MBDA Director Alejandra Castillo to co-lead delegation to inaugural APEC-SME Summit
WASHINGTON – As part of the U.S. Delegation, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews will travel to Manila, Philippines from November 16-18 to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit. He will engage with the U.S. business community and identify actions the Commerce Department can take to further expand opportunities for American businesses and workers to sell their products and services in some of the world’s fastest-growing markets.
“The United States is committed to strengthening commercial and economic ties through the Asia-Pacific, which is a critical dimension of the president’s focus on this fast-growing region,” Deputy Secretary Andrews said. “With a population of 2.85 billion people and an economy currently accounting for nearly 60% of the world’s GDP, the APEC region is an important economic partner to the United States. The Commerce Department will continue to collaborate with APEC members to build a highly competitive, vibrant, open, and transparent regionally integrated economy that is an engine of global growth.”
Initiated in the Philippines in 1996, the APEC CEO Summit is the premier business forum in the Asia Pacific region. Bringing together global business executives, economic leaders and policy makers, it is the only platform where the business community can engage with the APEC Economic Leaders. It provides unparalleled opportunities for sharing insights and solutions on enhancing trade and investment liberalization and other priority issues through open dialogue.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) National Director Alejandra Castillo will lead a delegation of small and medium-sized enterprises to the Philippines for the inaugural APEC Small Medium Enterprise (APEC SME) Summit on November 15.
“The APEC SME Summit is an excellent opportunity for small business owners to engage with APEC senior officials and increase their commercial footprint in the APEC trade region,” said MBDA Director Castillo.
Representing the private sector as delegation co-chair is Honorable Patricia M. Loui, former Board Member of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and founder and CEO of OmniTrak, an international marketing, research, and branding consultancy firm.
The U.S. Delegation consists of representatives from the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, U.S. SMEs that are export-ready or currently exporting to APEC economies, as well as trade organizations with export-ready members and other federal government officials. A key focus of the delegation will be to explore opportunities to expand U.S. exports via diaspora communities.
The APEC SME delegation will include:
· Austriaco and Associates Ltd –Chicago, Ill.
· BOX Studios –Chicago, Ill.
· Calculation Bureau, LLC –Chicago, Ill.
· Chinawise, Inc. –Chicago, Ill.
· CIeNET International –Oak Brook, Ill.
· Crewsing international LLC –Seattle, Wash.
· CSMI –Schaumburg, Ill.
· District Trading Company LLC –Washington, D. C.
· E.C. Ortiz & Co, LLP –Chicago, Ill.
· East Vantage –Los Angeles, Calif.
· Ethertronics –San Diego, Calif.
· Indatatech –San Antonio, Texas
· Interface Protein Technology, Inc. –Lisle, Ill.
· Madrid Crost Law Group –Chicago, Ill.
· Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC –San Diego, Calif.
· Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship –Washington, D.C.
· OmniTrak Group –Honolulu, Hawaii
· Ramos Law Firm –Atlanta, Ga.
· RJT Compuquest.com –El Segundo, Calif.
· Rockit Ranch Production –Chicago, Ill.
· Sherman Worldwide –Henderson, Nev.
· Shine Electronics Co. –Long Island City, N.Y.
· The Gill Auto Group, Inc. –Madera, Calif.
To learn more about the APEC SME Summit and the U.S. Delegation, please visit http://www.mbda.gov/main/global-business/asia-pacific-economic-cooperation-small-and-medium-enterprises-summit.
