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Thank you, Mike, for that kind introduction and for your commitment to outreach, education and service to your community as a leader in economic development here in the Tampa Bay region. I am pleased to join you here in Pinellas County, a flourishing high-tech hub, with your 31,000 advanced manufacturing workers and 22,000 technology workers. Your county is home to the second-largest manufacturing employment base in Florida, and to Fortune 500 tech manufacturers Jabil Circuit and Tech Data.
Thank you, Andrew, for that kind introduction, and for welcoming me to what will soon be North America’s largest copper production facility. It is great to be here with all of you, at one of the largest untapped copper deposits in the world. And my thanks to Mayor Mila Besich for joining us this morning. Your work has been instrumental to ensuring your community’s prosperity over the next 60 years of this future mine’s expected copper supply.
Thank you, Ian, for the kind introduction and for your dedicated leadership advancing the global success of American businesses. My thanks also for the great work that you, Deputy Assistant Secretary Guevara, and your Global Markets team did to organize this national business development forum. Discover Global Markets is our annual flagship event for U.S. exporters and economic development organizations.
Thank you, Mayor Klipsch for that kind introduction and for welcoming us to the City of Petersburg. And my thanks to Lisa Gehlhausen of the Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission, Clint Roos of Midwestern Engineers and Ashley Willis of Pike County Economic Growth & Development for joining us this afternoon. Believe it or not, I am not the first U.S. Cabinet Secretary to visit Petersburg. That honor goes to, Secretary of State John Foster, who served under President Harrison from 1892 to 1893, and was in fact, born here.
Thank you, Clint, for that kind introduction and for welcoming us to what will soon be an impressive new manufacturing and production site. And my thanks to President and CEO of Enterprise Florida Jamal Sowell, Commissioners Jim Peacock and Eric Hill, and Mayor Travis Ephriam for joining us this morning. Together with the public and private sectors, your work creating an economic development roadmap that strengthens the regional economy, supports private capital investment, and creates new jobs, is very impressive.
Thank you, Minister Braga Netto, for that kind introduction. And a warm welcome to my colleagues, Senior Director Nels Nordquist, Minister Araújo, and Ambassadors Todd Chapman and Nestor Forster. My thanks also to the Forum’s Brazilian Co-Chairs Ministers Braga Netto and Paulo Guedes, for hosting this year’s discussion. I am grateful to the seventeen CEOs joining us today virtually. We value your time and input — because all of us in the U.S. Government know that it is essential for our countries to deepen our commercial ties.
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