Visitors from Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and Brazil recently learned why Liberty County is a solid location to “Come Grow Globally,” as the Liberty County Development Authority’s slogan says.
The Development Authority recently welcomed two business delegations as part of a World Trade Center Savannah event coinciding with the Savannah Music Festival.
Representatives included Canadian and U.K. consuls who specialize in trade and business development as well as a Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce.
Visitors met with leaders from foreign-owned existing industries for an exchange of business and cultural ideas, LCDA CEO Ronald E. Tolley said.
“We enjoyed having these visitors in Liberty County and appreciate the opportunity to learn about each country’s business practices and aspirations with markets in the United States and coastal Georgia,” Tolley said. “These activities are a valuable business development tool that is afforded to us through our partnership in World Trade Center Savannah.”  
For Ian Stewart, U.K. vice consul trade and investment for the Southeast, the visit was a second opportunity to connect with Liberty County industries.
Last year, Stewart met with Firth Rixson Forgings, a U.K.-headquartered aerospace manufacturer that since has been acquired by Alcoa.  
“The meetings with Firth Rixson and International Greetings USA highlighted two companies in growth mode,” Stewart said.
“The business support services available from the LCDA and the state of Georgia, coupled with a skilled local labor force and first-rate infrastructure such as the Midway Industrial Park and Tradeport Business Center, will no doubt support the continuing success of these companies. I look forward to further opportunities to support the relationship between the U.K. and southeast Georgia with visits such as these.”
Approximately 70 percent of Liberty County’s industrial employment is attributed to foreign-direct investment, with international headquarters in the U.K., Germany, France, Lebanon and Korea.
Representatives from Brazil, Canada and the U.K. toured International Greetings, a U.K.-headquartered gift-wrap and stationery manufacturer with more than 500,000 square feet in Midway Industrial Park.  
The visiting German delegation received a tour of Hugo Boss, a German-headquartered high-end apparel company that has a 330,000-square-foot distribution center in Midway Industrial Park.