Stronger economic partnership between Canada and S.C. focus of conference

CLEMSON, SC – South Carolina and Canada already benefit greatly from close economic ties, but the relationship can be stronger.

That was the message coming out of a conference hosted by Clemson University’s Canada Center and Wood Utilization + Design Institute.

The meeting on the Clemson campus focused on ways to strengthen and expand forestry industry ties and opportunities between the Palmetto State and its partner north of the border.

“One of our missions here at Clemson is building the South Carolina economy,” said David Wilkins, Clemson board of trustees chairman and former U.S. Ambassador to Canada. “Our two largest trading partners are Germany and Canada. Thousands of South Carolinians put food on the table every night because of our relationship with Canada. The more we can do with our Canadian partners, the better off we will be here at home. Clemson is primed to help in expanding that relationship.”

Participants in the conference included (from left to right) Sharon Nagy, vice-provost for Global Engagement, Clemson University; Glenn Mason, assistant deputy minister, Natural Resources Canada; Clarke Thompson, international trade director, South Carolina Department of Commerce; Louise Blais, consul general of Canada; David Wilkins, Clemson board of trustees chairman and former U.S. Ambassador to Canada; Didier Rousselière, Clemson director of Global Partnerships and Initiatives.  (Image Credit: Clemson)

South Carolina and Canada engage in an estimated $6.2 billion in bilateral trade annually and approximately 163,000 jobs in South Carolina depend on trade and investment with Canada.

Featured speakers included Wilkins; Louise Blais, consul general of Canada; Bob Jones, Clemson University executive vice president for academic affairs and provost; Gene Kodama, South Carolina state forester; and Glenn Mason, assistant deputy minister, Natural Resources Canada.

“Today’s conference is a major building block between Canada and Clemson in developing a strategic partnership that will focus on economic development,” Blais said. “We are focusing in forestry today because it is such a strong area for Clemson that also has other linkages with Canada. This could become a model for our relationship with other higher learning institutions across the United States.”

South Carolina’s forestry industry has an economic impact of $17 billion annually and ranks first among the state’s manufacturing industry in jobs and payroll. Its forestry imports have increased 20 percent in the past five years, and Canada is the second largest importer of South Carolina wood products.

Scientists from Clemson and Canada presented new technologies in wood products and their potential uses in the paper, pulp, commercial construction and packaging industries. They showed research into wood-based chemical compounds for use as anti-corrosion and conductivity coatings; electrostatic discharge packaging; and composites for automobile dashboards, bumpers and trim pieces.

They also promoted wood-based construction materials, such as Cross Laminated Timber (CLT).

“South Carolina has the timber, design and manufacturing muscle to produce sustainable wood-based solutions that can challenge conventional approaches to commercial building and expand South Carolina’s forest industry exports,” said WU+D director Patricia Layton.

Mason spoke about partnerships and collaborations between the private sector and the Canadian government that helped that country’s forestry industry survive the recession.

“In that crisis, our sector was convinced that it needed to come together in a private-public partnership. The forestry sector came out on the other side of the recession with the realization that there is an opportunity for pre-competitive collaboration,” Mason said.

The conference was the first in a series of planned initiatives in the areas of forestry and wood products, medical technology and life sciences and clean technology and clean energy that may be facilitated by the Clemson Canada Center and Consulate General of Canada in Atlanta.

“This Clemson-Canada initiative focuses on creating a framework for entrepreneurship and economic growth that will extend far beyond campus into the everyday lives of South Carolinians,” said Didier Rousselière, Clemson’s director of Global Partnerships and Initiatives.