Japanese business delegation to tour Wood County sites
From left, Keith Burdette, president of the West Virginia Polymer Alliance Zone, and Futoshi Sotani, president of SOMAR Corp., in July at the new SOMAR facility in Davisville. A delegation of Japanese executives will be in Wood County on Wednesday and Thursday in a tour encouraged by Sotani, Burdette said. (File Photo)
PARKERSBURG — A group of Japanese corporate executives will be in Wood County on Wednesday and Thursday, touring local sites and facilities. The delegation is interested in locating an operation in the United States, said Keith Burdette, president of the West Virginia Polymer Alliance Zone. “They’re not looking for customers,” Burdette said. “They already have customers in the U.S.” The group is composed of 18 executives from a variety of business interests, including automotive, high tech, power and energy, corporate development and material development, he said. A reporter from a leading Japanese newspaper is accompanying the delegates, Burdette said. “It’s kind of a mixed bag,” he said. The delegation was in Charleston and Huntington Monday meeting with development officers and touring sites, Burdette said. It will arrive in Wood County on Wednesday, he said. Working with Wood County Economic Development, a dinner and reception will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Discovery World on Market, Burdette said. None of the companies have a presence in West Virginia, Lindsey Piersol, executive director of the development authority, said. It’s an opportunity for an opportunity in the future, she said. “Hopefully when the time comes when they are ready to do business here, they choose West Virginia and hopefully Wood County specifically,” she said. Among places the group will tour are KS of West Virginia in Ravenswood and Hino Motors in Wood County. On Thursday, the delegation will be at the Polymer Alliance Zone and the SOMAR Corp. that opened a facility in Wood County in Davisville earlier this year. Futoshi Sotani, the president of SOMAR, was the driving force behind the visit by the Japanese executives, Burdette said. Burdette is excited. It shows the importance of making contacts and developing relationships, he said. “This is a very unique opportunity for us,” Burdette said. Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.comLocal News
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