ATLANTA – The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce should recruit companies from Western European countries, NAFTA countries, Japan and Korea to locate in Atlanta. And it should target Asia, Europe and the Americas to expand the international operations of companies already here.

That is the consensus of an International Task Force led by John Rice, vice chairman of GE and president and CEO of GE Industrial, and other CEOs of top global companies in Atlanta. The task force, which launched in 2005, worked in conjunction with McKinsey & Company to study and prioritize opportunities in the global marketplace. Other key global companies on the task force included Merial Ltd., Delta Air Lines, Siemens, Coca-Cola and Novelis.

“The Metro Atlanta Chamber has been engaged in international economic development for decades,” Rice said. “Now we are heightening the focus in this area to become an even stronger player in the global marketplace. The plan released today is a road map for a smart strategy that yields results.”

Jorge Fernandez, the Chamber’s newly appointed vice president of global commerce, said the Chamber’s international strategy is focused on achieving two objectives:

• creating jobs in metro Atlanta by attracting international companies to the area
• creating jobs by growing and expanding the international operations of companies already located here

“We’re not starting from zero,” Fernandez said. “Atlanta already has a significant presence in the international marketplace. And we want to leverage every bit of that clout with a deliberate, strategic plan that will make Atlanta’s global connections even stronger.”

Atlanta is already home to more than 15 multinational companies with operations in at least 20 countries abroad. Top 10 countries by employment in Atlanta represent more than 71,000 jobs and 1,600 facilities in the metro area (more than one-third are from Germany and Japan). And 52 governments around the world maintain consulate or trade offices here.

The task force worked with McKinsey on a study that incorporated input from key stakeholders, including Atlanta companies doing international business, key Chamber leadership and staff, and partners such as the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.

The Chamber’s new international strategy augments international work the Chamber has been engaged in for many years, including partnering with the governor and mayor to promote Atlanta as a gateway to the Americas and to attract the future headquarters of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, conducting marketing and trade missions, promoting direct air routes between Asia and Latin America and helping foreign companies locate in metro Atlanta.

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