Georgia Governor Nathan Deal inaugurated the second annual USA India Business Summit, held June 21-22 at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center in Atlanta.

The conference was focused on boosting bilateral trade between the state of Georgia and India, emphasizing small-and medium-sized enterprises.

Speakers and attendees included: Indian Embassy minister (economic) V.S. Senthil; Uday Kumar Varma, secretary, Indian Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; Sushma Berlia, president, Apeejay Stya Group; Raymond E. Vickery Jr., senior director, Albright Stonebridge Group; former Indian Ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan; Subimal Bhattacharjee, country head, General Dynamics India; Reginald R. Mebane, director, office of diversity management and equal employment opportunity, Centers for Disease Control and Management; and Nicolas Chronos, president and chief executive, St. Joseph Translational Research Institute.

The summit aimed to increase business and investment between the U.S. and India in the areas of infrastructure, technology and innovation, education, agriculture, food processing and cold storage equipment, healthcare, biotech and medical research, manufacturing, defense, and renewable energy.

Beheruz N. Sethna, president of the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga., received the Community Builder Award at the summit. He was honored for his community service and for his leadership at the university.

The conference was organized by USA India Initiatives, the Georgia Tech Center for International Business Education and Research, the US India Business and Research Center and the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

“Hundreds of entrepreneurs shared their success stories and tips on cultivating relationships and finding the right business partner,” said UIBS 2011 program chair Ani Agnihotri.

“They provided insight on overcoming government regulations, trade barriers and challenges of selling to a multi-cultural market.”