With automakers and the number of other Japanese businesses already in Ohio, you might expect Japan is the state's top international trading partner.
No - it's actually Germany.
More than 60% of this region's international business comes from Northern Europe, including France, Belgium, the Dutch, and the British.
Team NEO wants to expand that, and will use a two-year, one million dollar grant from the Cleveland Foundation to entice foreign companies to open satellite offices in the 16-county region.
European born Bernadine van Kessel has a history of business attraction, and has been hired to establish deeper ties with a German-based business consulting firm, tasked to assist Cleveland.
She says this effort should be considered only a beginning... that it will take a concentrated push, and time - to achieve success.
BERNADINE van KESSEL:
"Some countries are more difficult to penetrate from an export perspective, such as Italy is a little rougher to get into than for instance a Germany, or The Netherlands or Belgium, but from an attraction point of view, I think once an individual company feels that they have got a market here and want to come and see that the area we're promoting is good - they'll come."
Working with the established ties of both Akron and Cleveland, and Ohio's Department of Development, she says the goal is to have 3-4 European companies establish offices locally. The increase in international business will also target Canada.
