Strong presence of partners from throughout the state present Illinois as a global business destination at U.S.’ top FDI event
Team Illinois at the SelectUSA Investment Summit.
Intersect Illinois participated in the SelectUSA Investment Summit in National Harbor, Maryland as part of Team Illinois, a coalition of state, regional and local economic development partners from across the state. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, SelectUSA is the county’s highest-profile foreign direct investment (FDI) event. This year’s 10th annual summit turned out to be the largest Investment Summit to date, with record levels of attendance, including 5,000+ attendees from 96 international markets, and all 56 U.S. states and territories.
For the first time, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker attended SelectUSA, discussing Illinois’ leadership in emerging technologies, such as quantum computing and electric vehicles, on a panel with Governor Whitmer of Michigan, Governor Lombardo of Nevada, and Governor Youngkin of Virginia. With key strategic investments, strong infrastructure, a connected central location, and one of the country’s best-educated and stable workforces, Illinois is a natural fit for these burgeoning industries.
Governor Pritzker joined Governor Whitmer of Michigan, Governor Lombardo of Nevada, and Governor Youngkin of Virginia on a panel to discuss emerging technologies at the 2024 SelectUSA Summit. Photo courtesy of SelectUSA.
“If you’re looking for anybody from a PHD scientist all the way to a talented advanced manufacturing worker, we’ve got all of that with a second-best education system in the entire country and the billions of dollars of increased investments in our education systems,” Governor Pritzker said on the panel.
Team Illinois showcased how an Illinois location can meet the needs of nearly every industry to global companies considering where to invest. The group highlighted the state’s assets, including infrastructure, workforce, location, and access to global markets.
Participants representing Illinois included:
- Intersect Illinois
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Opportunity
- Bloomington-Normal EDC
- Champaign County EDC
- Choose DuPage
- EDC of Decatur & Macon County
- Greater St. Louis, Inc.
- Grundy EDC
- iFAB
- Jefferson County EDC
- Quad Cities Chamber
- Southern Illinois Now
- Will County Center for Economic Development
- World Business Chicago
Members of Team Illinois pose in front of the Illinois booth at the 2024 SelectUSA Investment Summit.
With a $1 trillion GDP, foreign direct investment is critical to the state’s economy. Illinois has nearly 2,700 international companies representing over 80 countries and directly supporting over 550,000 jobs. Over the last several years, Illinois has attracted significant FDI investments in food processing, advanced and biochemical manufacturing, and the electric vehicle industries.
An Abe Lincoln impersonator poses in front of the “Be in Illinois” booth at the SelectUSA Summit.
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