AdvanceCT Hosts Delegation From The Netherlands

Trade Delegation of Dutch Semiconductor Companies and Government Officials Tours the Northeast

New Haven, June 11th, 2024 – AdvanceCT is pleased to announce that our organization, along with partners from across the state, hosted a large trade delegation of companies and government officials from the Netherlands on Monday, June 10th.

The delegation was organized by the Dutch Government, to support exports and cross-border collaboration of semiconductor industry suppliers from the Netherlands. 

More than 29 companies and organizations from the Netherlands participated in the program, as did 10 Dutch officials including Liesje Schreinemacher, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Birgitta Tazelaar, Ambassador to the Embassy of the Netherlands in Washington DC, and Ahmed Dadou, the Consul General at the Consulate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York. 

The delegation’s first stop on their tour was Connecticut, where the group spent the morning at AdvanceCT’s office, learning more about the semiconductor industry in our state and the ecosystem Connecticut has to support Dutch companies looking to set up operations in North America. The group was given an economic overview of the state by Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), Daniel O’Keefe, and President and CEO of AdvanceCT, John Bourdeaux. 

Following the Connecticut overview, the group broke into concurrent sessions, hosted by Matt McCooe, CEO Connecticut Innovations and Josh Geballe, Managing Director, Yale Ventures. In addition, Paul Lavoie, the state’s Chief Manufacturing Officer, moderated a panel featuring Karthik Viswanathan, Vice President and General Manager, of the Mott Corporation; Sascha Weiler, Manager, R&D Testing, at Trumpf North America; and Ron Angelo, President & CEO of the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT).

The delegation traveled next to ASML in Wilton, where they were participating in a town hall discussion hosted by Governor Ned Lamont, Senator Richard Blumenthal, and Congressman Jim Himes. The Connecticut delegation also held one-on-one meetings with Dutch officials to discuss future collaboration and semiconductor specific initiatives. 

“Given the strategic importance of the semiconductor industry to Connecticut and our nation, it is important for us to build stronger connections with the countries and companies that are on the leading edge of this technology,” said John Bourdeaux, President and CEO of AdvanceCT. “Connecticut is home to one of the most important companies in this industry, ASML. It is imperative that we continue to grow our capacity in the semiconductor industry to support ASML’s supply chain and to steadfastly produce the workforce this industry requires.” 

“We value ASML's presence in Connecticut and are committed to working with the company to see its continued growth here,” said Governor Lamont. “The team at DECD and AdvanceCT are working to support their efforts to ensure they find everything they need to thrive in Connecticut. Hosting delegations like this is part of an important process of creating a global network that will benefit our companies, our economy, and our residents.”

“Our meeting with top Dutch trade officials was productive and important— an opportunity to pitch our state as a great place to do business. The Netherlands is a profoundly important ally economically as well as militarily, as they and we both stressed. I recounted my trip to Normandy, leading a Senate delegation for D-Day ceremonies this weekend, celebrating our alliances with partners like the Dutch in war and peace. I look forward to increasingly close collaboration between Connecticut and the Netherlands on semiconductor manufacturing and other critical technology,” said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.

“With over 3,000 local employees, ASML has long been a staple of Connecticut’s semiconductor industry. Yesterday’s meeting with the Dutch trade delegation will continue this legacy by establishing our state as an international leader in manufacturing. I applaud AdvanceCT for their work facilitating this connection with our friends from the Netherlands and hope it will lead to a strong global partnership founded on our shared interest in critical microchip technology,” said Congressman Jim Himes.

About AdvanceCT
AdvanceCT is a business-driven nonprofit that works to engage, retain, and recruit businesses to Connecticut. AdvanceCT collaborates with the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and our partners to implement high impact, equitable economic development. Our team advocates for and promotes Connecticut as a location for companies to compete and grow. www.advancect.org

Press Contact:
Shirar O’Connor
646-496-7668
soconnor@advancect.org