International Partnerships

The Chamber’s approach to international business development is that relationships can lead to business opportunities. With that goal in mind, the Chamber has established active partnerships with other community entities who are working to promote Springfield in the global market and encouraging international business.  The Chamber regularly partners with the Greater Ozarks International Trade Association  to provide  opportunities for our members to learn about doing business on the global scale and connect with resources that help facilitate that endeavor.

International university students relationships are another key component of the Chamber’s international program. We routinely partner with Missouri State University’s International Leadership and Training Center to welcome students and business  professionals from all over the world to the Springfield Region.  We have a long history of working with students from the university’s Executive MBA program, and providing job shadow opportunities for these students to learn about doing business in Springfield.

China & Mexico Partnerships

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce has long-established relationships with other chambers of commerce in China and Mexico in order to create international business connections for Chamber member companies.

China

The Chamber’s China program began in 2004 with an initial visit to several Chinese cities and has continued with numerous trade missions. Three organizations have emerged as key relationships for our region – primarily due to connections provided by Missouri State University. Those organizations are:

• Dalian General Chamber of Commerce
• Qingdao Chamber of International Commerce
• Henan Chamber of International Commerce

Mexico

Springfield and Tlaquepaque, Jalisco have been Sister Cities since 2003. A business and economic development dimension was added to the sister city relationship in 2006 when the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Tlaquepaque National Chamber of Commerce (Canaco Tlaquepaque) signed a cooperation agreement to:

• Learn from each other by conducting annual exchanges of staff and volunteers
• Promote business connections between members of both Chambers