Aaron S. Brickman is the Acting Executive Director of SelectUSA.

Global investors are “rediscovering” the United States.

This week the consulting firm A.T. Kearney published its annual Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index. The Index surveys top executives from more than 300 leading global companies – representing more than $2 trillion in annual global revenue – on where they are directing their investment strategies. For the first time since 2001, the United States ranked #1 on this list, retaking the top spot!

The Department of Commerce’s SelectUSA program has seen this trend coming through the work we conduct on a daily basis. Companies both large and small increasingly understand that the United States is the destination of choice for capital, and an unparalleled place to invest and do business.

Markets such as Brazil, Canada, China, and Europe will continue to receive significant cross-border investment. However, the survey suggests that the resurgence of investment in American manufacturing is not just a temporary trend but the new reality.

A.T. Kearney’s survey reflects SelectUSA’s core mission: to assist U.S. economic development organizations (EDOs) in their efforts to attract global investment, and to work with companies throughout the world seeking to establish or expand operations in the United States.

On October 31st and November 1st, SelectUSA will host its inaugural SelectUSA 2013 Investment Summit in Washington, DC. The purpose of this unprecedented two-day event is to connect investors – both foreign and domestic – with U.S. EDOs at the state, regional, and local levels to help promote and facilitate business investment in the United States. The Summit will bring together top-level corporate executives and investors, EDO representatives from across the country, senior White House and Administration officials, industry experts and service providers.

The Summit is generating great interest in the business community, further bolstering what A.T. Kearney’s survey has told us:  the United States is open for business!

To pre-register for the SelectUSA Investment Summit, please go to www.selectusasummit.com.