Governor Rick Snyder leaves today for a nine-day trade mission to Israel. He’s hoping to create business connections and encourage Israeli investment in Michigan.
But Snyder says he won’t be starting from scratch when he gets there.
“We already do a fair amount of business with Israel. We’re one of the top-20 states for both imports and exports going on with Israel. So I think it’s a great opportunity to build stronger economic ties and cultural ties given all the historical connections between our state and Israel.”
Additionally, the Governor says that Israel is looking to expand its marketplace globally.
“And if you look at Detroit’s role and the strong Jewish community here and the great business environment we’ve created over the last few years, Michigan should really be a gateway – in particular the Metro Detroit area should be a gateway – for Israeli businesses to do business in the United States.”
The governor also plans to speak with Israeli education officials. He says he’s especially interested in learning about their early childhood education programs.
This is Snyder’s fifth corporate-sponsored trip oversees, and his first to the Middle East.