Elyse Eriksson Named as New Board Member of The Scandinavian American Economic Development Alliance

Jan. 31, 2011 - PRLog -- The Scandinavian American Economic Development Alliance announced today that Elyse Eriksson was selected as the fifth Texas Board Member of the coalition. Members of the Scandinavian American EDA bring a high level of expertise to the table.  Each state has five representatives from various backgrounds such as business, education, economic development, government and consular positions. The other Texas members include:  Mary Larson Diaz, Chief Communications Officer, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas;  Merle Taylor, City Manager, Synder, Texas; Mary Ann Randall, County Commissioner, Scurry County, Texas;  and Marc Farmer, Lubbock Economic Development Authority, Lubbock, Texas.

Ms. Eriksson comes from an extensive background in entrepreneurship and small business development.  She has partnered to start and expand several small businesses specifically in the construction and concrete business. She currently serves as the Director of International Training at the International Trade Center Small Business Development Center, Dallas, Texas and oversees the award winning Global Market Series providing training in Import, Export and NAFTA/Free Trade Agreements.  Elyse noted, " Being a native Texan and coming from a background of Swedish descent, it is very exciting for me to work on the development of business relations between the countries of the Alliance and the State of Texas. "

The original Scandinavian American Economic Development Alliance began in 2006 in partnership with the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce as their 19th Chamber. In 2009, the group reorganized and chose to include tthe five Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. This coalition had as its charter members: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.  In early 2010, Kentucky was added to the coalition and later in the fall, the Board voted to invite Texas and Colorado.

The mission of the organization is to promote trade and technology between the five Scandinavian countries and the eight coalition states. Steve Vassallo, President of the Scandinavian American EDA says, "We are very excited by our continued success and expansion into Texas and Colorado. We feel that our eight member states will reap the rewards of the enthusiasm and work of our Board Members."

The Board of Directors will conduct its annual meeting, March 7th, 2011 in New Orleans.

For more information on the  Scandinavian American Economic Development Alliance, please contact  Emilie Ponthieux at ScandinavianAmericanEDA@gmail.com

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The Scandinavian American Economic Alliance opens new doors of economic growth and opportunity, focusing on introducing U.S. companies (from the South Central region) to Scandinavian technology and opportunities.