Virginia Economic Development Partnership - International Trade Division

FAQs

If you are experiencing difficulty with this web page or find broken links, please contact our web administrator by clicking here.


Publications

Annual Reports

Special Reports

-Virginia Import Study

-Benefits of Trade

Calendar of Events

Export Resources

This publications page contains our free e-newsletter Beyond Virginia issued every other Wednesday and the newsletter archives. You can also view over 70 FastFacts— export FAQ’s on getting started, export issues, and various countries and regions. Virginia companies may also access our annual reports , various special reports or download our annual calendar of events. Our resources page provides links to numerous federal, state and private resources.

FastFacts

A statistical analysis of Virginia exports JUST UPDATED!

FastFacts are available for download by clicking this link.

Download Annual Reports

Beyond Virginia Newsletter April 30, 2008

FEATURED ARTICLES >>
Virginia Competes Nationally for Logistics Business
Australian Business Delegation visits Virginia: June 2- 6, 2008

EVENTS >>
Trade Mission to Mexico
Trade Mission to Czech Republic & Hungary
Farnborough International 2008

FEATURED FAST FACT >>

NEWS >>

To view more trade news, click here.

TRADE SPOTLIGHT >>

TIP >>

QUOTE>>

DISCLAIMER AND PRIVACY POLICY>>

Virginia Competes Nationally for Logistics Business

Virginia serves as a gateway for international business. Our world-class seaports in Hampton Roads handle the third-most containerized imports and exports of any East Coast harbor. Public and private investment in new capacity at the Port of Virginia should position it to be the number one East Coast port. Furthermore, a recent study by the Mason School of Business at the College of William and Mary shows that the Port of Virginia accounted for over 340,000 jobs across the Commonwealth with a $41.1 billion economic impact in 2006.

The nature of global logistics and international trade place Virginia in competition with numerous other regions for the capital investment and jobs created by global logistics companies. Beginning in 2000, major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, and third party logistics providers ("3PLs"), who provide value-added services to retailers and manufacturers, began diversifying their site selection for warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution centers from reliance on one specific region, e.g. Hampton Roads, or even in one state. Often, developers of industrial real estate throughout the Commonwealth are competing for tenants against developers in New York / New Jersey, Pennsylvania's I-81 corridor, Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, and other regions. How well-positioned is Virginia to compete against these other regions?

The Port of Virginia is investing in major expansion to handle growing container trade well into the future. On September 7, 2007 APM Terminals, one of the world's largest operators of container terminals and a subsidiary of Maersk,Inc., officially opened its $503.8 million, 291 acre container terminal in Portsmouth. The third largest and most highly automated container terminal in the United States doubles the capacity of the Hampton Roads Harbor to 4 million twenty- foot equivalents (TEUs). Virginia International Terminals, Inc., the non-stock, non-profit operating company of the Virginia Port Authority ("VPA"), is in the midst of a nearly $400 million wharf expansion and modernization of its largest container terminal, Norfolk International Terminal. More importantly, Congress approved $356.1 million in funding for the new Craney Island Marine Terminal, which, when it opens in 2017, will again double the harbour's capacity to 8+ million TEUs annually.

Another key project is the Heartland Corridor, which when completed in December 2009 will cut nearly a day in transit time from Hampton Roads to Chicago via the Norfolk Southern intermodal rail route. The Heartland Corridor will make the Port of Virginia even more competitive against other U.S. Ports in handling discretionary freight bound for key Midwestern markets.

Does Virginia have enough stock of quality industrial property that is readily available? The three largest industrial markets, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Northern Virginia, have delivered significant quality warehouse and distribution properties during the last few years. Northern Virginia has nearly 1.5 million square feet under construction as of the 1st Quarter 2008, while Richmond has over 500,000 SF and Hampton Roads nearly 1 million SF. Virginia's potential for major expansion and entry by port related companies has attracted investment from a broad base of development companies. For example, the world's largest developer and owner of industrial real estate, ProLogis, has the Gateway development in Northern Virginia and Northgate Commerce Park project in Hampton Roads; regional developers, such as The Regional Companies out of Charlotte and McDonald Development out of Atlanta, have 1 million SF developments underway in Hampton Roads; and Virginia-based developers such as Devon USA have enjoyed success with their Enterchange developments in Richmond and Hampton.

