(Washington, D.C.) The 2017 SelectUSA Summit happens June 18-20, 2017, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. The Summit's theme "Grow with US" will highlight the innovative business climate in the United States and feature investment opportunities from every corner of the country. Increased networking time will provide new opportunities for a wide range of global investors to engage with state, regional, and local economic developers all under one roof.
SelectUSA has lined up a roster of fantastic keynote speakers and panelists who will lay out a clear roadmap of how businesses of any size, and in any industry, can both benefit from and contribute to the U.S. economy and "Grow with US."
The conference will not only help investors, but it will also help educate Economic Development Offices with best practices in regards to facilitating Foreign Direct Investment in their State, Region, or City.
SelectUSA has invited StageXchange’s CEO Keith Hopkins to be a panelist on the Lead Generation and Pipeline Management conversation which is to be moderated by Mathew Woodlee Senior International Trade Specialist at U.S. Commercial Service and Educator at Metropolitan State University.
This panel discussion is to take place:
Sunday, June 18, 2017, from 2:15 PM to 3:15 PM
in National Harbor 10 & 11 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington DC.
This session is architected for Economic Development Offices and will cover efficient lead-generation process and go over how a steady stream of new opportunities are key for any EDO seeking community-supporting investment in their location. As the top global destination for foreign direct investment, the United States offers no shortage of investment leads. Although the question is how can EDOs of all sizes best manage and coordinate lead-generation activities to manage a growing pipeline most effectively?
This session will help EDOs consider lead generation from a national, state, local and project perspective, with a particular focus on providing value to potential investors from both mature and emerging sources of investment.
Meet the Moderator:
Mathew Woodlee
Mathew first became affiliated with the U.S. Commercial Service (USCS) as an undergraduate in 1995 when he received the Ron Brown Fellowship administered by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation.
After graduate school in 2002, Mathew joined the USCS in Washington, D.C. at the E-Business Development Unit and then as an International Trade Specialist in the Baltimore U.S. Export Assistance Center.
In 2005, he served as the Global Aerospace & Defense Team Leader while in Baltimore. In 2006, Mathew left federal service as Director of International Trade for the State of New Mexico by Governor Bill Richardson.
Mathew briefly joined a private consulting firm in late 2009 before returning to the USCS in October 2010 to serve in the Minneapolis office. Mathew holds an MBA in International Management and a BA in Political Science from the University of New Mexico. He is active in the local community in teaching graduate students, serving in Rotary, and spending time with his wife and son.
Mathew is an experienced professional focused on the interface between the private and public sectors in a variety of areas. Particularly focused on the government affairs, procurement, regulatory compliance and international business development arenas.
Mathew is currently leading a team of specialists in the safety & security industry. We focus on helping U.S. companies in the security technology, fire & rescue, safety equipment, firearms, police and protective equipment sectors grow internationally.
Mathew’s Specialties include; International Market Entry, International Regulatory Compliance, Government Affairs and Lobbying, Public Policy, Networking and Collaborative Relationship Building, Event Design and Execution, and Public Speaking.
Meet the Panelists:
Mark Condon
Condon is a Business Development Manager and Global Data Specialist with Descartes Datamyne™. His role at Descartes Datamyne is to assist export organizations, economic development, foreign trade zones, state and local governments in using global trade data to their best advantage.
Mark is a native of Charleston, South Carolina and has a 30-year background in international trade and economic development. He served as director of the South Carolina World Trade Center Charleston, board member of the World Trade Centers Association in New York and business development for global data providers. Mark has a BA in political science from the College of Charleston.
Mr. Condon was the former executive director of SC World Trade Center (1999-2008). In 2006 became a member of the Board of Directors of the World Trade Centers Association headquartered in New York. He also served on the WTCA. From 2008 - 2010, he was with CenTradex and WTC Nashville.
Before the SCWTC, Mr. Condon was Vice President of his Family’s Department Stores called Condon’s. Founded in the late 1800’s in the City of Charleston.
Mr. Condon is now an Executive Director of CenTradeX Services, a full-service international business development, marketing, and sales organization.
Stephane Frijia
Frijia joined the Greater Phoenix Economic Council in 2011. As Senior Vice President of Global Investment at GPEC, Stephane Frijia works primarily with international businesses and stakeholders to position the region as a global leader in foreign direct investment and trade.
Mr. Frijia is responsible for developing and overseeing GPEC’s International strategy, in coordination with the International Leadership Council, which is composed of prominent business leaders and elected officials. In this role, he provides support to international companies with market analysis and site selection assistance as they expand into the region and manages foreign-based contractors for business development in key target markets. Mr. Frijia is a strong advocate for a more globally fluent and internationally diverse local economy, and through his work encourages others to do the same.
