SC.GOV: The Official Web site of the State of South Carolina

TORONTO, Canada and COLUMBIA, S.C. -  A South Carolina delegation today opened the trading day at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The state delegation included the South Carolina Secretary of Commerce, Joe Taylor and U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David H. Wilkins, a South Carolina native. Today’s activities also marked the official launch of South Carolina’s Canada office in Toronto.

Canada is South Carolina’s top export market. In 2006, Canada purchased more than $3 billion in products from the Palmetto state. Trade between South Carolina and Canada supports some 69,000 jobs in South Carolina alone and bilateral trade between the two totaled $4.5 billion in 2004. (Source: www.can-am.gc.ca and Global Trade Information Services)

“Throughout the years South Carolina and Canada have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship. Today Canada is our state’s largest export destination and trade between our countries supports thousands of jobs. As our relationship grows with Canada, so do our opportunities and we look forward to enhancing those efforts with a permanent presence in Canada,” said Joe Taylor, South Carolina Secretary of Commerce.

Canadian companies have a strong presence in South Carolina. At least 56 parent companies currently operate in at least 291 locations in South Carolina. As further evidence of the mutually beneficial relationship, nearly 1,900 Canadian companies export goods and services to South Carolina. (Source: http://strategis.ic.gc.ca and Dun & Bradstreet)

“The Carolina-Canada connection is a strong one. Canada has long been our state’s number one trading partner and each year hundreds of thousands of Canadians make the Palmetto State their vacation destination. This is a relationship on the move and the potential for opportunity and growth is limitless. By locating in Toronto, the state Department of Commerce is tapping into all that potential and that can only mean a more dynamic business environment and stronger ties on both sides of the border,” said U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David H. Wilkins. Wilkins is a native of Greenville, South Carolina and the former Speaker of the S.C. House of Representatives.

Andre J. LeBlanc will serve as director of the South Carolina state office in Toronto. LeBlanc, a Canadian native, has served as a Project Manager in Global Business Development at the South Carolina Department of Commerce. Prior to his time in South Carolina, LeBlanc worked in sales, marketing, and management in the pharmaceutical industry. He was raised in Montreal and has extensive experience in Canadian business development. South Carolina’s Canada office will be located in the Exchange Tower at 130 King St. West, Suite 1800, Toronto, M5X 1E3 (416.860.6202).