Thursday, June 28, 10:37 p.m. CEST

We’ve come to the end of our European business mission in Brussels, Belgium. 

This morning we were briefed on the unique economic and political landscape of Belgium by U.S. Embassy staff. I found it interesting that Belgium is so culturally and politically divided between the citizens who speak Dutch (60%) and French (40%).

After the briefing I met privately with Dr. Roch Doliveux, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of UCB.  This company is the fifth largest biopharmaceutical company in the world, and employs approximately 650 Georgians in Smyrna.

Governor Perdue (left) and Mr. Roch Doliveux, Chief Executive Officer of UCB, share a lighthearted moment prior to their press conference. Photo by Charles Bernard and courtesy of UCB.

Dr. Doliveaux and I discovered that we shared a similar background in veterinary medicine.  But more importantly, as we discussed our mutual business goals, we found that despite the 4,400 miles between us, we shared a similar value system and work ethic.

CEO Roch Doliveux walks Governor Perdue (right) through UCB headquarters. Photo by Charles Bernard and courtesy of UCB.

We invited the local Belgium press to come to the UCB headquarters in Brussels to announce its $5 million expansion at its U.S. headquarters in Smyrna, Georgia.  (See below press release for details.) UCB will hire new employees, at very high paying jobs, to work toward finding treatments for epilepsy, allergies and other diseases.  

After a wonderful lunch with Dr. Doliveux and UCB officials, I attended several more meetings in Brussels with business prospects for Georgia. We ended the business day at a very nice reception hosted by the McKenna, Long & Aldridge law firm, which has a Brussels office and U.S. Ambassador Sam Fox.

As we pack our suitcases one last time, I admit I’m glad to be heading home.  Our European mission is already bearing fruit, as we saw in the announcements by UCB, Mangold and Transtechnik companies over the last three days.  But I know that the real result of this trip will be seen in the months and years to come. 

The relationships we’ve built over the past two weeks will continue to cement Georgia as Europe’s gateway to U.S. for the automotive, aerospace and life science industries of the global future.