Stephane earned a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning and a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical management technology from Arizona State University. Originally from Italy, Stephane currently resides in Phoenix with his wife. He is fluent in Italian, French, and English.
In Stephane’s current role at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s mission is to attract and grow quality businesses and advocate for Greater Phoenix’s competitiveness. A public-private partnership representing Maricopa County, 23 communities throughout the region, and more than 170 private investors. GPEC provides confidential, expert support to companies as they plan their expansion and relocation strategies, offering data and analytics to companies, streamlined real estate searches and connectivity to decision makers.
In his previous role, Stephane served as the project manager in the development of the Phoenix Metro Export Plan, which was a project developed by the Brookings Institution and JPMorgan Chase Global Cities Initiative. As the architect of a new organization known as the Metro Phoenix Export Alliance, his job was to guide the implementation of the export of the Phoenix Metro Export Plan.
Stephane also worked to launch and maintain GPEC’s market intelligence and Corporate 100 model as best in class, in coordination with partner’s communities and organizations. He was responsible for supporting efforts in developing and catalyzing industry-led research and development centers.
Steven Jast
Jast has over 20 years’ experience in all aspects of economic development. He began his career at boutique advisory firm CAI
Corporate Affairs International, where he specialized in site selection analysis, jurisdictional marketing, and industrial clustering.
He was appointed Executive Vice President at CAI in 2001 and oversaw the creation of CAI’s ROI Research on Investment company, which he then spun off into an independent company, of which he is now president. Since then, ROI has grown from a staff of two to an international company of 60 professionals, with offices in four countries.
Steve is a thought leader in the field of modern economic development and investment attraction and has his work published in the prestigious fDi magazine, he’s a regular speaker at international conferences and provides training and coaching to economic development leaders around the world.
Jast’s company ROI Research on Investment is an award-winning global authority on investment attraction and lead generation for economic development organizations. ROI offers a range of modern economic development services designed to help your organization attract investment that includes lead generation, business retention and expansion, in-market representation, trade show and event promotion, market intelligence and targeting analysis, and training.
ROI Research On Investment, a specialized market research firm based in Montreal, provides clients around the world with services to enhance their business development and investment prospecting efforts. With a team of more than 60 research professionals in 5 countries, fluent in more than 25 languages, ROI's research capabilities are global in scope. ROI employs the most advanced and innovative research methodologies to provide customized solutions to government and industry clients who wish to enhance their outreach efforts by identifying the most qualified targets for their sales, marketing, and business development efforts.
Mathew’s Specialties include; Lead/Demand Generation, Investment Prospecting, B2B multi-touch marketing and business development solutions, and Competitive Intelligence.
Keith Hopkins
In 2016, Hopkins founded StageXchange, LLC, a universal deal management platform. StageXchange's mission is to reduce barriers to FDI by streamlining the due diligence process through standardization, information management, and integrated financial modeling.
The software platform is designed to reduce risk by aggregating information obtained from disparate public and private sources regardless of format.
Hopkins began his career in corporate finance at Putnam Investments as a Treasury Analyst. After completing his MBA with a concentration in international business, Hopkins was recruited to join Wind River Environmental to lead acquisitions. In 2004, Hopkins began working in the real estate development business in the Boston area then moved to SWFL to build his real estate investment portfolio.
While in Florida, co-founded a small real estate company and later joined Hunt Construction Company, a regional developer, as an interim CFO.
Late in 2007, Hopkins was recruited to sit on the Investment Committee at Sama Dubai, the international property development arm of Dubai Holdings.
In this role, Hopkins was in charge of reviewing pro forma models and feasibility analyses of billion-dollar development projects located across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. After the collapse of Lehman in 2008, Hopkins returned to Florida where he successfully founded a private investment company focused on a distressed residential real estate in SWFL. In 2011 with the backing of a Canadian VC firm, Hopkins launched Canus Capital in anticipation of the wave of foreclosed properties expected to hit the market.
Hopkins has been a guest speaker at the Urban Land Institute, University of Arizona, Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University. He has also served as an Advisor in the MPS Real Estate program at Georgetown University. Most recently, Hopkins was selected to be a judge at SXSW for Casa Mexico’s pitch competition. Hopkins spoke at the Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) on the topic of ‘Giving Investors What They Want,' and will now be speaking this week at the 2017 SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington DC on the topic of Lead Generation and Pipeline Management.
Hopkins’ has set StageXchange forth to reduce barriers to Foreign Direct Investment by streamlining the due diligence process through standardization, information management, and integrated financial modeling. StageXchange aims to amplify the efforts of economic development offices seeking to connect the foreign capital to local enterprises, real estate developments, and infrastructure projects.
