FT. LAUDERDALE – When Plantation Mayor Rae Carole Armstrong was preparing to receive a delegation of Chinese business and government officials, she called on Broward County’s Office of Economic Development (OED) to advise her on matters of protocol and international business development.
Before Lauderhill Mayor Richard J. Kaplan departed on a mission to China with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, he contacted OED for advice and guidance.
These examples illustrate some of the services provided to local municipalities by Broward County since the County Commission established a goal five years ago to put the County on a strategic path to become a global business location. OED is increasing its efforts to work with Broward municipalities on international business development projects, expand international trade and encourage direct foreign investment in the County.
“We recognize the importance of including and highlighting certain municipalities in projects based on their strengths in a particular industry or any unique connection,” said Norman Taylor, director of OED.
As part of its efforts to include local governments in international business development, staff from the County’s economic development office began visiting economic development representatives from municipalities around Broward, including Plantation, Hollywood, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach. They are promoting the resources available from the County’s International Trade Desk. The visits are designed to not only educate municipalities on the services and information available to them, but to learn about what projects are of interest to specific municipalities.
Additionally, the OED aims to increase the involvement of Broward’s municipalities in trade missions, both inbound and outbound, as well as to assist with receiving inbound delegations interested in their area. If there is a municipal representative invited to a foreign country to expand business, culture, trade, investment and commerce, OED staff will be available throughout the entire research, planning and coordination process and will provide market analysis, trends, information on top trading partners, as well as proper protocol tips to ensure the municipal representative is comfortable.
