AMBASSADOR Louis B. Susman

Speeches, Remarks & Events

25 November 2009
Ambassador Susman's Remarks to Washington 80 Business Club at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

First Minister for Wales Rhodri Morgan and Ambassador Susman
Image courtesy of the Welsh Assembly Government

First Minister Morgan, Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a pleasure to be with you in this beautiful Millennium Center this morning – this building and the National Assembly are testaments to the vibrancy of Wales and its people.

It is also an honor to be introduced by First Minister Morgan whose leadership of the National Assembly over the past ten years has been a great service to the people of Wales.  His integrity and courage in speaking out on the issues of the day are hallmarks of his time in office and the respect he garners from across the political spectrum is a testament to his talent and to his commitment to Wales.

I’m pleased to see he will continue in his life’s work as a member of the Assembly.

It is not a secret that our economies have been hurting. The good news – from my perspective -- is that we’re starting to see the beginning of the end to the economic collapse that has encircled us over the past two years.

The banking system is starting to stabilize and loans are starting to be made.  Employment figures are more problematic, but the pace of job losses has slowed down and that’s a good sign.

Before we get too optimistic though, it is clear this this is a fragile recovery – a recovery that will need as much care and feeding as one can give it.

An essential component of the recovery is robust trade flows and as members of the Washington 80 Business Club, and influential business, government and educational figures -- I’m sure you are very much aware of that fact.

Wales is to be commended for the programs that it put in place to foster export growth and expand its markets overseas.

Wales also deserves credit for the investments it’s made in advanced technology. The highly skilled jobs that come about as a result of such investment are the way forward in the global economy of the 21st century.

Your investments in alternative energy, life sciences and applied technologies sectors are positive indicators to the rest of the world that you are serious about embracing a value-added approach to economic development.

Looking at your leadership in unmanned aerial vehicle technology, low-carbon automobile engines and thermoelectric power generation, I’m impressed by the steps you’ve taken to move beyond the traditional mining and heavy manufacturing businesses that once underpinned this economy.

The Washington 80 is a perfect example of how economic success is based on mutuality and cooperation between two countries – in this case Wales and the United States.

In the United States, President Obama also sees the high-tech and alternative energy fields as crucial to his overall effort at kick-starting the economy.  He has earmarked $80 billion in clean energy investments that range from such things as a renewable energy grid to green job training programs.  I think it’s significant that last year, the United States installed more than 30 percent of the world’s total wind power capacity.

The President has also authorized a $120 billion education program aimed at providing the skilled workforce necessary to manage these types of high-tech initiatives.

Two-way trade is a significant part of the overall relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

In 2008, over $220 billion worth of goods and services exchanged hands between our two nations, and there was $800 billion of bilateral direct investment.  I am delighted that Wales has been able to command its share of this relationship as evidenced by the fact that there are over 200 American firms doing business in Wales.

In 2008, companies from the United States were the leading foreign direct investors in Wales.

Over the past two decades, Wales has secured 500 inward investment projects from the United States, leading to $12.5 billion of investment and 30,000 new jobs.

Ford Motor Company recently announced that its Bridgend plant will begin producing a new low-carbon engine in the middle of 2010.

We’re excited about Amazon’s new logistics center in South Wales, which will create over 1,000 new jobs.  It is anticipated that other e-commerce firms will take notice of Amazon’s investment.

I want to encourage everyone that the United States is also open for business.

Investing in the United States has many advantages. We have the largest economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of 30,000 pounds and we account for 42% of the global market for consumer goods.

We are proud of the recent examples of successful Welsh companies reaping the benefits of investing in the United States.  

Admiral Insurance, the founder of which is my fellow Chicagoan, Henry Engelhardt, is to be congratulated on recently opening up Admiral’s fifth overseas insurance operation in Virginia.

We are also very proud that two other Welsh companies have opened operating units in the United States:  Penn Pharmaceuticals in Delaware, and Ellison Sensors in Boca Raton, Florida.

I applaud the Welsh business community in general -- and the Washington 80 in particular -- for your efforts to expand your business in the United States and to form partnerships with our companies. 

The partnering of the private sectors in the United States and Wales is truly a win/win situation.  The transfer of technology, of marketing approaches, of managerial expertise is something that will make both sides stronger and more capable of competing on the world stage.

We are here to help facilitate that.  Our liaison officer for Wales -- Mark Rosenshield -- is always willing to introduce you to the right people in our Embassy.

The head of our Commercial Section is Dorothy Lutter. You can always reach Dorothy and her team through the website www.buyusa.gov/uk

In recent times, there has been commentary that the “special relationship” between our countries has diminished.  Anyone who accepts that analysis is wrong -- and is not only ignoring the lessons of history – but is ignoring the realities of the world today. We have no more dependable ally – or better friend than the United Kingdom.

I don’t want today to pass without speaking on behalf of all Americans in expressing our thanks and admiration for the incredible courage, service, and sacrifice of your troops in Afghanistan – including your own Welsh Guards.   To have such a steadfast ally is something we will never take for granted and for which we will be eternally grateful.

The ties between the United States and Wales run deep and wide. Tomorrow, Americans around the world will celebrate Thanksgiving.  As we remember our Pilgrim Fathers during those difficult days in New England, we should keep in mind that one out of five of that hardy band were Welsh.

We were also fortunate to have such a heavy Welsh influence at the birth of our nation.  The author of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson was of Welsh heritage as were many of the other signers of that famous document.

The one Welsh connection that intrigues me more than any other can be found half way up the stairs of the Washington monument.  There’s an inscription engraved in Welsh that translates: “My language, my land, my nation of Wales – Wales forever.”

 No one knows how it got there, but something tells me George Washington would not mind such a noble sentiment attached to his monument – not when you consider all that Wales has offered the world in the past -- and through people like yourself – all that it will in the future.

Thank you.

back to top ^