U.S. Commercial Service, AmCham Canada, RACER Trust Welcome Canadian Business Leaders for Reception

Ambassador Heyman to Address Audience, Tout Deep Business Connections

The U.S. Commercial Service of the United States Department of Commerce, the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada and RACER Trust are co-sponsoring a reception for Canadian business leaders on Sunday, March 22, the eve of the SelectUSA Investment Summit near Washington, D.C.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce A. Heyman will host the 90-minute reception at the Gaylord National Hotel and Resort in National Harbor, Md. More than 100 guests are expected, including Vinai K. Thummalapally, Executive Director of SelectUSA.

“SelectUSA will offer new approaches to investment in the U.S. and in infrastructure in particular, providing great opportunities for Canadian businesses of all sizes, from SMEs to large multinationals,” Ambassador Heyman said.

Under Ambassador Heyman’s leadership, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada have teamed together to bring over 80 Canadian business leaders who will participate in SelectUSA as part of the official Canadian delegation. The group represents over $9 billion in recent investments in the U.S.

According to Rick Tachuk, AmCham Canada’s Ottawa-based Chairman, “There is no better time to invest in the United States, and this is a message that is clearly being received by scores of Canadian companies and others around the globe. As each other’s largest international trading partners, Canada and the United States enjoy a unique and mutually beneficial relationship that rewards investment, and I look forward to exploring ways in which the U.S. can continue to meet the international business needs of our members and friends in Canada.”

“RACER Trust has received tremendous support from U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and her team, Ambassador Heyman and his team, and the economic development professionals in the U.S. Commercial Service and the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada,” said Elliott P. Laws, of EPLET, LLC, Administrative Trustee of RACER Trust. “Our redevelopment team continues to work closely with colleagues in the Commercial Service and the American Chamber to present investment opportunities to Canadian businesses, and we are confident that, as Canadian businesses become more familiar with the benefits of redeveloping RACER properties, we will continue to see increasing interest from Canada.”

Sunday’s reception is the evening before the two-day SelectUSA Investment Summit, an event that is expected to draw 2,500 business and economic development leaders from around the globe, as well as senior U.S. officials.

RACER Trust is selling former General Motors Corp. properties for redevelopment, reuse and jobs. It has prime industrial and commercial sites with abundant acreage in Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia, each with multi-modal transportation assets, energy infrastructure and service, modern information technology and available, skilled workforces.

About the U.S. Commercial Service: The U.S. Commercial Service is the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. U.S. Commercial Service trade professionals in over 100 U.S. cities and in more than 75 countries help U.S. companies get started in exporting or increase sales to new global markets and attract U.S. investment. To learn more about the U.S. Commercial Service, please call 1-800-USA-TRADE (872-8723) or visit www.export.gov.

About the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada: The American Chamber of Commerce in Canada (AmCham Canada) is a private, non-profit, membership organization that promotes the two-way flow of trade, goods, services and investment between Canada and the United States. AmCham Canada, with seven chapters located throughout Canada, is committed to promoting trade opportunities, advancing economic growth, and facilitating the mobility of people, goods and services across the longest undefended border in the world. For more information about AmCham Canada, please visit www.amchamcanada.ca.

About RACER Trust: RACER (Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response) Trust was created to clean up and position for redevelopment properties and other facilities owned by the former General Motors Corp. before its 2009 bankruptcy. RACER is one of the largest holders of industrial property in the United States and is the largest environmental response and remediation trust in U.S. history. When the Trust was formed, it owned properties at 89 locations in 14 states, principally in the Midwest and Northeast. The Trust was created by a settlement agreement in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court between the U.S. Government, the 14 states where the former GM properties are located, and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, which owns land adjoining one of the properties in Upstate New York. For more information, please visit our website: www.racertrust.org.