Global Business Person of the Year Sought

Each year, the World Trade Club of Indiana honors an individual who has been successful in promoting global trade and development in the Hoosier state. It has presented a "Global Business Person of the Year" award annually since 1990.

The search is on for the 2010 winner. To suggest a nominee, go online. Nominations will be accepted until 6 November. Past presidents of the club make up the nominating committee.

Sister City Expansion and Global Economic Ties

Guest speaker for the 23 September meeting of the World Trade Club of Indiana will be Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. He will expand on remarks made during his recent State of the City address about increasing the number of Indianapolis' sister cities and managing these relationships to provide mutual opportunities for trade and economic development.

At present, Indianapolis has four official Sister Cities: Cologne, Germany; Monza, Italy; Piran, Slovenia; Taipei, Taiwan. Developing these formal international relationships, Mayor Ballard has said, is an integral part of Indianapolis' efforts towards being a world class city.

Why were these locations chosen as sister cities with Indianapolis? What impact have these sister city agreements had on Indianapolis: culturally, diplomatically, economically?

For example a delegation from Cologne arrives in Indianapolis 4 October for a week-long visit to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Indianapolis-Cologne Sister City Partnership.

Registration for the meeting begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the program and dinner in the Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Hotel – Panorama Room. Cost for nonmembers is $50. For reservations, click here.

"Inside-Outside Japan"

“Inside - Outside Japan: the Economy, the Midwest, and the Phenomenon of Business Cultural Arbitrage" is the title of a program cosponsored by the Japan-America Society of Indiana, the World Trade Club of Indiana, the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), and the Chicago office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

The phenomenon of “cultural arbitrage” will be presented by noted author
Tim Clark, who will discuss why and how American business models are
being successfully morphed in the Japanese market to leverage gaps in
Japan, thus meeting the needs of Japanese consumers, according to the program brochure.

Is the Japanese economy back? This theme will be developed by JETRO Chicago’s Chief Executive Director, Takashi Tsuchiya to talk through the current re-emergence of the economy in Japan, a profile of Japanese subsidiaries in the Midwest, and JETRO’s current activities and programs.

The program begins with dinner at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday (20 February) at the Omni Severin
Hotel, 40 West Jackson Place, Indianapolis. Cost is $35 for members of the WTC and JASI, $45 for non-members, and $25 for students.

Information: Japan-America Society of Indiana, 317:635-0123; World Trade Club, 317:261-0918, or JETRO Chicago, 312:832-6022.

Clark is an entrepreneur and writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Red Herring, Asiaweek and a number of other magazines and journals, and Clark is also the author of several books on Japan, including “Saying Yes to Japan: How Outsiders Are Reviving a Trillion Dollar Services Market”.

Today Clark serves as nonresident Senior Fellow for Tokyo-based venture capital firm SunBridge and writes the monthly Japan Entrepreneur Report. He also teaches international marketing at Portland State University (PSU), Oregon’s largest university, where he serves on the Center for Japanese Studies advisory board.

As Chief Executive Director, Mr. Tsuchiya oversees the JETRO Chicago offi ce in its activities designed to facilitate business development between Japan and companies in the 12-state Midwest region. He has served as Director of the Public Affairs Department at JETRO New York from 1985-1989, and was Vice President of JETRO Bangkok from 1997-2000. Prior to his current post in 2003, Mr. Tsuchiya became Director of the Research Planning Division, Overseas Research Department, at JETRO headquarters in Tokyo, and his current position with JETRO Chicago began in April 2005.