LaGrange, Ulster Sister City Tie Promotes Commerce
(August 5,
2001, Atlanta, Georgia) The LaGrange-Craigavon, Northern
Ireland, sister city relationship is an example of
sister city ties enhancing international business
relations, according to Kenneth Twyble, chairman of the
Caigavon-LaGrange sister city organization in Northern
Ireland.
He
attended the Sister Cities International (SCI)
conference in Atlanta two weeks ago as part of a 10
member delegation from Craigavon. The delegation also
included David Trimble, former head of the Ulster
Unionist Party and recent recipient of a Nobel Peace
Prize who was a keynote speaker at the conference.
Mr.
Twyble cited LaGrange’s plans to establish a
distribution center for Craigavon-made Tyrone Crystal, a
product similar to the famed Waterford crystal, as an
economic development encouraged by the two cities’
partnership. He also cited Craigavon’s opening of a
subsidiary of LaGrange-based Interface Flooring Systems
inc., a carpet and tile manufacturer.
"Our
sister city relationship has cultivated friendships that
continue to spur commercial ties," Mr. Twyble told
GlobalFax. He added that the sister city group plans to
develop a sister cities storefront in down town LaGrange
that will be devoted to selling Georgia and United
Kingdom (UK) products.
He said
such developments promote economic ties with other
Georgia cities as well, noting that Ulster Carpet Mills
in Northern Ireland has a distribution center in Dalton.
In
addition, the Newnan-based Achievers
International-Georgia (AI-G) program, which matches
Georgia schools with partner schools in the UK, received
a grant to partner with the LaGrange-Craigavon
relationship.
AI-G
Executive Director Bette Hickman told GlobalFax that the
program "helps students be prepared to work in the
global economy" by teaching them to set up their own
companies."
Contact
Mr. Twyble through Margaret Ross in LaGrange at (706)
882-1071. Contact Ms. Hickman at (770) 254-7345. Visit
www.globalatlanta.com
for the full text. GlobalFax v.9/i.32.
