The Center for International Business Advancement (CIBA) held its inaugural event, a Global Trade and Investment Forum, on Wednesday, November 18, 2015. The event was sponsored by CIBA’s constituting partners – the School of Management, the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships at Binghamton University.

Dr. Upinder Dhillon, Dean of the School of Management, and Dr. Per Stromhaug, Assistant Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, addressed the audience with welcoming remarks. Dr. Elena Iankova, founding director of CIBA, outlined the mission, goals and projected programs of the new organization.

The distinguished speaker at the event was Ms. Erin Cole, Senior Vice President, Global NY at New York State Government; Empire State Development Corporation, who spoke about Global New York and the opportunities available through the program to New York businesses. She said the mission of Global New York is “to help New York State companies export their products and services and to attract more foreign direct investment across the state.”

Mr. Tim Combs, President of Sales and Marketing of the Raymond Corporation, and Mr. Eric Niermeyer, Owner and CEO of American Craft Furniture, Inc., shared their experiences with international exporting.

The program ended with a talk given by Dr. Harvey Stenger, President of Binghamton University, discussing the role that higher education can have in helping New York businesses and the local economy.