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Promoting region requires passport International investment

January 20, 2008 12:16 am

Regional economic development sometimes starts with chicken-feet feasts in China and high-speed trips down the German autobahn.

Those are two of the many international experiences Gene Bailey has had since April 2000, when he became president of the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance.

Bailey has been on about 20 international marketing trips since he took over leadership of the FRA. The three-person organization strives to attract economic development in Fredericksburg as well as Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George and Caroline counties.

Bailey said it's important for the Fredericksburg area to attract foreign investment.

"As the region goes forward, we need to have more of an international presence in a global economy," he said.

In his role with the FRA, Bailey has traveled through Europe, the Middle East, Mexico, Canada and the Asian Pacific Rim. He has taken multiple trips to Germany, Hong Kong and China.

While Bailey has plenty of entertaining stories from these trips, the goal is more than fun and games. He's trying to educate international businesses about what the Fredericksburg region has to offer, in hopes that they'll someday bring jobs.

"I'm not a globetrotter," Bailey said. "I don't go unless I have a mission."

The trips include long days filled with dinners, meetings and receptions with government and business leaders. He attends trade shows and sets up a booth describing the region's attributes.

Many of Bailey's trips have been in conjunction with the Virginia Economic Development Partner-ship. Spokeswoman Christie Miller said Gov. Tim Kaine has made global investment in Virginia a priority, and she applauded Bailey's efforts.

"You're dealing with a global market now," Miller said. "We feel that we have many resources that global investors are seeking."

Miller pointed to recent major investments by Rolls-Royce in Prince George County and Volkswagen in Northern Virginia as evidence that the efforts are having an effect.

Miller noted that relationships take time to build. She said Virginia officials have worked with Rolls-Royce since the 1990s. The London-based company announced late last year that it would build an aeroengine facility in Prince George. That created 500 jobs.

The same desire to attract international investment led Stafford County Economic Development Director Tim Baroody to Hong Kong and Japan in 2005, and China in 2006. Stafford spokeswoman Cathy Riddle said she can't yet point to a specific result from the trips, but also noted that it takes time.

"It's always a good thing to get out there and raise the profile of the Fredericksburg area," Riddle said.

Miller noted that Virginia is competing against other states that are also taking international marketing trips. She said the state's attributes include proximity to Washington, low cost of business, an educated work force, and transportation hubs by air, rail and sea.

Miller said the state has had to cut back on international travel because of budget constraints. Bailey encounters the same forces, but still plans an October trip to Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Bailey said he spends less than 1 percent of the FRA's annual $700,000 budget on international travel. The organization receives about 55 percent of its funding from the five area localities and the rest from businesses.

Stafford businessman Jimmy Yang has helped Bailey set up trips and meetings in China. Yang was born in China but has lived in the U.S. for more than a decade. He owns Universal Stone and Supplies Inc. in Stafford.

Last July, a Chinese delegation came to the region. Bailey said the group went to Stafford Regional Airport and spent an hour flying over the area to get a feel for the layout. Bailey said such delegations appreciate that he knows China.

"There is not a vast disconnect," Bailey said. "They know I've been there."

And eaten chicken feet.