Gov. Lemanu and Commerce director taking part in SelectUSA Investment Summit

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — American Samoa delegates are attending the SelectUSA Investment Summit held at National Harbor, Maryland, outside of Washington D.C.

Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga is leading the delegation accompanied by Director of the Department of Commerce, Petti Matila.

In a statement issued US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, she expressed at a roundtable meeting with Governor Lemanu Mauga earlier in the week, that he’s the first Governor of American Samoa to attend a SelectUSA Investment Summit since its inception.

 The US Department of Commerce event is held every year, but it has been three years since they have hosted an in-person convention due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although American Samoa initially participated in the SelectUSA virtual summit last year, this is the first time an American Samoa delegation has attended the annual convention.

More than 1,500 foreign companies, investors, state and territorial economic development organizations are attending this year. The summit is organized by the US Department of Commerce – International Trade Administration’s SelectUSA program.

The Governor will speak during the Governor’s Panel about infrastructure investments in rural and urban communities.

He will be joined by Governor Eric Holcomb of Indiana, Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, and Governor Pedro Pierluisi of Puerto Rico to discuss steps they are taking to develop infrastructure in their states or territories including electric vehicle adoption, and improvements of our nation’s ports (air and sea), bridges, roads, etc. 

Commerce director Petti Matila will participate in a roundtable discussion with US Secretary Raimondo, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves, and Director of Investment Research Liz Schaefer about investing in underserved communities.

The SelectUSA summit has proven to attract more businesses into the US market for job creation opportunities across the nation. More information about investing in American Samoa can be found on the American Samoa Department of Commerce website at www.doc.as.gov

The SelectUSA Investment Summit is the highest-profile event in the United States dedicated to promoting foreign direct investment (FDI.) This year’s Investment Summit returns in its familiar format to provide opportunities for more investors from more markets and greater representation from economic developers (EDO) across the nation to engage and interact in some of the following options:

•          Exploring interactive exhibitor showcases featuring EDOs, service providers, industry experts, and international tech startups.
•          Networking with 50+ states and territories, companies from 80+ markets, speakers, government officials and more; set up one-on-one or group meetings and make your investment deals happen.
•         Learning from policy and industry experts in 100+ sessions providing you with actionable information on everything from developing a workforce to understanding incentives.
•         Meeting and forming valuable partnerships with industry partners from across the United States.

The 2022 SelectUSA Investment Summit continues its commitment to feature opportunities with innovation and entrepreneurship at the forefront. For example:

•         SelectUSA Tech returns to connect early-stage and startup technology companies to prospects for advancement in the U.S. market, where participants can exhibit at branded booths, upload a product and service demo video, and apply to pitch in front of a panel of judges, and much more.
•          Select Global Women in Tech (SGWIT), launched at the 2021 Investment Summit, returns for its second year! Geared towards international female founders, entrepreneurs, and executives in the technology sector, SGWIT participants will participate in matchmaking with mentors to help them develop a market entry strategy, tailor their product and promotion for success in the U.S. market, have access to an exclusive networking platform, and hear from successful global female founders.
•          Addressing Climate Change - in recognition of the importance of global climate priorities, agenda sessions are being organized to bring together stakeholders in clean energy and key sectors such as advanced batteries, energy storage, civil nuclear energy, offshore wind, and semiconductors.

The SelectUSA Investment Summit draws more than 3,000 attendees and has directly impacted more than $57.9 billion in new U.S. investment projects, supporting over 47,000 jobs across the United States and its territories. Historically, the Investment Summit attracts more than 1,200 business investors from approximately 80 international markets who join economic developers from almost all U.S. states and territories.