Key Foreign Investment Markets

Greater Portland has a long-standing relationship with the country of Canada, along with Canadian businesses and investors. The Portland Winterhawks, for example, is part of the Canadian-based Western Hockey League and owned by Canadian and U.S. investors. The organization serves over 200,000 fans each year with an annual economic impact of over $30 million. Shared recreational passions unite residents from Greater Portland and Canada, as do economic opportunities. Canadian companies like Vancouver, B.C.-based 10net have opened offices in Portland to house their technicians. They are joined by other Canadian software, advanced manufacturing and food processing companies like Canpotex, Cascade Tissue, Keyera Energy Inc, Future Electronics Corp, and Lululemon in making Greater Portland home. Our region offers the perfect combination of value, talent and access these and other Canadian companies require. 

We invite you to contact Nick Triska, Business Development Manager, for additional information. 
 

Greater Portland has a longstanding and prosperous relationship with Japan. Portland and Sapporo have been Sister Cities since 1959, making this the longest-running Sister City relationship in the region, stewarded by the Portland-Sapporo Sister City Association. Though separated by over 4,000 miles these cities are connected by a shared appreciation for the outdoors, a reliance on natural resources, and rich cultural traditions. These similarities and aligned business interests have made Greater Portland an ideal destination for Japanese companies in the food processing, semiconductor, athletic and outdoor, and advanced manufacturing sectors.  Snow Peak, Standard Insurance, Shimadzu, Ajinomoto, AGC Electronics, Hitachi High-Tech, and Sumitomo Electric are just a few of the Japanese companies calling Greater Portland home.

We invite you to contact Nick Triska, Business Development Manager, for additional information. 

Greater Portland has a special relationship with Germany. With more than 60 companies and 10,000-plus jobs in the region, Germany represents the area’s largest foreign direct investor by employment. Notable German companies in the Greater Portland region include Adidas, Daimler Trucks North America and Siemens. Greater Portland offers these, and other German companies, the distinct advantage of being able to ship products in and out of the Port of Portland for transport throughout the United States. In addition, Greater Portland offers clear value by way of low electricity costs, available real estate and access to top talent with experience in the semiconductor, advanced, aerospace and automotive manufacturing, athletic and outdoor industries – sectors that have benefited from sizeable investments from German companies. 

We invite you to contact Nick Triska, Business Development Manager, for additional information. 

Greater Portland has a special relationship with the Netherlands. An honorary consulate was established by the Netherlands in Portland to promote economic trade relations. In addition, the city of Utrecht has established a Friendship City status with Portland. The Portland Dutch Society furthers cultural exchanges and is a welcome home for people moving with their companies to Greater Portland. Many of these companies are in the software, clean technology and semiconductor industries. They include ASML, Eutek Systems, NXP Semiconductors, IFCO Systems, and DMT Environmental Technology.

We invite you to contact Nick Triska, Business Development Manager, for additional information. 

British companies have historically invested in Greater Portland. In Oregon, over 14,800 jobs are supported by UK companies and exports to the UK are worth over $813 million. The predominant UK industries investing in Greater Portland are advanced manufacturing, software, food processing, athletic and outdoor, and clean technology. These include companies like Element6, Evraz Steel Mills, Sage Software, Edwards Vacuum, Inc. Intertek Group, Future Technology Devices International, Permira, and Splash Worldwide. When Element6 decided to open a location in Gresham they cited proximity to the Silicon Forest and Greater Portland’s specialized workforce as being a key factor in their decision-making process. To create laboratory-grown diamonds, the company needed access to engineers, scientists and technicians accustomed to working in a precision manufacturing environment – something Greater Portland has in abundance. 

We invite you to contact Nick Triska, Business Development Manager, for additional information. 

Greater Portland has a longstanding and prosperous relationship with South Korea. Ulsan, South Korea has a Sister City relationship with Portland and the communities regularly participate in cultural exchanges and trade missions that deepen relationships and create opportunities. The Port of Portland, for example, serves as a primary gateway for the Hyundai cars shipped from Ulsan. Seeing the value of trade partnerships, other South Korean companies have made their home in Greater Portland. These include SM Line, Black Yak, and LG Electronics Inc. Additional businesses in the semiconductor and technology industries have found Greater Portland’s business and talent ecosystem to be aligned with their business needs.

We invite you to contact Nick Triska, Business Development Manager, for additional information.