Chafee to Head up Trade Mission to Israel

Chafee to Head up Trade Mission to Israel

Governor Lincoln Chafee announced yesterday that he will be leading an economic trade mission to Israel in November, to boost Rhode Island exports to the country.

“This trip is about looking beyond our borders to identify opportunities for Rhode Island businesses to expand and increase employment,” Chafee said. “The goal is increased economic activity and job creation for Rhode Island businesses, and I am going to examine all possibilities for realizing that goal, including looking abroad to a key trade ally for strategic partnerships and export opportunities.”

Chafee will be accompanied on the trip by Keith Stokes, executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation; Richard Licht, director of the Department of Revenue, and Raymond Fogarty, Director of the John H. Chafee Center for International Business at Bryant University.

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Israel a top destination for U.S. exports

Chafee also is recruiting more than a dozen local companies to attend “matchmaking sessions” with Israeli companies, in the hopes of finding new markets for their products and services.

The itinerary for the trip includes stops in Jerusalem, Haifa, Nazareth, and Galilee and a series of meetings with top business and political leaders. Chafee’s office said it would release details closer to the date of the trip, which will be from Nov. 4 to 12.

Israel is the top destination for U.S. exports in the Middle East, taking in $11 billion in 2010. Currently, $9 million in goods and services from Rhode Island go to Israel.

According to Chafee’s office, the last Rhode Island governor to lead an overseas trade mission was Lincoln Almond, who visited Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, and the Pacific Rim.

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