From November 13-17, 2023, an executive team from the U.S.-Saudi Business Council (USSBC) traveled to Oregon and Washington State for a series of meetings with state economic development agencies and U.S.-based manufacturers and technology providers. The USSBC team, consisting of David Callahan, Senior Vice President, and Albara’a Alwazir, Director of Economic Research, promoted export opportunities and shared market intelligence with our partners in Oregon and Washington on the rapidly expanding Saudi Arabian economy.
In each state, the USSBC team hosted a roundtable titled “New Directions and New Opportunities: Saudi Arabia Market Update.” In the Oregon roundtable, the Council’s team met with the state economic development agency Business Oregon and Greater Portland Inc., a private-public organization, along with other Oregon-based companies to discuss export and trade opportunities in the Saudi market available to U.S. companies in aerospace, medical, energy, infrastructure, and more. The team provided the attendees and our partners with our latest economic outlooks and discussed how we can help provide U.S. companies the business intelligence and market entry strategies they need to take advantage of real opportunities in the Saudi market.
The final stop took place in Seattle, where the USSBC hosted the roundtable in partnership with the Washington State Department of Commerce (DOC) for a group of Washington-based companies to learn about opportunities for U.S. companies involved in healthcare technology, biotech, biomedicine, and ITC in the rapidly diversifying Saudi economy. While in Seattle, the Council’s team visited the headquarters of Amazon, a USSBC Chairman’s Circle member, to explore areas for collaboration and strategies to further Amazon’s initiatives in the Kingdom. The Council also met with the Seattle-based CleanTech Alliance, which represents over 1,100 member organizations in the cleantech/climatetech sector and facilitates the generation and growth of cleantech-focused companies and jobs, educational programs, research, products, and services. The meeting with CleanTech focused on the potential of Washington companies to play a role in introducing new technologies in the renewable energy space to the Saudi market to meet Vision 2030’s renewable energy goals.
While in Oregon and Washington, the team held additional meetings with local companies and USSBC members interested in learning more about opportunities for export and market entry in their industries in the Saudi market. The exchange of insights and knowledge at these roundtables exemplify the Council’s commitment to fostering strong partnerships and promoting economic opportunities between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.
The economic development agencies for Portland and Oregon state include bioscience, climate tech, computers and electronics, design and media, food and beverage, metals and machinery, software, and apparel among their key industries for promoting economic growth. Visit Greater Portland’s website for more details.
The Washington State DOC is prioritizing several sectors: aerospace, agriculture/food manufacturing, clean technology, information and communication technology, forest products, life science/global health, maritime, and military/defense. Visit Washington State DOC’s website or ChooseWashingtonState.com to learn more about these high-growth sectors driving Washington’s economy.
Contact the USSBC to learn about the business advisory services we offer to help you find a new market or partner in Saudi Arabia for your products, technology, and services, or subscribe to the USSBC’s economic reports to access detailed economic data and learn more about the rapid growth and diversification in the Saudi economy.