These Class A industrial developments offer tenants 30'-32' ceiling heights, numerous truck loading doors with dock equipment, 50' x 50' column spacing, and generous trailer parking to allow a diverse tenant base a flexible building suitable for their warehousing and distribution needs.

The following table shows how the Port of Virginia compares against the other major U.S. port markets.

*Industrial Base, Industrial Vacancy, Industrial Lease Rate & Population apply to entire L.A./Long Beach MSA; same for Seattle / Tacoma.
Source: American Association of Port Authorities web site, CB Richard Ellis research.

As noted in the above table, the largest port complex in the United States is in Los Angeles and Long Beach. There are several factors of the Trans Pacific trade that may have a major influence on the Port of Virginia and other East Coast ports during 2008 and beyond.

The 2008 ILWU negotiations are underway, with an uncertain outcome. In 2002 a lockout of the ILWU at West Coast ports caused major disruption in corporate supply chains and influenced many companies to shift some of their cargo to be shipped through East Coast ports.
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Clean Truck Program, which requires replacement or retrofit of 16,000 + trucks in 5 years, may lead to significant harbor trucker shortage, not to mention $50 per TEU fees, much higher drayage cost in southern California, and confusion amidst possible litigation expected to stall the controversial plan. The disruption will likely lead to more container volumes shipped to the East Coast.
With 80% of the U.S population accessible more directly via East Coast than West Coast ports and more carriers opening Panama and Suez Canal all waters routes, more container traffic will enter the U.S. on the East Coast.

All-in-all, the West Coast will remain the primary gateway to the U.S., but the Port of Virginia and East Coast will continue to see more business for many years to come. This new business will help increase Virginia's status as a gateway for international trade.

Lang Williams, First Vice President with the CB Richard Ellis Norfolk office, has 14 years experience advising occupiers and investors regarding their industrial and office real estate needs.

Back to top >>

Australian Business Delegation visits Virginia: June 2- 6, 2008

This mission reaffirms the ACT Government's commitment to developing strong business relationships with the United States, and builds on previous trade missions in 2005 and 2006. In particular, the ACT Government has ongoing relationships with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Greater Washington Initiative and Global Connect (San Diego). These relationships are further enhanced by the ACT Government's funding of on-the-ground support for Canberra businesses in Washington, DC.

Canberra has many similarities with the Virginia region that presents a myriad of opportunities for collaboration, knowledge transfer and innovation harvesting for companies exploring international expansion possibilities. Canberra's strong focus on research and development, ICT, and government and defense activities has seen many US companies thrive in the nation's capital. The strong US/Canberra links with companies such as CEA Technologies, ActiveIdentity, EOS, Noetic and Tower Software along with the recent acquisition of Canberra based company, Mediaware International, by General Dynamics are good examples of this growing trend.

The Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) also allows for significant collaboration between the two nations. The USA is Australia's largest export destination for manufactured goods and services, enjoying a nine percent share of Australia's export market. The USA is also Australia's single largest trade and investment partner and Australia is the eighth largest foreign investor in the USA.

The delegation program has been designed to give the Canberra companies the opportunity to further scope the relevant markets and trade opportunities for their products and solutions, and to help them better plan for a sustainable market entry. The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) is developing a targeted program for each of the companies including appointments with key influencers and potential customers and partners.

The delegation from Canberra will consist of the following companies:

www.aspenmedical.com.au
www.simurban.com
www.mpsolutions.com.au
www.auraya.net
www.cackleberry.com.auu
www.johnwalkercrimetrendsanalysis.com.au
www.beyondbusiness.com.au (VEDP's Global Network partner)

Keep an eye out for detailed profiles of the Canberra companies in the next issue of Beyond Virginia. If you would like to learn more about the delegation's program in Richmond or would like to schedule a meeting with one of the Canberra companies, please contact Mark Myrick via email mmyrick@yesvirginia.org or telephone (804) 545-5755.

