Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez leads business and trade development mission to France
(MIAMI, June 15, 2015) – Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez has been leading a business development mission to Paris and Marseille, France which began on June 12 and runs through the 20th. The objective of the mission is multifaceted with goals of strengthening business ties between France and the County, while also providing local private sector participants with opportunities to develop their commercial activities with French companies.
The Economic Development and International Trade unit of Miami-Dade County's Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) organized the mission with the support of the U.S. Embassy in France, the U.S. Commercial Service, the U.S. Consulate in Marseille and the Consulate General of France in Miami. Also supporting the mission are the French American Chamber of Commerce of Florida, along with five leading local organizations: Miami International Airport (MIA), PortMiami, Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Beacon Council. During the mission, participants will meet with high level government officials, receive in-country briefings, network with French businesses and participate in business-to-business meetings with local companies.
"I am excited about leading this important business development mission to France," said Mayor Gimenez. "I look forward to the potential partnerships which will expand business opportunities for Miami-Dade County."
In Paris, members of the trade mission will attend the Paris Air Show, one of the largest aviation industry shows in the world. Miami-Dade County is a leading global aviation center, anchored by MIA, which directly supports 38,000 local jobs and an additional 244,000 jobs indirectly throughout the community. The County is also home to one of the largest clusters of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) providers in the country, as well as several flight simulator/pilot training centers including Boeing and Airbus. MIA leaders and the Beacon Council will use the opportunity to promote Miami as the aerospace hub of the Americas, while recruiting investment and business development. While there is currently no established aviation tradeshow in North America, the creation of one in Miami-Dade County would further solidify the County's position as the aerospace hub of the Americas and attract more aviation industry jobs and investment, similar to what other local events like eMerge Americas and Art Basel have done for technology and the arts in Miami-Dade County.
In addition, the business development mission will be meeting with executives from the CMA CGM Group, the world's third largest container shipping company. The purpose of the meeting is to develop new cargo business opportunities at PortMiami. With most of its post-Panamax projects nearing completion, the port's goal is expand services and secure additional business. It is through solid partnerships and a continued commitment to its customers that allows PortMiami to stay competitive and generate an economic impact of approximately $27 billion and more than 207,000 jobs a year for Miami-Dade County.
France has a population of 66 million and a GDP of approximately $2.6 trillion. It has one of the world’s largest economies and is the second-largest in the European Union. In 2014, France was Miami-Dade County's 12th-largest trading partner, moving up four spots from the previous year and becoming the County's top trading partner among all European countries. The $2.65 billion worth of bilateral trade between Miami-Dade County and France in 2014 represented an increase of 9.4 percent over the previous year. The French government maintains a Consulate, including a Trade Commission and regional trade offices in Miami.