Missouri’s Export Growth Soars 13.1%: Trade Missions Drive $10 Billion in Global Exports and $3 Billion in Investments
- October 01, 2024
Between the second quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2024, Missouri’s exports grew by 13.1% equating to nearly $10 billion in goods exported to global markets. A rise in exports creates more opportunities for Missouri companies and their supply chain to grow and expand, while a strong export performance signals to foreign investors that Missouri is economically competitive and globally connected.
The state’s leadership, in partnership with organizations such as the Hawthorn Foundation and Missouri Partnership, actively cultivates international relationships by organizing trade missions and positioning Missouri as a competitive exporter in the global marketplace.
Bolstering Missouri’s foreign relationships has been a priority for Governor Mike Parson, who over the course of 10 international trade missions, has attracted more than $3 billion in business investments and facilitated the creation of over 1,500 jobs in Missouri.
Missouri’s international trade missions are funded by the Hawthorn Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a mission to support Missouri’s economic growth and development on the global stage. Trade missions are invaluable for connecting with potential investors, trade partners, and government leaders worldwide.
Over the years, trade missions have expanded Missouri’s influence in numerous countries, including Italy, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Greece, and Sweden. Each visit allows Missouri officials to promote the state’s capabilities and products while forging partnerships that translate into economic opportunities back home.
Missouri Partnership CEO, Subash Alias, has joined Governor Mike Parson on four trade missions, most recently to the United Kingdom and Belgium. During the 2023 mission trip to Japan, Subash and the Missouri delegation visited the parent company of CSI Leasing, one of the world’s largest independent equipment leasing companies. In September 2024, the company announced it is investing further in the state by expanding its St. Louis headquarters to a new 138,000-square-foot facility. Missouri Partnership played an integral role in attracting German security company, frogfish Corp. to the state, which chose St. Louis, Missouri for its first North American location after a 2023 Governor’s trade mission to Germany.
Missouri’s leadership, with the help of the Hawthorn Foundation and Missouri Partnership, has built a strong foundation of cultivating international relationships that will allow for sustained growth and new global opportunities in the future.