Virginia companies wishing to take advantage of the thriving Australia market are in luck! The Division of International Trade is leading a trade mission to Australia & Singapore September 22nd to 26th. For more information, contact mission leader Diane Thomas, International Trade Manager at (276) 623-1536 or DThomas@yesvirginia.org. Click here to view the event flyer.

Some Fast Facts about Canberra

Canberra's relationship with the US goes back to the early 1900s, when American-born Minister for Home Affairs, King O'Malley played an important role in the selection of the site that was selected as the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and its city, Canberra.
The design of Canberra is credited to another American, the architect Walter Burley Griffin, whose visions of ‘an ideal city of the future' have developed into a modern, functional and attractive city, in which innovation is thriving.
As a city/state, Canberra enjoys a single-tier system of government able to efficiently implement local and state government powers to stimulate an environment conducive to business and entrepreneurship.
The ACT region has the highest research intensity in Australia. Although it accounts for just 1.6% of Australia's population, it attracts almost 10% of public expenditure on research and development. Five universities and numerous research institutes fuel the growth of Canberra businesses.
Australia's largest research organization, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is headquartered in Canberra. CSIRO ranks in the top 1% of world scientific institutions in 13 of 22 research fields and is Australia's leading patenting enterprise.
The Australian National University (ANU) has been ranked 16th in the world by the Times Higher Education Supplement World University Rankings and for two years in a row, the best university in the Southern Hemisphere by Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities.
The ACT Government and the ANU are two of the four founding members of National ICT Australia (NICTA), one of the largest ICT research organizations in the world.
Canberra has significant expertise in defense-related industries, particularly intelligence systems, high technology communications, command and control systems and warfare components. It is home to the Department of Defence, which spends around AUD$19.7bn nationally each year to manage, equip and sustain Australian defense. The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) is also headquartered in Canberra.
There are around 24,000 private sector businesses in Canberra covering almost every industry sector, but with a strong focus on services. These businesses range from multinationals that have strategically located their operations to be near to the Australian Government's AUD$200 billion procurement decisions, right down to micro-businesses servicing niche markets.

Back to top >>

Events & Trade Missions

To view all 2008-2009 events, click here

Trade Mission to Mexico

Start Date: May 12, 2008
End Date: May 16, 2008

Back to top >>

Trade Mission to Czech Republic & Hungary

Start Date: June 16, 2008
End Date: June 20, 2008

Back to top >>

Farnborough International 2008

Start Date: July 14, 2008
End Date: July 20, 2008

Back to top >>

Check out the U.S. Commerce Department's new metropolitan export data series and see how your area rates with our Fast Fact!

Click here to view all FastFacts

Here are a few of this week's trade headlines.

	Commonwealth Biotechnologies And New Zealand Pharmaceuticals Enter Into Glycotherapeutic Drug Discovery And Development Strategic Alliance Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc. (CBI) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a global strategic alliance with New Zealand Pharmaceuticals Ltd ("NZP") to provide a suite of small molecule chemistry products for the drug discovery and development market.
	A U.S. export that could lift the Middle East: Education News reports on U.S. engagement in the Middle East usually focus on issues of war, terrorism and injustice. There is, however, other news of our involvement in the region that rarely receives coverage.
	India population projected to be 1.19b in 3 years India has begun preparing for what is one of the world's biggest ever censuses, a survey by millions of volunteers that could affect government policies and reveal how economic growth has affected the population.
	UAE's water and electricity sector to attract $9.5b investments The water and electricity sector in the UAE is set to attract Dh35 billion ($9.5 billion) worth of investments over the next five years, prompting India's Elecrama, the largest electricity exhibition in the East, to attract power generating companies from here.
	Spacehab, Florida to develop biotech corridor in space Spacehab Inc. has inked a deal with the state of Florida to create a space-based biotechnology corridor for the eventual development of biotech products in space.

