Berkshire: Next stop Texas, for Reading UK CIC

Reading UK CIC, the economic development company for Reading, is taking the town Stateside, following a business twinning agreement with Richardson, Texas on June 16.

Richardson, is well known in the US as Telecom Corridor –  home to major names including Verizon, Rockwell Collins and Cisco – all international companies that have also chosen Reading as a European base.

Delegates from the Richardson mayor’s office of international business were guests of honour at a business lunch hosted by Verizon UK in Reading, where a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Reading and Richardson.

The MOU is a commitment by both Richardson and Reading to developing investment, sharing knowledge and growing business on both sides of the Atlantic, and is part of Reading UK CIC’s international outreach strategy.

Nigel Horton Baker, executive director of Reading UK CIC, said: “This is the start of an exciting project to develop a close business partnership with Richardson that has the potential to bring significant benefits to our economy and businesses based in Reading. We expect this relationship to open doors into the US for Reading businesses looking to expand and we will be maximising opportunities to promote Reading as a business location to Richardson’s knowledge-based businesses.”

“Reading and Richardson share a unique position in their local business ecosystems,” said Bill Sproull, CEO of the Richardson Economic Development Partnership.

“As vibrant high-tech business communities with large corporate entities outside the city centers of London and Dallas, we each play an important role in local and international commerce for both regions.  With the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between our two economic development agencies we have the opportunity to explore ways to expand markets for our local companies into these two fast-growing regions and share best practices for managing such growth."

Richardson is a vibrant and diversified business community, strategically located in one of the brightest economic regions in the world – the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It has the highest concentration of technology workers in the greater Dallas area, is home to the University of Texas at Dallas, boasts 30-plus million sq ft of office, flex and industrial space and ranked in the top 10 of American Micro Cities of the Future in the FT FDI Awards 2013/14.

The Richardson Economic Development Partnership is a joint initiative established by the City of Richardson and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce dedicated to building the local economy by attracting new investment and jobs, through marketing and recruitment efforts and by working with existing employers.

Reading UK CIC is the economic development and marketing company for Reading. Operating as a public/private partnership, the company promotes and sustains the economic development of Reading through programmes that drive its world-class economy.