McDonnell Embarks on European Trade Mission

The Governor began his week in Amsterdam, speaking with prospective clients and leaders in wind and alternative energy development. McDonnell then spent four days in England meeting with potential business prospects for the Commonwealth, including multiple suppliers of Rolls Royce, which is currently constructing a major new facility in Prince George County.

Governor McDonnell said he believes some of these suppliers can be persuaded to relocate to the same office park as the new Rolls Royce facility.

McDonnell:  In the billion dollars we export to the U.K. every year, making them our third-largest trading partner, nearly half of that, that 450 million, is in the aerospace-aeronautical field, so that holds a lot of promise.

McDonnell estimates that the various companies he met with considering relocating to Virginia would generate between 30 and 300 jobs each.

McDonnell:  We have 2-3-4 or more announcements that we hope we are going to be able to make in the next 60 to 90 days as a result of this trip, that will be very profitable.  

McDonnell estimates the total cost of the trip to be between 80 and 90 thousand dollars, which he says is significantly less than trade missions made by previous governors, some of which topped 200,000 dollars.

Craig Carper, WCVE News, Capitol Square