A groundbreaking trade mission to India led by the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership earlier this year will set the stage for expanded business between companies in Southeast Michigan and their counterparts in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

During the eight-day mission in January, the 11-member Detroit delegation met with 150 representatives of Indian businesses interested in a U.S. presence and explained why the Detroit Region should be their first choice.

“India’s economy is expanding rapidly, and many businesses there are setting up offices in the United States or seriously looking into the possibility of doing so,” said Richard E. Blouse Jr., CCE, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber. “Our mission was the first critical step in a long-term process that will ultimately lead to new economic opportunities and job growth in our region.”

In cities across India, the response to the mission was overwhelming, added John W. Carroll Jr., senior vice president of business development at the Detroit Regional Chamber and executive director of the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership, the Chamber’s economic-development arm.

“Our trip was particularly significant because we were the first local economic-development group from the United States to arrange a mission of this kind, and the word had traveled extensively about our visit before we even arrived,” Carroll noted.

In addition to the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership and the Detroit Regional Chamber, the delegation included representatives from Comerica Bank, Doshi Associates, Doshi Prettl Inc., Global Services Resources, Lawrence Technological University, Miller Canfield, Stonebridge Business Partners and TI Automotive.

Delegates visited the cities of Delhi, Chennai (Madras) and Mumbai (Bombay). Formal seminars were conducted in each city with the assistance of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Each seminar included presentations on the region and the Detroit companies attending, a luncheon and two hours of one-on-one meetings.

Additional group meetings were held in Chennai with the TVS Group (comprised of eight companies) and in Mumbai, hosted by Rungta Consulting Services (comprised of 10 automotive companies in the city of Pune). In all, the group met with 150 representatives of 70 to 80 companies, mostly related to the automotive industry.

Bernard Pekor, director of the Partnership’s New Markets & Asia Program, visited New Delhi a week prior to the arrival of the Chamber delegation to attend Auto Expo 2006, the largest automotive show in India, where he met with approximately 150 companies in the Indian automotive industry and invited them to attend the Chamber seminars. Pekor has added India as a key country for the New Markets & Asia Program.

Two Indian companies, Karsons Parts and HOPE Consulting Inc., have established a presence in the Detroit Region with a local manufacturers’ representation firm. Karsons manufactures automotive aftermarket parts for Land Rover and Toyota vehicles. HOPE provides CAD/CAM and CAE services for the automotive industry.

Troy-based Stonebridge Business Partners has opened an office in Pune, India in partnership with an Indian firm, Rungta Consulting. Stonebridge develops and implements growth strategies for small and middle-market companies.