Mayor Sal Garza, Global Strategies Director Gary Camarano, and representatives from 10-12 of the region’s companies will take part in a trade mission to Indonesia.
Most of them will begin the trip on Monday, December 3. Garza will join them a day later after overseeing the December 3 city council meeting. Aldermen will be asked that night to approve the city’s 2013 budget.
Garza has a couple goals for the trip.
“After you peel everything else away, the two main things: increase activity in the way of new contracts for products or services for each one of our regional businesses, and then secondly … receiving proposals to have companies locate here in west central Illinois,” Garza said.
There are currently no Indonesian-based companies in or around Galesburg.
Garza said the cost of the trip will be paid for with a grant from the federal Economic Development Administration. The estimated cost is up to $30,200.
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is helping coordinate the trip.
Garza will be the second western Illinois mayor this autumn to travel across the Pacific Ocean for business. Macomb Mayor Mike Inman recently met with executives of NTN Bower in Japan.
