How Nations Compete, Collaborate, and Scale Sustainable Growth
Grant Wainscott is Founder and Managing Partner of ABF Cross Border Advisors, a consulting firm helping companies, communities and ecosystems grow.
A global thought leader and speaker, Wainscott previously served as VP of Ecosystem Expansion at the Metro Atlanta Chamber and has led international initiatives, fostering innovation and investment across Fintech, AI, SportsTech, Aviation and the Creative Industries.
Cynthia Curry
Senior Director, Cleantech Ecosystem Expansion, Metro Atlanta Chamber
Cynthia Curry is Senior Director of Cleantech Ecosystem Expansion at Metro Atlanta Chamber, driving job creation and investment across Metro Atlanta. She connects business, government, civic and educational leaders to advance sustainable communities and attract Cleantech companies to the region.
Cynthia also launched the ATL Cleantech Coalition and serves on multiple advisory boards, including Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute.
Enda Trautt is Vice President at IDA Ireland, the Irish government’s investment promotion agency, where he supports global companies expanding international operations in Ireland.
He works with multinational firms to navigate investment opportunities, providing strategic guidance and connections that help companies establish, grow and innovate within Ireland’s dynamic business ecosystem.
Abdullahi Hashi
Deputy Consul-General / Head of Economic Affairs, Consulate General of the Netherlands in Atlanta
Abdullahi Hashi
Deputy Consul-General / Head of Economic Affairs, Consulate General of the Netherlands in Atlanta
Abdullahi Hashi is Deputy Consul General and Head of the Economic Department for the Netherlands in Atlanta, strengthening economic ties between the Netherlands and the Southeastern United States.
A seasoned diplomat with over 20 years of experience, he builds strategic partnerships across government, academia and industry focused on water, energy and food security.
Jona Rowold is Director of Consulting Services at the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S. (GACC South), where he supports companies expanding trade and investment between Germany and the United States.
Based in Atlanta, he works with international firms to navigate market entry, strategy and cross-border business development across the Southern U.S.
The session positioned Atlanta and the broader Southeast as an increasingly credible climate innovation hub, not because it is trying to copy Europe, but because it is learning through sustained international exchange. The discussion centered on how regional strengths, global relationships, trade missions, cultural openness and practical business assets can turn sustainability into economic opportunity.
The strongest shared insight is that climate innovation depends on trust-based relationships more than one-time transactions. Participants repeatedly framed progress as the result of introductions, delegations, trade missions, consulate activity and long-term institutional partnerships. The Southeast was described as especially relationship-driven, where business moves more slowly than in some markets but can become deeper and more durable once trust is established.
Atlanta’s Global Infrastructure Is a Climate Asset
The airport, direct European connections and Atlanta’s role as a gateway to the Southeast emerged as practical climate collaboration tools. Participants treated geography not as background context but as a competitive advantage. Easy travel to Europe, stopover opportunities and access to multiple states make the region easier for international companies to evaluate, visit and eventually enter.
The discussion showed that international learning can produce concrete local outcomes. A repeated example was how exposure to European smart city thinking helped inspire a Georgia-based innovation testbed for autonomous vehicles, drones and clean technologies. The deeper point is that missions are not symbolic trips. When well-organized, they can translate outside examples into local assets.
Sustainability Works Best When Framed as Business Competitiveness
Participants consistently avoided treating sustainability as only a moral issue. Instead, they connected it to competitiveness, investment attraction, market entry, tax credits, climate action planning, innovation incentives, reduced carbon footprints and circular economy support.
This framing matters because it helps depoliticize the topic and makes climate work relevant to companies focused on growth. The transcript makes clear that Europe is often ahead on regulation, sustainability goals, plastics reduction and climate reporting. However, participants also emphasized two-way learning. The U.S. and the Southeast were described as strong in practical implementation, business speed, relationship-building and localized innovation. The best model presented was not imitation but exchange.
Local Culture Helps Convert Visitors Into Partners
Several comments showed that international business attraction is emotional as well as strategic. Participants discussed getting visitors to experience Atlanta’s food, neighborhoods, hospitality and broader quality of life. This suggests that climate investment decisions are influenced by whether founders and executives can imagine themselves building relationships in the region.
The World Cup was presented as a major opportunity to showcase Atlanta’s sustainability credentials, particularly through high-performing event infrastructure. The stadium example was used to show that the region already has credible sustainability stories to present to visiting countries, companies and delegations. The caveat is that one-time events matter most when connected to ongoing ecosystem-building.
Practical Details Often Create the Business Case
A subtle but important insight is that small operational details can move companies toward the Southeast. Time zones, direct flights, regional access and the ability to reach headquarters during the same workday were treated as persuasive factors. These details may seem minor but they can become decisive when companies compare possible U.S. locations.
The presentation framed the Super South as a region moving from aspiration to credibility in climate innovation. Its advantage is not a single technology or policy. It is the combination of international access, convening power, business relationships, cultural openness and a growing record of clean tech activity. The main caveat is that the Southeast still has to keep educating global partners about what is happening here, since many companies default first to the Northeast, West Coast or major European capitals.
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