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Global Opportunities and New Markets

  • Realizing the Value of our Cross Border Trade with Mexico
    Submitted on 09 February 2012

    Mexico Flag Symbol“The U.S.-Mexico border is open for business.” That is the refrain I and others who work on border issues tirelessly deliver wherever we can. But with the media’s relentless focus on immigration, drug-trafficking, and cartel violence, we know that we must provide and promote objective evidence to support our message. A report recently released by Arizona State University’s North American Center for Transborder Studies (NACTS) and NDN’s New Policy Institute (NPI), entitled “Realizing the Value of our Cross Border Trade with Mexico” does both.

    The report only confirms the overwhelming evidence that the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) has assembled conclusively establishing that Mexico and, by extension the U.S.-Mexico border, is vital to the long-term health of the U.S. economy. However, all of that evidence is for naught if Americans are not made aware of it.

    That is why I was pleased to join the effort to promote and further publicize the NACTS /NPI report at an event hosted by the New Democrat Network (NDN) last week, where I was joined by one of the authors of the report, NACTS Director D. Rick Van Schoik. I am convinced that it is through this kind of collaboration—between the public and private sectors—that we will change the national conversation about the border.

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  • Reverse Trade Missions: Grow your Business & the American Economy
    Submitted on 08 February 2012

    Global Exporting matters! It matters to firms that profit from exporting and it also matters to the national economy as a whole. Federal, state and local governments devote billions of dollars each year to encourage exporting among firms of all sizes and in all sectors. here's how RTM, hosted by USTDA can help you grow your business and strengthen the American economy.

    Reverse trade missions provide unique opportunities to foster business relationships and build long-lasting partnerships between U.S. businesses and our overseas partners. During the past year, USTDA hosted more than 50 reverse trade missions to introduce U.S. businesses to more foreign delegates and business opportunities than ever before.

    A key part of USTDA’s support of the National Export Initiative, these carefully planned missions enable foreign delegates to visit the U.S. to observe first-hand the design, manufacture, and demonstration of goods and services that can help the delegates achieve their development goals. The reverse trade missions are planned to target current and near-term business opportunities, creating immediate results and export successes for U.S. businesses.

    This past year, USTDA introduced more than 600 foreign delegates to more than 1,000 U.S. company representatives across the United States. These foreign delegates included ministers, mayors, and senior governmental and private sector officials from emerging markets.

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  • 22nd Annual OSDBU Procurement Conference
    Submitted on 25 November 2011

    2012 OSDBU Procurement ConferenceThe OSDBU Procurement Conference is a national conference fostering business partnerships between the Federal Government, its prime contractors, and small, minority, service-disabled veteran-owned, veteran-owned, HUBZone, and women-owned businesses. Now in its 22nd year, the OSDBU Directors Conference has become the premier event for small business throughout the United States.

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  • Addressing Trade Barriers in the Asia-Pacific Region and Supporting American...
    Submitted on 10 November 2011

    This week, the United States is hosting the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers and Economic Leaders’ Meetings in Honolulu, Hawaii. As President Obama’s lead negotiator and spokesperson on trade, I will host a meeting for my fellow APEC Trade Ministers in preparation for President Obama’s meeting with APEC Leaders later this week and to build on the success of the APEC Trade Ministers’ meeting held in Big Sky, Montana last May.

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  • So What's in the Trade Agreements with Colombia, Panama and Korea?
    Submitted on 17 October 2011

    President Obama sent three trade agreements to Congress for approval. While each of the trade agreements were negotiated differently, they all share one common goal - to increase opportunities for U.S. businesses, farmers, and workers through improved access for their products and services in foreign markets. Each supports President Obama’s National Export Initiative goal of doubling U.S. exports by 2015.

    All Trade Promotion Agreements have one thing in common. They reduce barriers to U.S. exports, and protect U.S. interests and enhance the rule of law in the partner country. The reduction of trade barriers and the creation of a more stable and transparent trading and investment environment make it easier and cheaper for U.S. companies to export their products and services to trading partner markets.This results in jobs here in America.

