Governor LePage & MITC to Lead Maine Companies to Mexico & Colombia for State of Maine Trade Mission

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage announced that he and the Maine International Trade Center will be leading a delegation of Maine businesses and schools to Mexico and Colombia this fall on for the annual State of Maine Trade Mission. This year’s mission, which will run from October 27-November 2, will again feature business matchmaking and other promotional events to help Maine companies enter and expand in these markets.

The mission will be the second for Governor LePage and the fifteenth for a Maine governor. The last state trade mission to Mexico was in 2001; the visit to Colombia will be the first. “Latin America presents numerous opportunities for our Maine businesses,” commented Governor LePage. “Both countries are growing and value U.S. quality products.”

Mexico’s GDP has recorded positive growth over the past several years, and the country ranks as the United States’ second-largest export market and third-largest trading partner. In addition, Mexico has been a growing source of foreign investment in the United States and most recently Maine, where Dalegip America Inc. recently announced a joint venture partnership with Searsport-based GAC Chemical. Major Mexican investments in the U.S. have been in the construction industry, industrial products, real estate and food processing sectors.

“We have established some great working partnerships with our Mexico/Colombian counterparts at US Department of Commerce and other in-country cooperators,” says Janine Bisaillon-Cary, president of MITC and State Director of International Trade. “Maine companies involved in precision machining and the supply chain for the automotive, oil and gas and mining industries will likely find both markets of interest, as well as medical products manufacturers. These markets are also excellent prospects for student attraction, both at the high school and higher ed levels.”

Tim Hussey, CEO of North Berwick-based Hussey Seating Company, says Mexico “has proven to be a good market” for his company. “They have a desire for American-designed products, and we are finding we can be competitive in a number of niche markets. Their economy is growing, and we are seeing our business grow there,” Hussey explained.

Political stability, a growing middle class, and improved security has created an economic boom in Colombia that, coupled with the conservative lending practices by Colombia’s financial institutions, lessened the impact of the global economic crisis, making it the third largest market for U.S. exports in Latin America.

Terry Ingram, the owner of Allagash International in South Portland, has been doing business in Colombia for the past nine years. He says that companies not currently doing business in Colombia are “missing by far the fastest growing per capita country in the region. The culture is warm and Colombians are always excited to partner with US companies.”

Mexico and Colombia rank among the top emerging markets for Maine exports, with Mexico positioned as one of the top 15 markets worldwide for the state and Colombia showing signs of solid growth following the advent of a new free trade agreement with the U.S. Maine exported $34.9 million in goods to Mexico and $8 million to Colombia in 2012. Top exports currently include paper, motor vehicle parts, vaccines, fruits and nuts, diagnostic materials, medical products and plastics.

The mission is open to all Maine companies and organizations, with the deadline for registration on September 7, 2013. More information is available on MITC’s website at www.mitc.com, or by contacting Wade Merritt (merritt@mitc.com) or Lucy Sommo (sommo@mitc.com).