Hartford Business Journal

4 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 21, 2025 What's Trending Associated Builders, Inc. Commercial • Industrial • Auto • Healthcare ABuilders.com COMPLETING COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL RENOVATIONS FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS As trade war heats up, CT finding greater value in trade commissions By David Krechevsky davidk@hartfordbusiness.com C onall O Móráin is a promi- nent business broadcaster and podcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. From his bedroom window, he can see the international headquarters of Facebook parent company Meta. "I can walk about 12 minutes down the road and I can bump into the Google HQ," he said during a recent interview with Hartford Business Journal. "We have them all here. As I travel this afternoon, I'll be passing by the Microsoft HQ." This is not just a coincidence. For the past 65 years, Ireland has utilized attractive tax policies to lure U.S. companies to its island of about 5 million people. Móráin, though, says Ireland also views international business inter- actions as a two-way street. Exhibit A, he said, is Enterprise Ireland, a state economic development agency focused on helping Irish-owned businesses grow export sales. He noted that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had recently visited Ireland to promote her state as a place to do business. It's in that context that the Nutmeg State is ramping up its Connecticut-Ire- land Trade Commission. Created by the legislature last year, the commis- sion now has 23 members and is preparing to conduct its first meeting. Among its members are former U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, who was appointed by Gov. Ned Lamont. Dodd at one point was considered a front-runner for appointment as U.S. ambassador to Ireland under former President Joe Biden, though he ultimately didn't get the post. Other prominent appointees include West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer, Sen. Joan Hartley (D-Water- bury), Sen. Henri Martin (R-Bristol), Rep. Chris Aniskovich (R-Clinton) and Rep. Stephen Meskers (D-Greenwich), each of whom is a member of the legislature's Commerce Committee; and Quinnipiac University professor Christine Kinealy, founding director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute. Móráin, who testified via Zoom last year in support of the trade commission, said Connecticut is viewed quite favorably in the Emerald Isle, particularly because it's just a five-hour Aer Lingus flight to Bradley International Airport. Meanwhile, at the same time the Ireland trade commission is organizing, a bill seeking to create a Connecticut-Puerto Rico Trade Commission is making its way through the current session of the state legis- lature. A third bill, seeking to create a trade commission with Taiwan, has not gotten out of committee. The legislators behind the trade-commission efforts say they see opportunities to promote and enhance both business and cultural ties to the targeted partners. And with the Trump administration insti- gating a global trade war, the benefits of having state-sponsored trade commissions are becoming clearer. The tariff era Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) said he sees an advantage for Connecticut having trade commissions. "States may have to go it alone at this point," he said regarding interna- tional trade. "Maybe it positions us better by having those relationships." Duff said he has traveled to foreign countries and seen the benefits of making connections with legislators overseas. "Presidents come and go, gover- nors come and go," he said. "State legislators tend to be there longer, so having those ties tends to bear more fruit, I think, over the long term." Aer Lingus' direct flight from Bradley International Airport to Dublin is an example of the ties between Connecticut and Ireland. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Tariffs, of course, don't apply to Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. terri- tory. But Rep. Christopher Rosario (D-Bridgeport), co-sponsor of a bill to create the Connecticut-Puerto Rico Trade Commission, said he sees many potential benefits from creating a stronger connection to that island. "In Connecticut, we have some of the highest population of Puerto Ricans on the mainland," Rosario said. "We're deeply entrenched in pretty much every major city, the business community and the political community. It just made sense." He noted that state pharmaceutical companies "are doing a lot of work" in Puerto Rico, and that the University of Bridgeport recently signed a part- nership with Ponce Health Sciences University in Ponce, Puerto Rico, to collaborate on a medical sciences master's degree program. The Puerto Rico trade commission bill received bipartisan support in the Commerce Committee, and now awaits a vote in the House. Rosario says he's confident the bill will ulti- mately be approved. The bill to create a Taiwan trade commission was never voted on by the Commerce Committee. Expert advice Anne Evans, now CEO of Universal Strategies Ltd. in East Hartford and a former director at the U.S. Department of Commerce Interna- tional Trade Administration, noted that neither Ireland nor Taiwan are major trading partners with Connecticut. According to recently published data by the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Ireland was not among the top 20 export trade partners for Connecticut, while Taiwan was 14th at $294 million. The reverse was true for imports. Ireland ranked 20th at $229 million, while Taiwan was not among the top 20. Evans said the commissions, for which members are not compen- sated except for being reimbursed for expenses, do not cost states much. But she questioned whether the trading partners being selected make sense for businesses. "So, the good news is that the legis- lature is looking at Connecticut as an international state and recognizing that trade is important," she said. "But my only thing is, I would love to see the legislature go out to the business community as a whole and say we're developing commissions. Let's look at where the companies in our state feel they need the most support." Canada was the top export desti- nation for Connecticut companies in 2024, with goods sent there totaling $2.3 billion. That was followed by Germany ($1.8 billion), Mexico ($1.67 million) and China ($1.5 billion). The state's top import trade part- ners in 2024 were Canada, Mexico, Germany and the Netherlands. Consulting with businesses in Connecticut, Evans said, would likely produce trade commissions better targeted to their needs. Anne Evans Bob Duff Christopher Rosario

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