South Africa – Minnesota Business Council

Creating Partnerships between South Africa and Minnesota

South Africa – Minnesota Business Council random header image

Michel Locquegnies

No Image Mr. Michel Locquegnies is a Board Member of the South Africa-Minnesota Business Council.  The SAMN Business Council’s objective is to increase economic activity including bi-lateral trade and investments between South Africa and the State of Minnesota.
 
Michel is a global business development executive who has deep roots in the local and global business community being born in Sweden and having assisted a range of US companies expand their global operations. He was originally born in Sweden and traveled extensively throughout Europe in his youth.
 
In 1980 he came to Minnesota to study Finance and Economics at Minnesota State University
St.Cloud where he later graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.
 
Michel’s early days in global business development were spent at a couple of Minnesota based technology companies in the test equipment (IXI Laboratories) and automotive service (NOVUS) fields setting up distributor networks in Europe and Asia.
 
In 1988 he joined Satellite Industries with a primary responsibility for European business expansion.
 
One of his career highlights was the planning, opening, and management of Satellite Industries
First global sales office and logistics center in the Netherlands. European sales grew to a point where it represented approximately 30% of the company’s total revenue. Satellite Industries was also awarded the US Presidential E-award for Excellence in Exporting. Michel was a key contributor to the company receiving this award.
 
Michel joined FARGO Electronics in 1993 to manage a global launch of a new product line of color printers sold through multiple sales channels (distributors, resellers, and OEM customers).
The product launch was immensely successful and within a 2 year time span the non-US part of the company’s had reached $ 15 million US dollars, over 100 customers on all major continents.
 
Michel’s career also includes a 10 year stint with a major high-technology company called Plasmon Data Storage where he grew and managed the company’s Asian, Latin American, and Canadian business. This included the late 1990′s establishment of a profitable sales channel in China.
 
Michel’s experience from doing business in South Africa most recently stem from his role as International Sales Director with ADDCO. ADDCO is a provider of LED based displays used traffic management and Intelligent Transportation Systems( ITS). During this time Michel in partnership with his South African distribution partner won several major LED sign projects connected to the 2010 World Cup Soccer tournament to be held in South Africa.
 
Michel currently is the General Manager for Distec Americas which is a global provider of
Outdoor advertising displays and he is based in Minneapolis.