INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Gov. Eric Holcomb will leave for a trade mission to Europe this week, his first international jobs mission since becoming Indiana’s governor.
Holcomb will depart Monday on a trip meant to attract jobs and investment in the Hoosier State. He’ll visit Hungary and France.
Here’s a look at the trip’s itinerary released by the governor’s office.
Tuesday, June 13
Holcomb and Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger will meet with the Hungarian Minister of National Economy. The governor will also attend a business forum hosted by the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency.
In the evening, Holcomb and First Lady Janet Holcomb will attend a network event with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary. Executives from Indiana companies with operations in Hungary (Allison Transmission, Eli Lilly and Remy International) will also attend.
Wednesday, June 14
Holcomb and Schellinger will meet with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó to discuss economic cooperation between Indiana and Hungary. They’ll develop a framework for future collaboration.
Holcomb will travel to the Hungarian Parliament to meet with members of the National Assembly of Hungary.
Holcomb and the First Lady will meet with Professor László Lovász, president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Indiana is home to the only comprehensive Hungarian studies program in North America, which is offered through Indiana University’s School of Global and International Studies.
Thursday, June 15
The Indiana delegation will travel from Budapest to Paris. They’ll meet with executives from Blue Solutions, a subsidiary of France-based Bolloré Group and the parent company of BlueIndy, which launched its electric car-sharing service in Indianapolis in 2015.
Saturday, June 17
Indiana delegation will travel to Le Mans, France, for the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race. They’ll meet with Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouset, which organizes and hosts the race, as well as with executives of automotive and motorsports firms, including Germany-based Continental Tire, Italy-based Dallara, Chip Ganassi Racing and Japan-based Toyota.
Sunday, June 18
Holcomb will meet in Paris with executives from Michelin, which employs more than 1,200 Hoosiers at the BF Goodrich Tire facility in Fort Wayne.
Holcomb and the First Lady will host a networking reception for the Indiana delegation to kick off the 2017 International Paris Air Show. They’ll meet with executives and representatives of the Aerospace Industries Association, which represents more than 325 major aerospace and defense companies and their suppliers.
Monday, June 19
The state will debut its exhibit at the International Paris Air Show to promote Indiana’s aviation, aerospace and defense industries. The exhibit will also tout the advantages of doing business in the state. Holcomb and the delegation will meet with executives of leading companies, including Rolls-Royce, which has been operating in Indiana for more than a century.
Holcomb will also meet with GE Aviation executives. The company recently put a new $100 million jet engine facility in Lafayette to assemble the new LEAP engine from CFM International – a 50/50 joint company of GE and France-based Safran. Holcomb will meet with leadership of Safran, which is also the parent company of MorphoTrust USA in Fort Wayne.
Holcomb and the First Lady will host a “Friends of Indiana” networking event at the Air Show to thank companies that do business in Indiana, such as Dynamic Metals, Honeywell and Thyssenkrupp, which have Indiana operations in Elkhart, South Bend and Terre Haute, respectively.
During the evening, Holcomb will meet with executives from France-based Faurecia, which has its North American headquarters in Columbus and has plans to expand in Lafayette.
Tuesday, June 20
Holcomb will meet with companies that are considering locating or expanding in Indiana as well as with aviation and defense firms with Indiana connections, including AAR, which occupies more than one million square feet at the Indianapolis International Airport, and Boeing, which operates a hangar at the Gary/Chicago International Airport.
Holcomb will also meet with Arconic, which has aerospace-focused manufacturing facilities in both La Porte and Lafayette, as well as Raytheon, which employs more than 1,000 associates at its Indianapolis site dedicated to defense and cybersecurity.
In the evening, Holcomb will participate in a roundtable discussion on the future of flight with industry stakeholders hosted by The Economist.
Members of the delegation traveling to Hungary include Holcomb, First Lady Janet Holcomb, Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger, Director of the IEDC’s Europe office Jan Wiedemann, three staff members and two members of the governor’s security detail.
Other members of the delegation joining the governor in France:
- IEDC: Rollie Helmling, senior vice president of business development; Matt Wade, vice president of marketing; and Jan Wiedemann, director of the IEDC’s Europe office
- Aerodyn: Professor M. Razi Nalim
- Applied Composites Engineering: Leigh Sargent and Matt Steward
- Conexus: Ryan Metzing
- Greater Columbus Indiana Economic Development: Mayor Jim Leinhoop, Jason Hester and Kathy Ertel (Jennings County)
- Greater Lafayette Commerce: Scott Walker
- Hoosier Racing Tire: John DeSalle and Craig Benninghoff
- Indiana General Assembly: Sen. Tim Lanane (D-Anderson) and Rep. Scott Pelath (D-Michigan City)
- Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory: Bob Fagan
- Purdue Research Foundation: Dan Hasler and Paul Moses
- Riverside Manufacturing: Fred Merritt
- Two staff members and three members of the governor’s security detail
