Gov. JB Pritzker will lead a commerce mission to Japan accompanied by quite a lot of prime lawmakers, political allies and enterprise leaders, his workplace mentioned Friday.
The journey comes as Pritzker introduced formidable initiatives in quantum expertise, clear power and manufacturing, which have been all among the many industries his workplace mentioned can be highlighted on the journey. The group leaves on Saturday and returns on Thursday.
As prior to now, Pritzker mentioned the journey is a part of his mission to turn out to be Illinois’ “chief advertising officer” as firms resolve the place to do enterprise. The delegation will meet “counterparts in Tokyo”, reads a press launch.
While the outcomes of such commerce missions may be tough to trace, the workplace mentioned the journeys construct bridges with foreign-owned firms. For instance, he beforehand linked a latest multimillion-dollar allocation to a southern village to his efforts with a German firm, Wieland, that has a plant in that village. Last yr the governor visited a Wieland manufacturing plant in Germany.
But the outcomes of different journeys have been much less concrete. After a commerce mission to Canada this spring, Pritzker’s workplace introduced that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with the purpose of additional strengthening commerce ties between Illinois and Ontario.
According to the governor’s workplace, Japan is Illinois’ eighth-largest export market and sixth-largest import market.
The journey manifesto signifies that about 50 folks will take part, together with Senate President Don Harmon, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, three lieutenant governors and about 30 non-public sector leaders.
The company contingent contains Curt Bailey, CEO of Related Midwest, the corporate that’s attempting to develop a brand new White Sox stadium on the parcel of land referred to as The 78.
Lawmakers nonetheless appeared skeptical of public funding for a brand new Sox stadium final month, after the staff and its associates handled a few of them to a river cruise and presentation of the proposed web site. The White Sox simply wrapped up a record-breaking season by which they misplaced extra video games than another staff in main league historical past, and any request for stadium financing would come because the Bears this yr proposed a multibillion-dollar stadium undertaking on the lakeside.
Also touring to Japan is Christy George, former govt director of the Chicago 2024 Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention, who was lately introduced as the brand new president and CEO of Intersect Illinois, the state’s financial improvement group. George had beforehand labored within the Pritzker administration.
Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, a Springfield lobbying pressure, can also be on board, as is Christian Mitchell, a former lieutenant governor who now works as vp for civic engagement on the University of Chicago, the governor’s workplace mentioned. .
Mayor Brandon Johnson, within the midst of political turmoil with Chicago Public Schools, can also be planning a world enterprise journey this month: His workplace on Friday introduced plans to go to London on a visit meant to “reap the benefits of the ‘world publicity’ introduced by the Bears sport there on October 13.
