High-powered Saudi business forum in town next week

By Dan Chapman

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Saudis are coming to Atlanta next week with promises of $1 trillion in trade and investment opportunities over the next decade.

A high-powered delegation of Saudi Arabian business and government officials will lay out the educational, petrochemical, medical and logistical opportunities available to U.S. businesses during the three-day forum starting Monday at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center.

“Saudi Arabia is one of the largest economies in the Middle East. There are huge opportunities for American companies,” Omar Bahlaiwa, secretary general for the Committee for International Trade, a Saudi organizer, said Friday. “There are a variety of small, medium and large-sized projects and opportunities for business people in Saudi Arabia and the United States.”

General Electric, whose energy and technology infrastructure divisions are headquartered in Cobb County, tallied $2.5 billion in revenue from Saudi Arabia alone last year. It employs 800 Saudis, and expects to double the number by 2013, in energy, health care, aviation and water projects.

GE is listed as a $100,000 conference sponsor.

The forum, held for the first time in Chicago last year, also includes a series of discussions on higher education, industrial competitiveness, the global economy, nuclear and renewable energy, supply-chain logistics, health care and agriculture.

Bahlaiwa said Saudi ministers from the education, commerce and health agencies will attend. More information: www.us-saudiforum.com.