Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Deidra L. Picou (212) 788-2971
The Mayor was joined by Richard Grasso, Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange; Piero Bassetti, President of the Milan Chamber of Commerce; and Francesco Cesarini, President of the Italian Stock Exchange and Chairman of Banca Popolare di Milano.
Mayor Giuliani said, “Since Giovanni Da Verrazano first explored the New York Harbor, Italians have been an important part of our City’s history. Over the years, their hard work and determination have helped to build, shape and develop New York into the Capital of the World. And now, with more than 700,000 citizens of Italian descent living in these five boroughs, we are the largest Italian City outside of Italy. So, I trust many of you will feel right at home during your visit.”
“From the Verrazano Bridge to Columbus Circle, to Little Italy, the influence of Italian heritage can be seen throughout New York,” the Mayor continued. “But there are other reasons why New York City is a perfect place for this conference, and those are economic. You will find that New York offers tremendous opportunities in the textile and high technology industries -- the very focus of your conference.
“New York City is the fashion and apparel capital of America -- generating $12 billion a year. We have 4,500 apparel manufacturing firms in the city and 512 firms manufacturing textile mill products. Additionally, the high-technology sector is one of our fastest growing industries. We are the home of silicon alley and the birthplace of the new media industry, which includes CD-ROM and website publishing and Internet communications. More than 1,350 technology companies are currently headquartered in New York. And finally, software development and new media have rapidly grown into a billion dollar industry.
“On behalf of all New Yorkers, I would like to thank the National American Foundation, the New York Stock Exchange and the Italian Stock Exchange for bringing this important conference to our City and I wish you all the very best of times during you stay,” the Mayor concluded.
The Italy-U.S. Investment Conference is designed for executives of Italian companies seeking opportunities for raising capital, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions or business expansion in the United States. It is also intended for U.S. investors seeking to initiate or expand relations with Italian companies. The Conference is intended to stimulate interest in investment opportunities between Italian and American companies with particular focus on growing middle market companies in the high technology and textiles industries.