Click here to view all world news headlines

Back to top >>

"GATEWAY INDIA 2008: Opportunities, Risks, and Rewards in Investing in India"
May 15, 2008, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 555 East Canal Street, Richmond.
The Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce hosts the 3rd international trade and investment forum. Topics to include: how to create jobs in Virginia by doing business and investing in India; learning how to export/import, and creating joint venture and partnerships in India. Come to learn about the legal and cultural aspects of doing business in India, and Indian Business Protocol. Speakers: Mr. Anoop Mishra, Minister of Economic Affairs, Embassy of India, Dr. Nat Ganesh, Vice President, Process Excellence, of Deloitte (India), & Charles Green, Global & Domestic Marketing Director, VA Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. For more information or to register please visit: www.aabac.org

Experts Village at Futurallia Québec 2008
May 20-22, 2008; Quebec City Convention Centre
Futurallia Quebec 2008 will become the key economic event of Quebec City's 400th anniversary celebrations. At this unique event, we expect to welcome 1200 business leaders from more than 20 countries and more than 8000 pre-programmed meetings. At the heart of Futurallia, the Experts Village brings together specialists in international business in order to provide export counselling and services for the 1200 companies participating at the forum and so encouraging successful partnerships. For more information, please visit: http://www.futuralliaquebec2008.com/an/concept/an_contexte.htm

National Maritime Day 2008
May 23, 2008; Half Moone Cruise & Celebration Center, Norfolk, VA
The Norfolk Propeller Club along with the Hampton Roads Shipping Association, Nauticus, Maritime Institute - Old Dominion University, U.S. Maritime Administration, Virginia Maritime Association, Virginia Port Authority, and the Virginia Ship Repair Association are proud to announce our signature event celebrating National Maritime Day. Sean T. Connaughton, Maritime Administrator, U.S. Department of Transportation, and keynote speaker will share his views on "MARAD Initiatives and their Impact on our Economy". For further information or to purchase tickets please go to http://www.vamaritime.com/event-repo/nmd08.

Richmond Export Import Club World Trade Day Luncheon
May 23, 2008; The Jefferson Hotel, Richmond, VA
Please join the Richmond Export Import Club as celebrate their 2008 World Trade Day. Bruce Thomas, Sr. Vice President, Global Market Strategy and Emerging Markets, MeadWestvaco, will be speaking on current globalization trends in the market today. This event is $35 for members and $45 for non-members. For more information or to register please visit: http://www.richmondexportimportclub.com/.

Business Opportunities in Africa Seminar
June 4, 2008, 9:00 am – 11:00 am; VEDP Offices, Vienna, Virginia
The VEDP and the Ex-Im Bank will be hosting a seminar focused on business opportunities in Africa, specifically infrastructure needs and South Africa. John Richter, director for Africa at Ex-Im Bank and the former director for Africa at US Trade and Development Agency, will be leading this initiative. For more information or to register, please contact Jenee Andreev, International Trade Manager with the VEDP at jandreev@yesvirginia.org.

Back to top >>

U.S. Library of Congress Global Gateway: World Culture & Resources

Links to hundreds of resources from the Library of Congress about countries and cultures. Includes: detailed country studies prepared by experts; research guides & databases; multimedia exhibitions from the Library's collection; videos you can view on your desktop; historical materials.

Back to top >>

"I would be lost without the assistance of the VEDP and their services. I am very thankful for having an Overseas Trade Manager (OSTM) in Brazil that I can rely on and turn to for assistance when it comes to doing business in Brazil. Time and time again the OSTM has been there to pick up the ball and run with it no matter what I ask of him. He is sincere in helping my company do business in Brazil successfully and that means a lot to us!"

Export Sales Coordinator
Air Filtration Industry

Back to top >>

Send comments or feedback to the editor at TNoll@yesvirginia.org.

DISCLAIMER – The contents of this newsletter are intended to provide pertinent information for Beyond Virginia subscribers interested or already involved in international trade. While every effort is made to convey accurate and timely information, the contents of this newsletter are not intended as specific advice to its readers. Our intent is solely to convey information.

PRIVACY POLICY
Back to top >>

Check out any of the Country Facts documents in our library. Adobe^® Reader^® is required to view these documents.

Show us your innovation in action around the world! Click here for more information on how to enter your Virginia product in the 2009 Beyond Virginia Calendar Contest.