Published: July 18, 2017 |

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The first five Tazewell County companies to graduate from the Global with Coal and Energy Technology (GGCET) program increased their international sales by more than $2 million, a 47 percent increase during their two years in the program, Governor Terry McAuliffe said Thursday.

The new initiative is a collaboration of the governor’s office, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, and the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority. The two-year program was created in 2015 to assist coal and energy technology companies in the Virginia coalfield region with expanding their international business, and offers a combination of resources provided by the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority and Virginia Economic Development Partnership, along with professional services from expert, private-sector partners, the governor’s office said in a press release.

“My administration remains focused on diversifying and building a new Virginia economy, which is especially important for Southwest Virginia and regions that have been hit hard by industry loss,” McAuliffe, a Democrat, said. “The Go Global with Coal and Energy Technology program provides an important vehicle for companies in the Commonwealth’s coalfield region to expand into international markets. By exporting their coal and energy technologies, they are ultimately increasing their customer base and becoming less dependent on the coal sector. I congratulate the inaugural GGCET class from Tazewell County on these impressive results, and look forward to each company’s continued success in both Virginia and the global marketplace.”

The inaugural graduating class of GGCET companies recognized during an event in Richmond Wednesday include:
• AMR PEMCO
• Ceramic Technology
• Consolidated Steel
• Simmons Equipment Company
• The PBE Group

McAuliffe said the Go Global with Coal & Energy Technology program is modeled after and linked to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s award-winning Virginia Leaders in Export Trade program.

“The success of these five companies in the GGCET program demonstrates the important role that exporting and international trade play in diversifying and growing business right here at home,” Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore added in the press release. “The GGCET initiative has helped to increase the graduating companies’ global sales exponentially in just two years, and has provided the tools to continue their expansion beyond the program.”

According to the governor’s office, the Commonwealth of Virginia exports more than $35 billion in goods and services annually. McAuliffe said exports of Virginia’s products and services to the world are vital to the growth of the Commonwealth, supporting more than 230,000 jobs and generating $2 billion in tax revenue.

VEDP offers numerous programs to assist Virginia companies with selling into the global marketplace, and has a network of international market research consultants covering more than 70 countries around the globe, the governor’s office said.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1995 to encourage, stimulate and support the development and expansion of the state’s economy. The partnership focuses its efforts on business recruitment, expansion, and international trade, the press release said.

Source: (July 14, 2017) Bluefield Daily Telegraph

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