    The most common question about these agreements is, "What exactly is in them?"

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  • SBA Announces STEP Grants to Help States Pay for Efforts to Increase Small...
    Submitted on 05 October 2011

    The U.S. Small Business Administration is providing $30 million in grants to states, territories, and the District of Columbia, to help increase exporting by small businesses during the next 12 months. The grants were authorized by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, under the State Trade and Export Promotion Program (STEP).

    The STEP program, launched in March, aligns with President Obama’s National Export Initiative.  The President’s initiative calls for doubling U.S. exports in five years – and in so doing, supporting two million jobs. The program provides federal government funding for 65 to75 percent of program costs, with states supplying the remainder. 

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  • Green Building is Booming in Brazil
    Submitted on 15 September 2011

    Brazil ITA Tour with Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale“It’s Brazil’s Time!”  I still can hear the clarion call of Rick Fedrizzi, President of the U.S. Green Building Council, from his opening speech during the Green Building Conference Brasil in São Paulo last week.  I was in Brazil to foster expanded commercial ties between Brazilian and American firms in the green building and energy sectors and advance the objectives of the U.S.-Brazil Strategic Energy Dialogue.  For a portion of the trip, I accompanied 14 companies participating in the Department of Commerce-certified, Brazil-U.S. Business Council-organized Trade Mission. These are innovative and forward-thinking small and medium companies interested and ready to export green building products to Brazil.

    Fedrizzi also pointed out that Brazil was among the top five countries for LEED certifications, so there is definitely a market opportunity for these companies. It also helps that financing is available for construction of buildings designed to LEED specifications.  Brazil is rushing to get ready for the 2012 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

    The president’s trip to Brazil earlier this year laid the groundwork for wider U.S. participation in Brazil’s rapidly growing green energy sector.  I was excited to be able to participate with the companies as they are primed to take advantage of these incredible opportunities in the Brazilian market, especially the green building sector. This is a priority area for the President’s National Export Initiative, not only because it can generate new sales for American industry but also because it is a powerful way to grow green jobs in the United States. U.S. goods exports to Brazil in 2010 were $35.4 billion, up 36 percent from 2009. In 2010, Brazil was the eighth-largest export market for U.S. goods.

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  • Tampa Conference Will Match Small Businesses With Trade Experts
    Submitted on 30 August 2011

    The U.S. Small Business Administration will host the second of its Export Matchmaker Trade Fair & Conference series in Tampa, Fla., on September 14.  The program is designed to provide small business manufacturers and suppliers an easy and inexpensive means for exporting their products by matching them with trade intermediaries from across the country.

    “One of President Obama’s goals in the National Export Initiative is to double U.S. exports in five years,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills.  “In these challenging economic times, and with 96 percent of the world’s population living outside the U.S., it just makes sense for Florida’s small businesses to export.”

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  • 4 Ways The Department Of Commerce Can Help You Expand Your Business
    Submitted on 17 August 2011

    Business owners aren't always aware of all the resources the government makes available for them. For example, the Department of Commerce has tools to directly help companies at every point in the business life cycle. And we’re particularly focused on helping the small and medium-sized businesses that create over half of all new jobs.

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  • New Online Free Trade Agreement Tariff Tool Will Help Small Businesses Take...
    Submitted on 15 July 2011

    More than a quarter million American small businesses export from across all fifty states. They sell U.S. products and services around the world - thereby increasing their revenues, broadening and diversifying their customer base, and supporting good jobs in their communities. A particular priority of President Obama's National Export Initiative (NEI) is to expand exports by small businesses. This will contribute to his goal of doubling U.S. exports by the end of 2014 in order to support two million additional jobs for American workers. We invite more small and medium-sized businesses to join us in this national effort to grow our economy through exports. To help do that, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration have unveiled a new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Tariff Tool. This is a free online tool available to businesses and the public for the first time. 

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Did you know...

Between 2002 and 2007, minority-owned firms outpaced the growth of non-minority firms in gross receipts, employment, and number of firms. Minority firms are an engine of job creation.
Graph for MBE Growth

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