the Carolinas, with the aim of developing sales, joint ventures, licensing agreements and business co-operation.

The local firms were in the States as part of CANITA (Carolina Northern Ireland Trade Association), a new initiative originated by Larne's economic development organisation, LEDCOM.

Chief Executive of LEDCOM, Ken Nelson, has developed a close association with economic development agencies in the Carolinas since spending time on secondment to the York County Economic Development Board in South Carolina in 1998.

Mr Nelson said: "The CANITA initiative builds upon valuable civic, community and economic links already established between Larne and Clover in South Carolina. However, in the context of the global economy there is an added emphasis this time on tangible economic benefits and opportunities for our respective regions.

"We are preparing a detailed evaluation, but the early feedback from the companies has been extremely positive and I regard the trip as having been very successful."

The initiative has the support of Invest Northern Ireland, Larne Development Forum, the International Fund for Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund. Further support is being sought from other economic development groupings in the northeast area.

CANITA builds upon an ongoing sister-city relationship between Larne and the town of Clover, South Carolina, and links established during two inward investment trips to County Antrim and Belfast over the past year by companies from the southern state.

Over the next four years CANITA will involve further inward and outward trade missions, international businesses conferences and a communications programme. It is anticipated that the initiative will create up to 20 jobs, assist with the transfer of technology, and will ultimately generate £1 million worth of business for local firms.

During the trade mission business and cultural events were organised to celebrate and highlight sister-city relationship between Larne and Clover.

The Borough of Larne and the wider north-east Antrim area were also promoted as trade and investment locations.

(SP)