Gov. Holcomb completes first official trips to Mexico and Brazil

This week, Holcomb traveled with a delegation of state and business leaders to build international relationships, primarily within the agriculture and ag bio sectors. Currently, 27 of the roughly 1,000 foreign-based companies with operations in Indiana are from Mexico and Brazil.

During the much-anticipated READI 2.0 announcement last week, Gov. Holcomb told FOX59 and CBS4 he hoped to share Indiana's agricultural success story with officials from both countries.

"I would categorize this trip as surpassing expectations," Holcomb said.

According to Holcomb, the visits cultivated new business prospects, although he did not explicitly mention what those prospects were.

"It's been good to have the type of meetings that we've had which includes all three of those, people to people, universities, businesses," Holcomb said.

Gov. Holcomb said the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) brought in almost $30 billion in committed capital investment. Of that number, $21 billion (roughly 70%) came from foreign countries.

"These trips matter," Holcomb said. "Indiana's open, we invite you to not just come to Indiana for the Indy 500, but also come to Indiana to grow deep roots."

Holcomb's visit comes as several gubernatorial candidates have criticized his administration over what they claim is a top-down economic strategy for the state. Holcomb responded by saying comments like that were made in ignorance.

"You've got to go out there and be courageous and create," Holcomb said. "And it's respected on both sides of the table, and not just respected, it's expected in today's world."

Holcomb's visits to Brazil and Mexico mark his second international trip this year. The governor said he will continue to make similar trips — although he did not say where — until his last day in office.