Business Issues
James Ramsbotham : Grab our US business cousins by the hand
Grab our US business cousins by the hand
HOW many times have you
wished that there were a few
more hours in the day, or even
an extra day in the week? So,
what did you do last Friday? Did
you take advantage of the leap year to catch
up on a task youfve intended to do for ages
but you can never find the time to complete?
I chose to visit some members who I had
been promising to see for some time. I wanted
to discuss opportunities in the US and
they gave me some great feedback as to what
we could do better. They also gave me the
reassurance that the economy is not that
bad, as some of the press would have us believe.
Future order books are healthy and
they have positive plans for the future.
The prompt to do this fact-finding came
when I visited Washington DC at the end of
last month. Every time I visit the US, I encounter
higher levels of customer service
and it challenges me to raise my own standards.
My trip to the US was both fruitful and informative
and it proved to me that, despite
recent negative press, businesses in the US
are thriving. It also reminded me that the
special relationship between the US and UK
is of great value to both parties.
The friendship agreement signed between
Washington DC and Sunderland (our Washington)
in June last year, is a mark of the
close connection between the worldfs most
economically important capital city and the
North-East. All of DCfs other twin cities are
national capitals, but it is clear that our
American cousins take this partnership
more to their hearts than any of the others.
On the whole, things are looking reasonably
rosy. In this country, wefre bombarded
with news of the US recession and the fact
that itfll drag us all down with it. But the
business people I spoke to on my visit continue
to feel that there are huge opportunities
and that most businesses are doing well.
They also acknowledged that the current
dollar exchange rate makes the US a very attractive
target for British business. I strongly
believe that the US should remain near
the top of our business agenda. There are opportunities
for North-East companies to do
business and I urge companies to grab these
with both hands.
You may not always gain extra hours or
days into every month, but you can gain
extra business opportunities. What will you
use the extra day for in 2012?
James Ramsbotham is chief executive of
the North East Chamber of Commerce.
9:37am Tuesday 4th March 2008
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