This morning I received an interesting message in my email inbox. Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland, is currently on an East Asian tour promoting stronger ties between the state and China and South Korea. The email provided a few new updates about investments in Maryland by emergent Asian companies, as well as this new video.
What is most remarkable in this is not the media output. Rather, it is the Governor actively promoting his state by encouraging foreign direct investment within its borders. Governors often promote their states domestically - everyone probably remembers Fmr. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's media blitz of "California: Find yourself here" commercials. This, however, is different in that O'Malley is crossing international boundaries to find the potential investors and business partners which his state needs. This essentially means that when companies are looking for a new building site, or a research institution is looking for an American university with which to form a partnership, O'Malley has already put a face on Maryland and has already formed alliances for the state above and beyond the official ties between Washington and a foreign capital.
The other interesting point is that the Governor is being proactive in pursuing the industries and technologies which he regularly promotes in his speeches and press releases. Rather than simply talking about investments in universities, developing solar and wind power, and increasing biotech research within the state, O'Malley has gone across the globe to see that such progress actually happens. It would be far simpler to stick to the status quo, give a few million more to research centers, and build a token wind turbine or two. Instead, the Governor is taking real steps toward developing a green economy in Maryland, rich in research and biotech development. With a veritable statewide network of hi-tech workplaces, research universities, and renewable energy plants, a prosperous and forward moving Maryland could serve as a microcosm and example for a country whose economy and fragmented energy policy both desperately need to be overhauled.
Governor Martin O'Malley's press release:
http://www.governor.maryland.gov/pressreleases/110602b.asp
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