The British Consulate of Chicago recently spent a week in Kansas City, Missouri to celebrate the UK’s long time relationship with the U.S. and to discuss opportunities for increased commercial links. “In 2014, our state of Missouri exported about $357 million of goods to the U.K., and that continues to grow,” says Narbeli Galindo, international business development initiatives coordinator at the Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City. Galindo said one of the goals of the week’s visit was to allow local companies to work directly with the British Consulate, which will “increase the potential for those companies to export there much faster.”
A few British companies currently doing business in the Kansas City region:
– BP Pipelines
– Williams Scotsman Inc.
– Trinity Biotech
– Executive Beechcraft Inc.
– Grant Thornton International
– Bunzl Distribution
– Signature Flight Support | Worldwide FBO Network
Mr. and Mrs. Gates, owners of Gates BBQ, welcomed Consul General Stephen Bridges to the region by giving them a taste of some of our local barbecue favorites.
L to R: Narbeli Galindo, Mr. and Mrs. Gates, Consul General Stephen Bridges
The week’s agenda was called a “pop-up” agenda, where the British Consulate was scheduled to “pop-up” at a variety of locations throughout the week. The first event day began with a pop-up visit to 1 Million Cups, a weekly entrepreneur event at the Kauffman Foundation.
The visit was followed by a group discussion about entrepreneurship with local Kansas City leaders Nick Fox, Partner at Virgin, Tom Stevens, President of the British American Business Council, a representative from Kauffman Foundation, Doug Krebs, Kansas City entrepreneur, and HM Consul General, Steve Bridges.
A noon panel discussion about “EU-USA Free Trade and the Future of World Trade” was held at the Kansas City Power & Light Co.’s Energy Innovation Center, and focused primarily on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnerships (T-TIP), a comprehensive free trade and investment treaty currently being negotiated between the European Union and the USA. According to the Consulate, TTIP could create 21,000+ jobs in Kansas and Missouri alone.
Panel Speakers were: HM Consul General, Steve Bridges, Swindells – Senior VP Cerner, Ivry Karamitros – Manager, Kansas City World Trade Centre, Regina D. Heise – Midwest Regional Director, U.S. Commercial Service, Nick Fox, Partner at Virgin, Tom Stevens, President of the British American Business Council, Moderator: Aaron Mann, Husch Blackwell LLP
Mayor Pro Tem Scott Wagner and Singers from William Jewel College joined the afternoon opening ceremony at the KCP&L Energy Center. This was followed by an opening launch party at the National World War Museum and Memorial in celebration of the Centennial year of WW1.
More than 150 leaders and company executives from the Kansas City region attended the evening reception, where they heard first-hand from Consul General Bridges, Mayor Pro Tem Scott Wagner, and President and CEO for the WW1 Museum, Dr. Matt Naylor.
The week proceeded with more roundtable discussions and networking events around the metro area. Main topics of discussion included: Smart Cities; Food, Fuel, and Climate Resilience; a Winston Churchill Lecture; Financial Services Thought Leaders’ Roundtable; and Opportunities in the UK’s Animal Health Industry.
On Saturday, the Consulate was treated to a trip to see the Beatles Tribute Concert, performed by Liverpool on the KC Live stage. Consul General Bridges presented gifts to the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders on stage and wished them good luck in the Chief’s first NFL game in London.
The five-day event closed at KC Live on Sunday with a Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers watch party. Many thanks to the entire team from the British Consulate in Chicago for spending the week in Kansas City, Missouri!
Sources:
EDC International Business Department
British Consulate of Chicago
KC Business Journal