2 days ago
Arkansas governor announces overseas trade mission
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders emerges from the cabin of a Falcon 8X jet on Dec. 12, 2023, that was used as backdrop for an announcement by Dassault Falcon Jet CEO Thierry Betbeze that the French company would invest 'tens of millions' in its Little Rock facility and add 800 jobs (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will travel to Europe this month for an overseas trade mission that will include stops in France and Switzerland, according to a Thursday press release from her office.
Sanders' trip, which is scheduled for June 14-19, will include appearances at a Paris Air Show panel hosted by the Aerospace Industries Association and a fireside chat organized by the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce.
The governor's first stop is Normandy to honor fallen soldiers, including U.S. Army Private Rodger D. Andrews whose remains were recently identified and will be laid to rest in Arkansas on June 9.
She'll continue on to the Paris Air Show to meet with aerospace and defense companies, and then to Switzerland to discuss 'investing in Arkansas with several large corporations,' according to the release.
'International trade missions are a great way to pitch Arkansas to companies that might not otherwise have our state on their radar and have a proven track record of bringing in jobs and investment,' Sanders said in a statement.
The governor's visit to the Farnborough International Airshow in England last summer helped secure Taber Extrusions' $60 million, 70 job expansion in Russellville, according to the release.
During her trip to the Paris Air Show in 2023, Sanders' discussions helped facilitate Dassault Falcon Jet's $100 million, 800 job expansion in Little Rock and RTX's new $33 million manufacturing facility in East Camden, which was later expanded to a $63 million investment.
The governor's 2023 Paris trip also led to what became known as Lecterngate. A series of public information requests submitted that summer by a blogger investigating Sanders' travel expenses revealed a state-issued credit card was used to purchase a $19,000 lectern and carrying case from a Virginia-based company with political ties to Sanders.
The discovery prompted lawmakers to request an audit, which found several instances of 'potential noncompliance' with state law. The report was sent to the Arkansas attorney general and Pulaski County's prosecuting attorney, the latter of whom declined to pursue charges.
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