Barry White (right) US Ambassador to Norway together with Consul of Norway Kim Nesselquist at a lunch organized for local business people in Seattle.

Business opportunities in Norway

John Erik Stacy, 25 Jan 2011

Barry White, US Ambassador to Norway, spoke and answered questions at a luncheon in Seattle on Friday Jan 7.

The event was titled “Business opportunities in Norway” and was arranged by The Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce together with Seattle Export Assistance Center.

Ambassador White shared impressions of Norwegian government policy, culture and business and described areas where Norway and the USA might have opportunities to learn from one another. He praised Norwegian high-tech activities including alternative energy, biomed and more. He went on to mention how Norwegians might learn from Americans regarding venture capital investment in emerging companies as well as commercialization and marketing practices.

The ambassador answered a variety of questions from the floor about doing business in Norway. He pointed out that the embassy has specialists that understand business in Norway and can help advise and make contacts. The web sites buyusa.gov and export.gov are a good starting point for exploring some of the services available. Another useful resource is the Commercial Guide for US Companies produced yearly by the Department of Commerce US Commercial Service (Doing business in Norway).

This article was originally published in the Jan. 14, 2011 issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. For more information about the Norwegian American Weekly or to subscribe, call us toll free (800) 305-0217 or email subscribe@norway.com.