A delegation led by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia visited the Greater Irvine Chamber on Nov. 3 to explore opportunities for building digital bridges, strengthening NextGen Tech partnerships, and advancing collaboration in embedded systems and software innovation between Serbia and the United States.
Welcoming the 30-member delegation, Greater Irvine Chamber President & CEO Dave Coffaro and City of Irvine Vice Mayor James Mai provided an overview of Irvine’s dynamic innovation ecosystem and the advantages of doing business in one of the nation’s most globally connected cities.
Karin Koch, the City of Irvine’s Director of Economic Development, shared an economic overview of Irvine’s growth sectors and investment landscape.
Also on hand to welcome the delegation were Irvine Councilmember Melinda Liu, Vice Mayor Chief of Staff Steven Alves, and City staff, along with several Irvine business and academic leaders, including:
- Bill Edwards, District Export Council of Southern California
- Jim Mayfield, International Trade Consultant
- Dustin McDonald, California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-BIZ)
- Helene Blanchette, Director, Schmid Center for International Business, and Clinical Professor of Management, Chapman University Argyros College of Business & Economics
- Mike Merchant, CEO, Codazen
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Sam Collin, Principal Network Program Manager, AT&T
- Tyler Train, Principal Patent Attorney, Fish & Richardson
- Dan Vozenilek, Director, External & Legislative Affairs, AT&T
- Carlos Oregon, CEO, ThinkBox Technology Group
- Jas Kaur, Singh Automation & KTime HR
Following the discussion, the Serbian delegation toured the UCI Beall Center for Applied Innovation, gaining firsthand insight into Irvine’s leadership in research, entrepreneurship, and emerging technology.
For more information about the Greater Irvine Chamber’s international initiatives and opportunities to engage, contact communications@irvinechamber.com.
