Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and Quebec Premier Jean Charest, along with other state and provincial officials, encourage business participation as the driver for the newly inaugurated alliance. CLICK FOR VIDEO

The inaugural Southeastern United States-Canadian Provinces Alliance conference held in Savannah June 16-17 attracted an impressive array of government officials representing seven Canadian provinces and six southern states.

Although they represented different interests, they all agreed that for the alliance to succeed in coming years, it would need the support of businesspeople looking to expand their operations in each other’s markets.

Robert S. Jepson Jr.’s willingness to serve as this year’s conference co-chair was a step in the right direction, according to Lynn Pitts, senior vice president at the Savannah Economic Development Authority.

Mr. Jepson is chairman and chief executive officer of the Savannah-based private investment firm Jepson Associates Inc.

“He can pick up the phone and talk with the CEO of any company in Savannah or anywhere else for that matter,” Mr. Pitts told GlobalAtlanta in a phone interview.

Jean-Luc Trahan, president and general manager, Quebec Manufacturers and Exporters Association, served as the Canadian co-chair of the event.

Mr. Pitts compared the alliance event to the Inc. 500 conference for small- to medium-sized companies that was held in Savannah two years ago, in terms of its potential for attracting business to the area.

“That conference had huge lasting effects and we think that this one will too, if all sides follow up,” he said.

The Savannah International Trade and Convention Center has become a magnet for conferences of all sorts, but the city’s development authority only participates in those that have potential for stimulating local business, Mr. Pitts said.

For that reason, it took an active role in the alliance event and signed a cooperative agreement with Longueuil, Quebec, to promote their mutual business interests.

Mr. Pitts said that a business delegation is being planned from Longueuil in the fall, and that he expects a Savannah delegation will go to Longueuil next year.

During a press conference held at the conference, the officials also expressed their hopes the alliance would stimulate even further business between the two regions.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest pointed to the Southeast’s rate of annual economic growth and its population growth as incentive for Canadian companies to become more active in the region, despite an already important presence.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen and Gary Doer, premier of the province of Manitoba, spoke favorably about the impact of Nafta on the economies of the regions they represent.

Conference attendees participated in workshop sessions on manufacturing, aerospace, energy, best practices for economic development, tourism, security and trade and transportation and logistics.

The attendees also visited the Savannah College of Art and Design; the North American headquarters of JCB, a British manufacturer of heavy equipment; the Port of Savannah and Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.

Residents of several of Savannah’s historic homes opened their doors to the attendees and dinner was served in city squares.

The alliance was chartered in November 2007 and includes Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee and Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec.