OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Chris Gregoire is off on her three-day trip to Germany.
The governor left Wednesday morning. She’s been invited to speak at the groundbreaking of BMW’s new manufacturing plant in Leipzig, Germany, on Friday, and will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to promote trade with the state.
A joint venture by BMW and SGL, a European company, is building a plant in Moses Lake, Washington, to make carbon fiber parts for a BMW electric car. The parts will be sent to the factory in Leipzig.
Gregoire says she will encourage further investments and trade growth by Germany, the state’s ninth-largest foreign trade partner.