Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) want the world to know that Pennsylvania is open for business. Highlighting that, DCED and its Office of International Business Development (OIBD) will hold its annual “Bringing the World to Pennsylvania” events across the Commonwealth from March 11 through March 22, 2024.

The statewide tour will present an opportunity for Pennsylvania companies interested in exporting their products, services, and technologies to meet OIBD’s authorized representatives to discuss their international sales objectives with authorized representatives from fourteen nations. In addition, this program provides opportunities for communities throughout the Commonwealth to showcase sites, buildings, and industry-specific strengths to attract international investment.

“The Office of International Business Development takes Governor Shapiro’s Economic Development Strategy very seriously and is hard at work attracting global business and industry to Pennsylvania,” said OIBD Deputy Secretary David Briel. “Our investment team provides the support and technical assistance that international companies need to establish and grow in Pennsylvania, while our trade development team helps hundreds of Pennsylvania companies each year to connect with buyers around the world who need their products.”

In the past year, OIBD supported 643 Pennsylvania companies to export more than $584.6 million and 20 international companies locating to Pennsylvania to invest more than $489 million. Through this export and investment work, OIBD has been able to support over 12,600 Pennsylvania jobs.

The “Bringing the World to Pennsylvania” program is coordinated by OIBD in partnership with its Regional Export Network and local economic development organizations. Events will be held in: Dupont (March 11); State College (March 12); Kersey (March 13); Erie (March 14); Pittsburgh (March 15); Altoona (March 18); Harrisburg (March 19); Philadelphia (March 20); Bethlehem (March 21); and Malvern (March 22).

The Commonwealth’s authorized representatives from Australia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Israel, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom/Ireland will meet Pennsylvania companies. Simultaneously, Pennsylvania communities will highlight their economic strengths to representatives, whose mission is to bring international investment to the Commonwealth.

Governor Shapiro and his Administration has already changed how we do business in Pennsylvania, securing $1.2 billion in private sector investment, significantly cutting down business licensing time, and rethinking the way government can work at the speed of business. Since January 2023, Pennsylvania added over 100,000 new jobs, increased economic output, and saw its unemployment rate drop.

The Governor’s 2024-25 budget calls for significant investments to help attract national and international investment in Pennsylvania that are directly tied back to his ten-year Economic Development Strategy. Some of these investments include:

• A $500 million investment in site development to bring more commercial and industrial sites online and ensure companies have options for attractive business environments where they can thrive in Pennsylvania. Last fall, the Shapiro Administration launched a new pilot program called PA SITES to provide $10 million in grant funding to conduct site assessments and prepare them for remediation.
• $2 million for ‘Career Connect’, an investment that will connect employers with talented workers, help create thousands of internships, keep young people in our Commonwealth, and enable every Pennsylvanian to secure a family-sustaining job.
• $20 million for a PA Innovation Fund that provides support for start-ups and entrepreneurs.
• $3.5 million to launch the new Pennsylvania Regional Challenge, which will incentivize regional growth, build vibrant and resilient regions, and support communities by investing funds into the development of comprehensive strategies to propel entire regions forward.
• $25 million for the Main Street Matters program, to support small businesses and commercial corridors that are the backbone of communities across our Commonwealth.

Pennsylvania businesses interested in participating in Bringing the World to PA are encouraged to visit Bringing the World to PA website. To join in the social media conversation and stay up‐to‐date with all the current news on international business from Pennsylvania, follow on LinkedIn.

For more information about the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit DCED website, and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of our agency news on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Penny Ickes, dcedpress@pa.gov

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