Posts Tagged ‘advocacy’

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Commerce Partnership to Benefit Minority-Owned Exporters

January 24, 2014

Antwaun Griffin is Deputy Assistant Secretary for U.S. Field Operations with the International Trade Administration’s U.S. Commercial Service.

Antwaun Griffin is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Domestic Operations within the International Trade Administration’s U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, helping oversee all aspects of the Department’s trade promotion and export assistance services.

Antwaun Griffin is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Domestic Operations within the International Trade Administration’s U.S. Commercial Service.

This post originally appeared on the Minority Business Development Agency’s blog.

Did you know that according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, minority-owned firms are twice as likely to export as other U.S.-owned businesses? The data indicates that minority-owned firms are best positioned to succeed and expand in the growing global economy. With 95 percent of the world’s consumers outside of the United States, exporting enables businesses to boost their bottom line while building their international competitiveness. For many U.S. firms, international diversification has enabled them to weather changes in the economy much better than if they had been selling only in their backyard.

That said, many more minority-owned firms could be exporting more. Many business owners that I meet don’t export, in part because they believe exporting is too burdensome, or they’re unaware of the various resources available to assist them. However, expanding your business through exporting is more viable today than ever before. If you have a good track record of selling in the United States, one of the most open and competitive markets in the world, you are likely a good candidate to make overseas sales.

In 2010, President Obama launched the National Export Initiative (NEI), aimed at expanding federal government-wide efforts to assist exporters while supporting millions of U.S. jobs.  These efforts have helped contribute to record U.S. exports culminating in an all-time high of $2.2 trillion in 2012. As a result of the NEI, more and more businesses are taking advantage of key export tools and resources to expand their global market share.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker has made expanding exports, including for minority-owned businesses, a key part of the trade and investment priority in the Commerce Department’s “Open for Business Agenda.” Specifically, the Agenda calls for Commerce to lead NEI 2.0 – the next phase of the successful National Export Initiative – to develop a long-term strategy for orienting more American businesses toward the global marketplace, set new export goals, and coordinate federal activities to support these goals.

A prime example of this effort is a strategic partnership between my agency, the International Trade Administration (ITA), and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). With a network of 40 MBDA Business Centers across the United States, MBDA has unique relationships and is well-positioned to support NEI 2.0. ITA’s worldwide network of international trade professionals offers a depth of technical expertise in more than 100 U.S. cities and over 70 countries worldwide. Under this active partnership, both agencies will look to complement and build on each other’s domestic and global relationships.

Together, the two agencies already counsel thousands of U.S. businesses each year, and through this partnership, businesses looking to identify new foreign markets or expand their exports will be better positioned to access the services of both agencies through cross referrals, enhanced sharing of information, and joint trade promotion efforts. For example, MBDA clients can gain exposure and greater insight early on about the benefits of developing an international business plan and information on various federal programs for exporting, such as ITA’s U.S. Commercial Service market research—valuable assets when it comes to long-term strategic planning. Many MBDA clients pursuing government contracts abroad might also be interested in learning more about U.S. Commercial Service Advocacy Center efforts, which last year helped facilitate billions of dollars in overseas opportunities for U.S. companies bidding on foreign government contracts. Likewise, U.S. Commercial Service minority business clients might benefit from MBDA’s broad technical assistance, export financing options, and an array of specialized services available to minority-owned business concerns.

So whether your business is a startup or more established, I encourage you to visit www.export.gov to learn more about our programs and people.

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Advocacy Center Success Supports Louisiana Jobs

April 18, 2013

Chris Higginbotham is a Communications Specialist in the International Trade Administration’s Office of Public Affairs.

With help from the Jean-Marc Teleu and Chadian Abassador to U.S.HIS EXCELLENCY MAITINE DJOUMBE sign a contract to export 500 John Deere agricultural tractors to Chad Department of Commerce’s Advocacy Center, an American company has just signed its largest ever contract.

Louisiana-based Tuleu Consulting Company (TCC) today signed a $22.5 million contract to sell 500 John Deere tractors in the African country of Chad at a signing ceremony held at the U.S. Department of Commerce. TCC estimates this deal will support 100 American jobs at the company.

“TCC benefited from an aggressive, coordinated interagency commercial advocacy campaign spearheaded by our Advocacy Center to win a contract that will mean more jobs for American workers,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Administration Francisco Sánchez, who witnessed the signing of the contract. “I congratulate TCC on winning this valuable contract.”

The tractors will support Chad’s efforts to become self-sufficient in food production.

The Advocacy Center coordinates U.S. government resources to level the playing field for American companies competing against foreign firms for international contracts. In many cases, the Center will coordinate official messages to foreign officials on behalf of the U.S. government to support American companies.

“The services of the Advocacy Center are effective at helping companies like Tuleu and everyone at the Department of Commerce is glad to support American businesses,” Sanchez added.

This isn’t the first success for the Advocacy Center. The team actually had a banner year in Fiscal Year 2012, helping 53 companies secure international contracts worth a total of $87.1 billion. The Center estimates those contracts support 370,000 U.S. jobs.

Learn how advocacy services from the U.S. government can help your business compete overseas at export.gov/advocacy.

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Banner Year for U.S. Advocacy Center

October 16, 2012

Bryan Erwin is the Director of  The Advocacy Center in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration

The Advocacy Center of the Department of Commerce has had its most successful year since its creation in 1993. Never before has the Center helped U.S. businesses win as many international public contracts as in the past fiscal year 2012 .

