Holcomb Departs For Trade Mission In Hungary, France

Eric Holcomb leaves Monday for his first international economic development trip as governor. He’ll spend 10 days in Hungary and France, hoping to shore up global ties for Indiana’s top-earning manufacturing and automotive industries.

Indiana is already a center of investment for countries that include Japan and Germany. But the Indiana Economic Development Corporation says the Hoosier State will be the first to create what it calls a “formal framework with Hungary” to promote business and trade development.

Indiana Chamber of Commerce CEO Kevin Brinegar says that’s the goal of any trade mission.

“Hopefully [Holcomb will forge] some connections that could lead to investments and jobs being brought to our state, and opportunities for producers, manufacturers to be able to export our goods and products into those countries,” he says.

The governor will also meet with the Hungarian operations managers of Eli Lilly, Allison Transmission and other large Hoosier firms.

Hungary has the European Union’s lowest corporate tax rate and one of the EU’s fastest-growing economies.

After Hungary, Holcomb heads to France. He’ll tout Indiana’s automotive, aerospace and motorsports sectors at the Paris Airshow and Le Mans auto race.

“Certainly Europe is as important to us as the Pacific Rim, so doing a trip over there is certainly logical,” says Brinegar.

In France, Holcomb also plans to meet with executives from big companies growing quickly in Indiana, including Rolls-Royce, Arconic and GE Aviation.

Holcomb, his commerce secretary Jim Schellinger, and IEDC staff return to the U.S. on June 21.

We’ll hear from the governor about how his trip is going next Monday, June 19.