By Aleasha Sandley, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer
aleasha.sandley@heraldbulletin.com
ANDERSON - Local economic development specialist Ayako Girt will return to her native Japan next week to participate in Gov. Mitch Daniels' Indiana delegation to Asia.
While in Japan, Girt will attend an annual conference between the Midwest and Japan that looks to improve business and economic development relationships between the two areas. Girt later will be joined by Anderson/Madison County Corporation for Economic Development Director Rob Sparks, and the two will call on companies with which the county already has established contact.
Girt will attend the three-day Tokyo conference with the governor's delegation, which makes annual trips to Asia. She was part of Daniels' last delegation to Japan two years ago, before severe Indiana floods forced the governor to cancel last year's trip.
Girt said the city didn't have the money to sponsor her trip to Japan this year, since economic development officials plan to go to Korea and China later in the year, but Sparks and CED stepped up to pay her way.
"Even though I'm a city employee, I've been working with CED at the county level too," Girt said.
Girt and Sparks also will call upon the Japanese parent company of ELSA, which located in Elwood.
"It's kind of a way to continue to build relationships," Sparks said. "CED is a county effort, and the city is trying to share in that. There's a tremendous amount of Japanese investment in the state of Indiana. They have a county presence and additional businesses around the region."
Sparks said Girt would be an asset to the trip, especially since she grew up in Japan.
"She can speak Japanese fluently, which helps communication very nicely as far as making the logistics happen and communicating with the company officials," he said. "She knows economic development as well as anyone."