Virginia's Republican Governor Bob McDonnell, who is leading a trade delegation to India, talking to rediff.com from Bangalore - his second stop after Mumbai after arriving on November 15 - said, "The market here is just unlimited," and that even though he had pre-empted the much touted 100-member delegation that Maryland's Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley will lead to India next week, "There's plenty of business for everybody.""The market here, as you know, is just unlimited - incredibly entrepreneurial companies, particularly in the high-tech, manufacturing space," he said.
"They have just begun to come into their own, companies like Tata and others that are now expanding to have an international presence."
McDonnell said - even as he was chuckling that he had pre-empted O'Malley's much publicised trip - that "there is plenty of business for everybody. We have a much leaner trip here - we've got about 12 people and a couple of business leaders who've paid their own way, who just wanted to come and be part of it."
He said, "We are focusing on these core strengths of Virginia - in manufacturing, technology, tourism, wine, film, energy - the things that we think we have the greatest shot at foreign direct investment."
"So, we've had a great start with a lot of small and medium-sized technology companies that are Indian-owned - already over a 150 in Northern Virginia - and then about 25 other companies in the manufacturing space - Tata, Sendestra, Essel Propak and others."
However, McDonnell noted that "our goal is to build on these strengths to get the existing companies that are big to expand and then use them as ambassadors for us to tell the Virginia story."
He said in Mumbai, where he opened up a Virginia trade office, "We had one of the leaders from Tata come and sing the praises of Virginia - why we are the most business-friendly state in the country, how easy it was to get up and running. We also had statements also from Sandesara's (senior vice president) Danny Patel talking about how great it is doing business in Chesterfield County."
"So, that's our best asset - the great business that we already have here," he added.
McDonnell, who has a perfect rapport with O'Malley, although they belong to different parties, told rediff.com, "Both Virginia and Maryland are ideal locations for Indian companies in the technology and bio-tech and nano-tech space to locate."
"We already have marvellous infrastructure around the I(Interstate)-270 Corridor in Maryland and the Dulles Corridor in Virginia," he said.
"And, so there are so many opportunities here that I am not worried about that competition."
McDonnell reiterated that even though "we are a small and lean delegation, but we are accomplishing a lot here in the short period of time."
The Governor, whose named is also being thrown around as a potential vice presidential candidate for whoever Republican presidential candidate is nominated on account of Virginia being an important swing state which Obama won in the 2008 election but is likely to lose in 2012 - who is on his first visit to India also observed that it "is in some ways even easier to do business here (in India compared to China)