Consul General of the United States in Piacenza

On the morning of Friday, February 18, the Consul General of the United States in Milan Robert Needham visited the headquarters of the Confindustria Piacenza. Receiving President Francesco Rolleri was accompanied by Consul Needham Brett Dvorak, Deputy Political and Economic Consul of the Consulate General of the United States, and Alba Ferreri, Economic Adviser to the Consulate.

The main topic of the meeting is the connection between the companies of Piacenza and the United States. Consul Robert Needham deepened his knowledge of the industries in the province of Piacenza that interact more with the United States of America, as well as the companies of Piacenza owned by American capital. Also at the heart of the exchange is the impact of the pandemic on the industrial fabric of Piacenza and how the relations between the two markets have developed over the past two years marked by Covid and marked by exceptional circumstances.

“It is a great honor to be able to receive the visit of Consul Needham, affirming the close connection between the industrial fabric of our province and the United States,” the words of President Rollieri who was honored with Director Luca Groppi and Julia Silva, responsible for internationalization. “The United States has historically been one of the reference partners for Piacenza’s exports, where the products of our engineering and food companies are especially valued and exported. We profitably discussed ways in which we could assist our companies in a market as key to us as the United States of America, favoring the development of contacts and the creation of mutual opportunities for exchange, for the benefit of the Consul and his associates. He assured us of the utmost support.”

Consul General Robert Needham commented: “I am delighted to have met Francesco Rolleri, President of Confindustria Piacenza, to talk about the Piacenza business sector and how we can support local companies interested in expanding into the US market.” Robert Needham took office at the US Consulate General in Milan on October 2, 2020.

At the end of the meeting with Confindustria Piacenza, Mr Needham was welcomed into the municipality by Mayor Patrizia Barbieri for the first knowledgeable meeting, which was an opportunity to talk about a wide range of topics of common interest, including how the city and its economic fabric are recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. .

Continue the day with a suggestive tour of Piazza Cavalli, located not far from the famous Palazzo Farnese, the jewel of Piacenza. After visiting the city, Consul General Needham stopped at the Amazon distribution center in Castel San Giovanni. Accompanied by Head of Site Dr. Fabio Procopio and Regional Director of Operations Tariq Rajal, the Consul General took a short tour of Amazon’s extensive distribution center before returning to the headquarters in Milan.

“I am delighted to have had the opportunity to visit Piacenza and I am grateful to Mayor Barbieri and Governor Lobo for the fruitful conversations we had,” said Consul General Needham. The United States and Piacenza have important economic ties and common interests. For this, I had the pleasure of meeting Confindustria President Piacenza Franco Rolleri and Director Luca Groppi and being able to visit the Amazon Distribution Center, where I was able to see the extent of their operations. I am ready for any opportunity to strengthen our relations with Piacenza and its region.”