Transatlantic law firm, Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD), with roots in the North East and America, recently invited its American team to explore the Teesside Freeport and the exciting opportunities at play for their regional and overseas clients.

Peter Snaith, Partner and UK Freeports lead at WBD invited some of his American Partners to join a tour of Teesworks and a presentation with Nolan Gray, Teesside Freeport Director, to help the team better understand the scale of UK Freeports, the progress made so far in the region and the opportunity to encourage and drive inward investment here in the North East. 

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Peter commented: “Having a really strong relationship with our American team drives a lot of success for our clients. Enabling inward investment opportunities and supporting international trade is a big part of that. It was amazing to have the opportunity to showcase the progress made so far in making the Teesside Freeport a reality.

“Whilst it can seem like progress across UK Freeports has been slow, we must remember the vast scale and complexity of these projects and everything they hope to achieve over the coming years. Teesside is certainly leading the way and being able to see the developments in real-time put a lot of context in place for our American team around what really lies at the heart of these developments.

The Northern Echo: The WBD team at Teesside FreeportThe WBD team at Teesside Freeport

“We’re already starting to see investment into the region off the back of the Freeport site, which is driving confidence and encouraging more discussions around what’s possible. We want to support the local economy as much as possible and so inviting the American team to see the site for themselves felt like the right step forward.”

Jamie Francis, Partner at the Greenville office, South Carolina added: “Whilst we know the UK Freeports are a big opportunity for our clients, it’s difficult to understand the breadth and scope until you see the site for yourself. The drive for sustainable trade, the focus on skills and the developments underway make for an incredibly impressive proposition, for international and regional businesses. We can’t wait to showcase the North East to many of the businesses we work with in the States, who are always keen to explore opportunities in the UK.”

Since the Freeports were announced in March 2021, WBD has advocated that the real success of UK Freeports will be driven by businesses right across the regions in which they are based.

By investing in the success and the potential value which they can bring, the region will benefit from investment in local infrastructure, improved skills, enhanced supply chains, creation of jobs and the attraction of new investors similar to SeAH Wind and Peak Rare Earths, with a strong pipeline of enquiries and hopefully new announcements to follow in due course. All benefiting businesses and communities’ way beyond the site boundaries.

 

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