Toledo will host more than 100 foreign investors - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

Toledo will host more than 100 foreign investors

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TOLEDO, Ohio -

More than 100 foreign investors are coming to Toledo. They'll be here for the 5 Lakes Global Economic Forum next week. It's a chance to showcase the region to people interested in everything from commercial real estate to new manufacturing operations.

Most of the investors are coming from china, but there are others from Japan, Europe and the united Arab emirates. The forum will focus on selling the region to these investors but it will also help educate them about doing business in the united states.

About 200 international investors will spend several days in Toledo, they begin arriving on Monday.  Sarah Zimmerman is the vice president of north America for 5 lakes global, "these are people who have been vetted as far as their potential as investors and they care enough to take time out of their lives to travel here and pay for the trip. This represents an amazing opportunity for Toledo."

the investors will do everything from touring potential sites and existing local businesses to learning about doing business in America. Paul Zito is the vice president of international development for the regional growth partnership. He says there are three simple goals, "more investment in commercial real estate, so we'll be showing them all the available buildings and land. Secondly we want to show them new manufacturing opportunities and finally we want more publicity around the world promoting Toledo as a great place to do business."

Zito says the investors traveling to Toledo are involved in a variety of industries, "we've got a number of sectors represented there are lots in the automotive sector, some in renewable energy, logistics, bio-tech."

Zimmerman says Toledo has a lot to offer the investors, "The cost of living, logistics, advanced manufacturing, the wonderful workforce, great educational institutions, a welcoming community and great people."

But Zito and Zimmerman point out that next week's forum is just the start of the process,"The general rule of thumb when it comes to direct, foreign investment is 12-18 months after the first point of contact. If we have ten really good leads and out of those 10 leads we get three deals signed that will be a big success for us."

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