Hutchinson traveling to Europe to recruit businesses

Gov. Asa Hutchinson will depart this weekend for France and Germany to attend two trade shows and meet with representatives of global aerospace and steel companies with hopes of drawing the businesses to Arkansas.

Hutchinson will leave Little Rock on Saturday and will return June 19, the governor's office said Thursday. He has meetings scheduled with representatives of 17 companies, his office said.

The governor will first head to the Paris Air Show, the world's largest aviation and aerospace trade show, where representatives of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and Arkansas industry members will be a part of the state's booth. Attending the Paris Air Show with Hutchinson and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission include representatives of the Arkansas World Trade Center, Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, Arkansas Aeroplex in Blytheville, NanoMech, Galley Support Innovations, Northwest Arkansas Council and Metro Little Rock Alliance.

Hutchinson will also meet executives at Dassault Falcon and Lockheed Martin, which already operate in Arkansas.

“The fact Arkansas is participating in the Paris Air Show for the first time reflects the fact that this sector is among those that we have determined have potential for significant growth in the state,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “Aerospace is our number one export, totaling more than $1.6 billion in 2014. While that is an impressive number, Arkansas has the workforce and infrastructure in place to continue to build on this success.”

Hutchinson is also scheduled to attend the METEC International Metallurgical Trade Fair, a steel technology exhibition, in Düsseldorf, Germany, to network with steel industry leaders. In the statement, Hutchinson cited a recent Southwest Steel Processing expansion announcement in Newport as evidence of the industry's momentum in Arkansas.

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