At least 200,000 Wisconsin workers have jobs tied to exports or foreign direct investments. Learn more about how Wisconsin companies can increase exports and attract global investment at the Tuesday, Feb. 4 meeting of the Tech Council Innovation Network in Appleton.

The luncheon will be held at the Fox Valley Technical College D.J. Bordini Center, 5 N. Systems Drive, conference center BC112B. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., lunch at noon and the presentation at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $10 for students and returning veterans, $25 for individual members, $35 for non-members and included for Tech Council corporate members. Click here to register.

Katy Sinnott, vice president of international business development for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., will drill into Wisconsin’s export and foreign direct investment data, talk about strategies companies can pursue even when trade rules are fluid, and illustrate how the state’s ExporTech program has consistently helped to improve the bottom line for firms that do business overseas.

“Wisconsin’s No. 1 and No. 2 trade partners are just north and south of America’s borders and No. 3 is China. Others in the top 10 are broadly accessible, even amid negotiations over multi-lateral or bilateral trade agreements,” said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. “With a growing middle class in most parts of the world, Wisconsin can offer high-quality goods, services and technology in every corner.”

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote soon on the U.S. Mexico Canada trade agreement, which has been approved by the House of Representatives. The “Phase One” executive agreement with China signed by President Trump in mid-January does not require congressional approval.

This Tech Council Innovation Network luncheon is supported by Fox Valley Technical College. The Tech Council is the independent, non-profit science and technology adviser to the governor and Legislature, with events, publications and outreach that build Wisconsin’s tech-based economy. To join, go to wisconsintechnologycouncil.com or call 608-442-7557.