SelectUSA UK Newsletter
March 2018
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Frog Bikes
The SelectUSA team is incredibly proud of Frog Bikes for its announcement of a three-year licensing partnership with USA Cycling. Owners Shelly and Jerry Lawson originally set out to redesign kids’ bikes. Since then it has become an award-winning company supplying to various parts of the world.
 In 2016, the company sought guidance from the SelectUSA UK team to find a location in the United States to incorporate a subsidiary. After meeting with U.S. EDOs at the 2016 SelectUSA Investment Summit, Frog Bikes chose the city of Ocean, NJ as the location of its American office.
Since then, they have employed 3 full-time staff, as well as 10 additional sales representatives across the country in key regional locations.
Photo: Celebrating St. David's Day at Frog Bikes’ Pontypool factory with U.S. Ambassador Woody Johnson, seen inspecting one of their frames under the watchful eye of "Chief Frog" Jerry Lawson
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Mineral Insulated Cable Company
Mineral Insulated Cable Company (MICC), a world leader in insulated cable manufacturing, announced the opening of the company's plant in Bowling Green, Ohio, which began full operation this past September. The company plans to invest $1.5 million in machinery at the new facility and plans to create 33 new jobs over the next five years.
 MICC had long-term ambitions to establish a U.S. presence as part of its international strategy to service the North and South American markets. The Managing Director at MICC, Doug Dooley, approached the SelectUSA UK team seeking support on overseas investment and participation in the annual SelectUSA Investment Summit, which they first attended in 2015. Throughout the process, the SelectUSA team in London continued to provide counsel on location, logistics, costs, and other data needed for business development.
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Last month, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Robert “Woody” Johnson hosted the SelectUSA reception that launched the recruitment season for UK delegates to attend the Investment Summit in Washington, D.C. The event was an incredible success. The 52 guests in attendance represented various industries, from finance to healthcare. The SelectUSA team is grateful for everyone’s participation and we look forward to forming a great UK delegation for the Investment Summit.
Ambassador Johnson was interviewed by the Financial Times. The full interview can be found here.
 Ambassador Johnson speaking with UK investors
The Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce (California) led its first-ever economic development delegation in a FDI mission to the United Kingdom on February 12-16. The primary goal of this mission was to build awareness of the investment opportunities in Irvine and Orange County, specifically in the life science industry, while identifying, connecting, and encouraging UK businesses to consider the county when contemplating expansion into the United States.
The delegation’s first stop was the new U.S. Embassy in London, where they were briefed by Minister Counselor John Simmons on the current state of affairs between the United States and the United Kingdom. They then met with over 20 British companies and the Mayor of Cambridge, James Palmer.
The United Kingdom is the single-largest source of foreign direct investment in the United States. With a total stock of nearly $600 billion, FDI from the UK directly supports more than 1.1 million U.S. jobs and contributes $43.1 billion toward U.S. goods exports. Check out SelectUSA's fact sheet on British FDI here.
In the coming months, SelectUSA and the Council of American States in Europe (CASE) will embark on a road show across the United Kingdom to promote British FDI in the United States and the 2018 SelectUSA Investment Summit. This week-long program will visit several regions of the UK, including South West, Wales, and Scotland. With a wide range of experts, past road shows have featured seminars focused on the U.S. business environment, market entry strategies, and the U.S.-UK economic relationship.
On March 13, Minister Counselor John Simmons was invited to speak at a KPMG event in Slough to discuss Brexit, the NAFTA renegotiation process, and investment opportunities in the United States. Minister Counselor Simmons also participated in a panel hosted by Kingston Smith LLP to discuss U.S. investment environment and the upcoming SelectUSA Investment Summit.
Additionally, Deputy Senior Commercial Officer Jim Lindley traveled to Aberdeen, Cheshire, and Liverpool to visit several companies, including Frog Bikes (featured in this edition's Success Stories), and promote SelectUSA.
Gus Franklyn-Bute, Senior Regional Investment Advisor
U.S. Commercial Service | U.S. Department of Commerce
U.S. Embassy London
33 Nine Elms Lane
SW11 7US, London, UK
+44 (0) 20 7891 3452
gus.franklynbute@trade.gov
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