The TradeBridge initiative was designed to foster an effective and proactive economic network and bring long-term economic value to both regions. Savannah and Wexford will serve as starting points for business growth throughout both regions, countries and continents. Since 2016 a series of international visits to Savannah and Wexford by key representatives were organized to gain a better understanding of the substantial historical links between the regions and to explore potential joint venture prospects. The result of the visits led to the development of TradeBridge.
“The utilization of this strategic partnership will deliver growth opportunities for our small-medium sized companies and organizations in both regions, and the growth of these companies will in turn deliver sustainable job creation in Savannah, Georgia and County Wexford, Ireland,” said Brendan Ennis, Wexford Enterprise Centre Chairman at the launch of TradeBridge.
“TradeBridge is the culmination of years of research and collaboration,” said Brynn Grant, WTCSav Vice President. “Although Savannah and Wexford are each the tip of the spear in our respective areas, we hope to grow trade throughout our regions, across our nations and continents. Our goal is to help the businesses we serve generate revenue and create more jobs while cultivating long-term investment opportunities for our communities. We are truly building a bridge for international trade and investment.”
Originally the program was designed as an eight month pilot program where dedicated trade representatives worked on the ground in each location; one in Savannah and one in Wexford. Business development professionals from both regions were identified and facilitated trade opportunities for businesses from Wexford into the Savannah region.
In October 2018, a nine-person delegation spent four days in Savannah exploring opportunities for their businesses and organizations. The delegation included representation from Wexford Enterprise Center, Wexford County Council, Kent Stainless, Survipod, Poachers Tonic, and Jackford Gin. The week kicked off at the Savannah Philharmonic’s annual Picnic in the Park event. Throughout the week the delegates attended over 30 business to business meetings and attended two networking events resulting in trade leads for all companies involved. Notably, as a result of this mission, Survipod has signed a US distribution agreement with Ram Tool.
In November 2018, WTCSav led a delegation of businesses from the Coastal Georgia region to Southeast Ireland to explore business development and trade opportunities. Representatives from Georgia Southern University, Ghost Coast Distillery, Savannah Bee Company and Wet Willie’s participated in the trade mission. As a result, every participating business has qualified leads they are working to advance. Coastal Georgia companies and those in Wexford who want to do business internationally, are now a quick call or email away from starting the process.