Muncie and Delaware County officials are preparing for their first trade mission to Japan this summer in an effort to network with companies that could provide more job opportunities for Ball State University graduates and local residents.
The trip will include Gov. Mitch Daniels and other state officials, as well as Muncie Mayor Dan Canan; Dan Allen, president of the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce; county Commissioner Larry Crouch and Terry Murphy, vice president of economic development for the commerce.
Starting June 15, the city and county will spend 10 days, mostly in Tokyo and possibly in Seoul, South Korea, meeting with advanced manufacturing and technology-related companies, Allen said. The trip will also allow the city to reinforce its commitment to Muncie's Keihin Aircon North America Inc. and Bartlett Corp., which are both Japan-based businesses, he said.
"Japan has much more aggressive plans to build plants and facilities in North America than any other country," Allen said. "Plus, we already had two Japanese plants here, so we wanted to capitalize on that relationship."
Indiana ranks third, after Ohio and California, in terms of Japanese direct investment through job opportunities, Crouch said.
"They are looking at Indiana as a marketplace for their products as well as a manufacturing place for their products," Crouch said.
Local officials did not attend the trip with state officials last year because they simply were not ready, Allen said.
"We weren't prepared, we didn't have the background information [and] we didn't have the collateral information," Allen said. "In many cases, you can do more damage than good if you don't do your homework."
In addition to having local brochures and a DVD translated into Japanese, officials are learning Japanese etiquette. The training includes what to do and what to avoid doing in greetings, table manners and other basic actions, Allen said.
"They just have different customs, and we want to be knowledgeable and accept those customs," Allen said. "One of the worst things you can do is be in Japan and demand a fork."
State officials are still figuring out the summer trip's cost and schedule, but Allen said he expected local officials to attend a similar trade mission again next year.
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