Keith Groebe, George Kobayashi and David Alexander from Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, Ltd. attended the SelectUSA Investment Summit June 18-20, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Speakers included U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross and U.S. Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry. Masuda Funai was a primary sponsor of the State of Illinois Exhibit at the Summit. Together with Intersect Illinois, the public-private economic development partner for the State, Masuda Funai hosted a dinner party for prospective foreign-direct investors on the first night of the Summit and cocktail reception at the Illinois Exhibit on State Night of the Summit. There were approximately 3,000 participants, including 1,200 business representatives from 64 foreign markets. Japanese Delegates included representatives of Osaka Gas, Toyota Tsusho, Akebono, Japanese Automobile Manufacturer's Association, Astellas, Mitsubishi Heavy, Kajima, Asahi Glass Company and Riken. The Japanese delegation was the second largest foreign nation delegation.
On the last day of the Summit, George Kobayashi and David Alexander attended an invitation-only dinner reception at the residence of the Japanese Ambassador to the United States, Kenichirō Sasae.
SelectUSA is a U.S. government program within the International Trade Administration of the United States Department of Commerce. Since its inception, SelectUSA has facilitated more than $23B in direct foreign investment, creating and/or retaining tens of thousands of U.S. jobs. Its mission is to facilitate job-creating investments in the United States and raise awareness of the critical role foreign investment plays in the U.S. economy. Illinois' expansive foreign direct investment includes 1,800 foreign companies and $100B of investment.