Snohomish County business and political leaders and Boeing executives are in the middle of a 12-day trade mission to high-tech hubs in India.
County Councilman Dave Gossett, Port of Everett Executive Director John Mohr and Snohomish County trade adviser Bob Anderson are part of the 25-member delegation.
Hamid Yaghoubian Eydgahi, Everett Community College vice president of instruction, is also on the list of delegates.
The trip was organized by the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle.
Delegates were scheduled to visit the country’s economic powerhouses of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), Bangalore and New Delhi, Kaplan said. Bangalore is the science and technology center of India.
With 1.1 billion people, India is the second-most populous country in the world and the largest democracy.
India is a growing trade partner for Washington state, with a young population and a growing middle-class, said Sam Kaplan, vice president of the trade alliance.
Delegates or their organizations pay $4,000 to $5,000 per person, or an estimated $100,000 to $125,000 total for the trip.
The delegation includes Seattle City Council members; U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle; port officials; and executives from Boeing’s commercial airplanes division.
Gossett is treasurer of the trade alliance board of directors. Anderson was Everett’s mayor from 1968-77.
An estimated 44,000 Indians live in Washington state, and 15,000 are employed in high-tech companies, he said. More than one-third of Microsoft employees come from India.
Delegates left Nov. 24 and are scheduled to return Wednesday.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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