More than 50 Indian CEOs and business leaders traveled thousands of miles to meet this week with county, state and federal Georgia officials who were aiming to persuade the group to set up shop in Georgia.
The delegation came from Coimbatore, a city in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They were all members of the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA), a trade organization that represents manufacturers in that region.
The trade mission was organized by the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC), a nonprofit chamber that is working to strengthen business relationships between the U.S. and India, two of the largest economies in the world, with a particular focus on Georgia.
“This is truly a land of opportunity, and not only just [the] U.S. as a whole, Georgia is the Number One place to do business. So come here, we’ll help you set up,” SK Raj, a board member of GIACC and one of the main organizers behind bringing the CODISSIA delegation to Georgia, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
The delegation of 52 business owners representing 43 companies arrived in the U.S. last week, first stopping in Washington, D.C., and meeting with Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock at the Capitol. They spent a few days meeting with officials and local businesses across Georgia, culminating in a conference on Wednesday.
The business owners who came all have successful companies in India and are now looking to expand their global reach, according to CODISSIA leaders. And as the U.S.’ relationship with China cools, many of the business owners and officials see a ripe opportunity.
“Now that India and [the U.S. have] come closer together and due to geopolitics, [the] U.S. is looking at India as a supplier,” said Sundaram Venkatapathy, CEO of garage equipment manufacturer Thunder Auto and director of CODISSIA’s incubation center. “This conference is a fantastic platform for us to explore what is possible here.”
Between 2019 to 2023, trade increased between Georgia and India by 66%, according to Ramesh Babu, the Consul General of India in Atlanta. And the state’s existing business relationship with India is diverse, according to Taube Ponce, the senior international trade manager for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. She noted during Wednesday’s event that Georgia’s #1 export to India last year was civil aircraft, while its #1 import was linens, followed by tractors.
Commissioners from Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Forsyth and Wade counties met with the delegation earlier in the week to showcase economic incentives they could offer, Jay Joshi, president of GIACC said. Officials like Gary Black, former Georgia agriculture commissioner, Sebastian Barron, the Metro Atlanta Representative for Gov. Brian Kemp, and other trade leaders also met with the group.
GIACC also had a panel of experts explain the logistics of establishing a business in the U.S. and how to bring workers from India to Georgia. And the group visited a few local companies “set up by Indians who came just like them once upon a time,” said Grace Multani, chairperson of GIACC.
To follow up, the chamber is already planning on taking a delegation of Georgia business owners to Coimbatore.
U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, a Georgia Republican who represents the state’s 6th Congressional District, spoke at Wednesday’s event, emphasizing the importance of a relationship with India.
“There’s not a more important country that we need to be strongly partnered with,” McCormick told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think we should be strong allies going forward because we have a shared interest, we have a similar Constitution, a similar outlook on the world, and we want to make sure that together we can, both the oldest democracy and the largest democracy, work together for our best interests in the future.”
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
After new congressional maps were drawn last year, McCormick is now running for the 7th District, which will include Johns Creek and be 14% Indian, he said.
Last December, McCormick introduced a bill that would remove the caps on the percentages of H-1B visas – the visa that lets foreign nationals work in the U.S. – that can go to one country.
Venkatapathy, who was visiting the U.S. for the first time, said that after just one day in Georgia, he was sold on bringing some manufacturing to the state. He would build sub-components in India, import them to Georgia and finish the products in the U.S.
“What made me decide here, and what I need to tell my friends, is ease of doing business here is excellent,” he said.
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