The Innovation Triangle of Kirkland, Bellevue and Redmond has partnered with the Economic Development Council of Seattle and King County (EDC) to promote the region to foreign-owned companies interested in investing in the United States at this week’s SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, D.C.
This partnership joins the Washington State Department of Commerce in promoting Washington — and in particular, the Seattle-King County area — as a great place for international companies to do business and grow jobs.
The summit is driven primarily by the U.S. Department of Commerce and other federal government agencies as a venue for U.S. economic development organizations to share investment opportunities directly with international investors.
“The Seattle-King County region is a hub for innovation in a number of industries — from aerospace and advanced manufacturing to cloud, big data and health care IT — and a natural destination for international trade and investment,” said James Henderson, interim president and CEO of the EDC, in an Innovation Triangle press release. “We’re proud to have a strong collaboration with the Innovation Triangle and to once again partner with Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond at SelectUSA to recruit dynamic global companies to this region.”
The EDC and the Innovation Triangle participated in the summit last year as part of the Washington delegation. There were more than 2,600 leaders from global companies, economic development organizations and senior government officials from around the world in attendance at the event.
This year, in addition to hosting an exhibitor booth, the EDC and Innovation Triangle partners will meet with more than 20 companies and investors as part of their business development strategy to grow jobs throughout the King County region.
“The Innovation Triangle is as well known for its information and communication technology (ICT) talent as it is for the supportive network of government, education, financing and legacy technology companies that are available to newcomers,” said Ellen Miller-Wolfe, economic development manager for the City of Kirkland, in the release.
Bart Phillips, CEO of OneRedmond, added, “The Innovation Triangle is the embodiment of the innovation flywheel. This is where talent and technology are spinning off the businesses that will define the future economy at an ever-increasing rate.”
According to the release, there are about 54,600 software publishing workers and 99,100 ICT workers in Kirkland, Redmond and Bellevue. The combined economic output for the three cities was nearly $48 billion in 2013, making it one of the most energetic regional economies in the United States.
