Team Canada Atlantic > Missions > Past Missions > Washington D.C. - April 2004

During the week of April 25, 2004, a Team Canada Atlantic delegation of close to 30 Atlantic Canadian companies embarked on its second trade mission to Washington D.C. to pursue trade and investment opportunities in the Greater Washington area.

During this follow-up mission to Washington, Atlantic Canadian companies met with potential buyers, distributors and business partners as well as industry leaders in a variety of target sectors, including: 

• Agrifoods (PDF - 689 KB)
• Biotechnology (PDF - 697 KB)
• Building and construction (PDF - 86.4 KB)
• Consumer products (PDF 862.5 KB)
• Information and communications technology (ICT) (PDF - 117KB)

Download the latest version of Adobe Reader.

The Greater Washington area has a population of 5.7 million (2002) and includes 21 jurisdictions and encompasses Northern Virginia, the District of Columbia and Suburban Maryland. 

It is ranked as the nation’s fourth-largest regional economy with gross regional product surpassing $272 billion annually. Employment grew by 10,100 jobs in 2002, which was the largest regional employment growth in the U.S.

With a median household income of $73,866 (2002), Greater Washington is one of the wealthiest regions in the U.S. 

Federal procurement in the region grew to $31.4 billion in 2001, a 9.4% increase over 2000.

The presence of 168 embassies and major international organizations such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and International American Development Bank, make the region a large contributor to global commerce. 

The Greater Washington area is home to 41 colleges and universities. Its residents are among the nation’s most educated, with 42% of its adults having a bachelor’s degree or higher. 

Finally, it is a hotbed of innovative technology and e-learning, and is home to the second-largest ICT cluster and the third-largest biotechnology cluster in the United States.

As of 2002, 81.5% of Atlantic Canada’s exports went to the US, and 8.7% of these exports were sent to the mid-Atlantic states (Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Washington, D.C.). 

Atlantic Canada’s two-way trade with the mid-Atlantic states (2002) was reported to be in excess of $1.5 billion. 

For more information about the Washington market, check out: www.greaterwashington.org