U.S. companies won 53 international contracts, with a total value of $87.1 Billion. Of this amount, $73.9 Billion is U.S. export content – which means that it was made here in the U.S. – ensuring jobs for Americans. In fact, the Advocacy Center estimates that our work has helped support some 370,000 U.S. jobs.

These statistics are a record for us. In the year before, the value of the U.S. exports in the contracts was only $23.7 Billion. In 2010, it was $16.8 Billion.

Our mission is to coordinate U.S. Government resources and authority in order to level the playing field on behalf of U.S. business interests as they compete against foreign firms for specific international contracts or other U.S. export opportunities. In doing so, the Advocacy Center helps create and retain U.S. jobs through exports. And our success in 2012 was very much a collaborative effort of the whole of the Department of Commerce, and in some cases whole-of government.

But it is not only the total number which is impressive. The Advocacy Center also helped more sectors vital for the National Export Initiative win contracts. One fifth of the acquired contracts were won by Small and Medium Enterprises. Their share used to be in the single digits.

The clean energy and environmental sector and the health care sector were also able to acquire more business. International contracts won in 2012 will support almost 2,400 US clean energy jobs and 200 U.S. healthcare jobs.

A focus of the Center has also been Emergency Rescue and Disaster Relief Projects, contracts in Reconstruction Areas, and bidding contests in the so called BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) markets. In each of these focus areas, the Advocacy Center was able to assist more U.S. firms win contracts than in the recent past.

One example of our success in an emerging market is in Indonesia, in which case the U.S. Government advocated on behalf of Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. (EMD), based in LaGrange, IL, to win a government contract in Indonesia. In August, EMD reported that it was awarded a contract to provide PT Kereta Api Indonesa (PTKA), a state-owned railway company, with 44 diesel-electric locomotives as a result. EMD estimates that the total value of the procurement at $140 million, with U.S. export content of $94.0 million. And this contract will help support 470 U.S. jobs alone!

Our work on behalf of U.S. businesses is important that ever as we continue to help position companies to compete in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. That is why although 2012 was the Advocacy Center’s most successful year – we are already working on breaking this new record in 2013.

For more information about the Advocacy Center, please visit http://export.gov/advocacy/

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ITA’s Advocacy Center: Helping U.S. Companies Reach New Heights

December 21, 2011

Greg Bell is a staff writer for the International Trade Administration’s Office of Public Affairs.

Did you see the news?

The Japanese Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that, after a competitive bidding process, it has selected its next generation fighter aircraft — Lockheed Martin’s F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.

Lockheed Martin’s F-35, assembled at the corporation’s Aeronautics facility in Fort Worth, Texas, teams with 1,300 domestic suppliers in 47 states and Puerto Rico.

Lockheed Martin’s F-35, assembled at the corporation’s Aeronautics facility in Fort Worth, Texas, teams with 1,300 domestic suppliers in 47 states and Puerto Rico.

It’s yet another sign that American-made products continue to represent excellence and quality all over the world.

Under the terms of the deal, the Maryland-based aerospace company will provide more than 40 airplanes to replace older models in Japan’s fleet.  The total value of the deal is projected to be $7.2 billion dollars, of which more than $5 billion is considered U.S. exports.

What does this mean for Americans?  Jobs.  Why?  Because exports put people to work.

In fact, this Lockheed Martin deal will support thousands of American jobs — an important outcome at a time when so many are struggling.

And, in the larger picture, this agreement highlights the great possibilities of doing business abroad; contracts with foreign governments provide a wealth of opportunities for U.S. companies — of all shapes and sizes — to boost exports, bolster their bottom lines and impact jobs here at home.

U.S. firms need a level playing field on which to compete.  The Commerce Department is committed to providing that level playing field.  Central to this effort is the International Trade Administration’s Advocacy Center.

Launched in 1993, the Advocacy Center works closely with Commercial Service offices abroad, as well as with other agencies throughout the Administration, to provide high-level support to U.S. companies bidding on major overseas projects.  We want to ensure that contracts are awarded based on quality and price, not politics, connections or any other ancillary factors.

The Advocacy Center works to accomplish a number of goals:

  • To promote the ingenuity, quality and creativity that so often characterize American products and services;
  • To ensure that U.S. companies are treated fairly and are involved in a transparent process; and
  • To help American businesses navigate through the increasingly complex rules and regulations developing in the global economy.

These efforts have led to great results. In 2011 alone, ITA’s Advocacy Center has helped U.S. companies win 51 overseas projects worth $36 billion, with U.S. export content of more than $25 billion, supporting more than 142,000 jobs.

For the deal in Japan, general advocacy on behalf of U.S. firms came from all levels and corners of government — including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and current Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.

The Commerce Department was also a strong voice in this process: former Secretary Gary Locke advocated on behalf of U.S. firms to the Japanese government.

We are proud of our role in this landmark deal between Lockheed and the Japanese Ministry of Defense.  And, we are eager to help all U.S. businesses succeed in doing business with foreign governments.

So, if your company needs assistance, or if you know of another that could use some support, reach out to the Advocacy Center here.

We believe in American products.  We believe in American businesses.  We believe in American entrepreneurs.  And, we’ll do everything we can to create opportunities for success abroad. And as Secretary Bryson said recently, “Build it here. Sell it everywhere“.

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