4 Ways Florida is Winning in Global Trade
May 26, 2015This post contains external links. Please review our external linking policy.
This is a guest blog post by Janet Jainarain, the Vice President of International Marketing & Research at Enterprise Florida, a Marketing Partner for the Discover Global Markets: The Americas Business Forum.
Few sites in the Western Hemisphere match Florida’s unique combination of strategic geographic location, state-of-the-art infrastructure, multilingual workforce, and concentration of corporate and financial resources. From Florida, companies can effortlessly conduct business around the corner or around world.
That is one reason Miami made an ideal location for the Discover Global Markets: The Americas forum. It is more than just a matter of close proximity to markets in this hemisphere. Here are four of the key features of Florida that make the Sunshine State an elite global player:
A Global Business HQ
Florida is home to the regional and hemispheric headquarters of companies from across the globe. The world class leaders are attracted by a vibrant international banking center, a highly educated and ethnically diverse talent pool, and a Consular Corps representing some 80 nations. Many international firms base other facilities, such as warehousing, distribution and manufacturing, in Florida to take advantage of its easy access to global markets.
Strong Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
Florida is a leader in attracting foreign direct investment, ranking 6th among all U.S. states in employment by majority foreign-owned firms. To facilitate FDI, Florida’s EB-5 Regional Centers offer non-U.S. citizens the opportunity to obtain their permanent U.S. residency while investing in Florida through the EB-5 Investor Visa program.
Wide Support of International Trade
Merchandise trade valued at $158 billion flowed through Florida’s airports and seaports in 2013, making the state one of the world’s leaders in international trade. Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) and its partners around the state provide valuable exporting assistance services to Florida-based companies looking to expand internationally. In addition, Florida’s international businesses enjoy access to the second largest Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) network in the country, where value can be added to foreign goods tariff free before shipping them on to another country. For the list of Florida Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) contacts please click here.
A Robust Trade and Investment Network
With a vast network of 15 international offices in 13 countries and seven trade offices located around the state, EFI offers many vital services for businesses looking to locate in Florida from overseas and for Florida-based businesses looking to expand internationally. This is in addition to the global presence offered by the U.S. Commercial Service, an important partner of EFl.
At Enterprise Florida, our mission is to expand our state’s economy by helping Florida businesses grow. We help state companies go global, expanding their export profiles and finding new revenue. We attract investment into the state to help create jobs.
We are glad to partner with the U.S. Commercial Service to help Florida companies compete and win in the global marketplace.
For any Florida business ready to take the next step in international trade, we hope you’ll find us at www.enterpriseflorida.com/ or export.gov/florida.
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